Test drive the New Mitsubishi Outlander for 60 grand

Seven seats, four wheel drive and don’t be afraid of mud and snow

Mitsubishi will launch the new Outlander on the Dutch market at the end of this year. It is a plug-in hybrid with off-road capability and the possibility of seven seats. What? Mwangawa can again win the hearts of (business) Holland?

The Mitsubishi Outlander isn’t exactly new: it’s been on the market in Canada for two years. But the car is completely new for Europe and has been extensively modified. Prices are still unknown, but according to a spokesperson for the Dutch importer we can count on ‘somewhere between 50,000 and 55,000 euros.’ Initially, the car will be a five-seater, but it is expected that a seven-seater will also be available in the Netherlands.

The New Outlander has little competition

This Outlander is completely unique in its kind. It’s not a fully electric car but a plug-in hybrid. And that’s very refreshing in this day and age when everything seems to be electric because otherwise you wouldn’t participate anymore.

Are there competitors? Yes, but not much. Mitsubishi itself sees the Mzda CX60 as competition, although it cannot go off-road. The Kia Sorento is available as a seven-seat PHEV with four-wheel drive for 60 grand, but it also lacks off-road skills. Seat’s Tarraco is available with seven seats but without four-wheel drive.

If you want seven seats and a regular four-wheel drive with off-road capability and a plug-in hybrid, you’ll end up with more expensive SUVs like the Volvo XC90 or the very expensive Land Rover Defender 130. That light, this Outlander is an interesting car – two years old or not. We Dutch people have a special relationship with Outlander.

Unfortunately, there is no longer an additional minimum tax

For the European market, the second generation of the model – from 2006 – came off the production line in the Netherlands at Nedcar in Limburg. The Outlander had the Peugeot 4007 and Citroën C-Crosse as sister models at the time. However, it will take until 2013 before the Outlander becomes very popular in the Netherlands as the third generation model. A year after its launch, a PHEV version was released and embraced by businesses in the Netherlands, because at the time it was rewarded with a lower additional tax for driving a PHEV. Outlander became an institution. Until that lower tax disappeared and many commercial drivers said goodbye to Mitsubishi immediately.

Two electric motors

Will the latest Outlander bring new inspiration to the Japanese brand? It will be available in three versions, but the exact equipment is still unknown. But obviously you don’t have to bite the bullet. So it’s always a plug-in hybrid, no other driver. In this case, this means that it has a 2.4-liter four-cylinder sixteen-valve gasoline engine and two electric motors; one of 84 kW on the front axle and one of 100 kW on the rear axle.

The total power of the top system is 248 hp and a maximum of 340 Nm of torque. Data that you also need for a car that weighs 2,100 kg. The Lithium-ion battery pack provides 20 kWh. You should be able to travel only 80 to 90 km on electricity – a completely different story than the old 45 km, where you could not go faster than 120 km / h.

The car does not have a CVT automatic transmission, but a permanent transmission. It is equipped with electric motors, so you do not need a gearbox. The engine only kicks in at high speed. The main thing is that thanks to the two electric motors, there is no longer a need for a physical connection between the front and rear axles and the gearbox. So there is no extra differential, no extra drive shaft. This saves weight, but also greatly increases the possibility of influencing the rate of movement or stopping. So-called S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control) controls each wheel independently. With a selector button on the center console you can indicate what terrain you are driving on, such as mud, gravel or snow.

It will not surprise anyone that we are on the road with a big car. It is 4 70 meters long and 1 74 meters long. But despite the fact that it weighs 2,100 kg, it moves quickly and responds well to the movements of the accelerator pedal. It’s very quiet on board the Outlander Then let’s talk about the warranty: not less than 8 years (!) on the whole car and 10 years or 160,000 km on the battery pack.

Towing weight is not yet known

In terms of active driver assistance systems, there’s everything you could wish for – at least on the test car. This way you can drive semi-independently on the highway. In addition, the Outlander can actively intervene in traffic behind the car and the adaptive cruise control has a stop-and-go function, which is good in traffic jams. The CVT also has a B position for additional braking energy recovery in the form of current. Additionally, in the event of a frontal collision, the vehicle will automatically steer away from the oncoming vehicle. In addition to blind spot warning, the car also ensures that you cannot change lanes if someone is in your blind spot.

At the time, the Outlander was the first PHEV that was allowed to have a trailer behind it. And one weighing 1,500 kg. It is not yet known what the towing capacity of this vehicle is. Either way, you have a trailer hitch that helps keep the trailer on track and aids in maneuvering.

Unique: This PHEV can charge quickly

So Outlander is a plug-in hybrid. In other words, this car not only charges the battery pack while driving, you can also do it at the charging station. In a public cluster this takes about 6.5 hours. This Outlander is also capable of fast charging, which is quite special for the plug-in hybrid. This is mostly reserved for fully electric cars.

In this case, fast charging is done using the ChaDeMo connection (so there is no CCS that most European EVs have). The battery then recharges in 38 minutes. According to Mitsubishi, if you leave the engine running, the battery will recharge to 80 percent after 94 minutes from empty. But then, is that better for the environment? If you charge while driving, you will also travel kilometers. Regeneration breaking is possible, but there are no additional settings for it.

The third row of seats is intended for children

Outlander’s wheelbase, which is the distance between the front and rear axle, is not less than 2 70 meters. And that means that there is a lot of space in the car. You can access the third row of seats by sliding the rear seat forward and folding the backrest forward. The third row of seats itself is hidden in the trunk loading floor. You can open it with just a twist of the wrist. The sofa is intended for children. Adults cannot sit on it properly because they do not have enough legroom.

The middle row of seats offers plenty of room, although the back seat cushion offers little support for your legs. There are more than enough bedrooms, even for tall people. Passengers have their own air conditioning controls and even seat heating. The central tunnel is normal so that you also sit comfortably in the middle. The seats of the standard rear seats slide. And the standard rear seat can be folded in three parts. The back row of seats sinks into the floor. The size of the luggage space in liters is unknown, but you can see with the naked eye that there is a lot of luggage space, especially if you fold everything away. There are hooks for storing luggage. In short: practicality is good.

Standard dashboard in design

The entire front is quite modern in design. In that case, you see that this car has been on the market for two years. For example, we see a lot of standard buttons where the current trend is one of the few possible buttons and the most possible menus in the infotainment screen; but these buttons are actually better. It’s just based on the steering column instead of turning on the light buttons on your steering wheel like current Teslas.

You will also see different buttons for the air conditioner controls – which looks interesting. Even the infotainment screen has two push/turn buttons and some shortcuts for the radio, phone and camera. This is much safer while driving than having to navigate through all kinds of menus and therefore taking your eyes off the road. Well done, Mitsubishi!

In their report, the dimensions of the screen itself are normal – but a spokesperson from Mitsubishi says that this is still being fixed; so the screen would be made bigger. The Instrument Panel is a digital projection in which you can include various elements. There is a lot of storage space in the car, which is just great.

Conclusion

This Mitsubishi Outlander is a great passenger car with excellent off-road characteristics. It offers plenty of seating and storage space and is therefore very practical. Because it’s a plug-in hybrid, fuel consumption stays within limits. For a distance of about 90 km you don’t need to use petrol. And quite special for the plug-in hybrid: it can charge quickly. It is especially recommended for the down-to-earth, price-conscious people who are looking for a car with lots of space and who look beyond their nose.