Mitsubishi Outlander: How does everyday life go with a plug-in hybrid?

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How does everyday life work with a plug-in hybrid?

Mitsubishi Outlander: How does everyday life go with a plug-in hybrid?-outlander

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The new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV with plug-in technology on board achieves a standard consumption of 1.9 liters.

Source: Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Outlander: How does everyday life go with a plug-in hybrid?-does

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Prices start at 39,990 euros.

Source: Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Outlander: How does everyday life go with a plug-in hybrid?-does

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For the drive, the developers combined a two-liter, four-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors.

Source: Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Outlander: How does everyday life go with a plug-in hybrid?-plug-in

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The third row of seats is omitted. Nevertheless, almost no space was lost with the electrified version compared to the conventional variants. The charging cable can be found in the Ko…fferraum.

Source: Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Outlander: How does everyday life go with a plug-in hybrid?-plug-in

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Instead of a rev counter, there is a power meter.

Source: Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Outlander: How does everyday life go with a plug-in hybrid?-everyday

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Together they make an SUV for a green conscience.

Source: Mitsubishi

It is still fascinating to be on the road with electric motors, and that also applies to the only electrically powered SUV Mitsubihi Outlander. But you pay a high price for pleasure.

M.you mustn’t let yourself get carried away, you know that. But then you are so positively amazed. About the fact that you can whisper silently and electrically through the area in a not exactly small car.

All electric cars roll off quietly and with an above-average amount of momentum, this is not so new. But electric in SUVs is a premiere. Because of the heavy battery charge, all manufacturers take care not to let electric cars become too bulky (exception: Tesla). BMW has even invested billions of euros in tailoring extra-light car bodies from carbon.

The trick on the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (we’ll have to talk about the nickname): It’s only half a real electric car.

Plug-in is the idea of ​​the year

It’s actually a hybrid, but not a typical one. On the one hand, it combines gasoline and electric motors. The units can work together peacefully, and whenever the gasoline engine can afford it, it cuts off some energy to keep the batteries fresh.

On the other hand, the batteries can also be recharged from the mains, which is why the generic name is called plug-in hybrid, for connecting to the socket. PHEV stands for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, engineers always say “Pe-Heff” to it, and this word, whether written or pronounced, should only make a very modest contribution to marketing success.

Plug-in hybrid is something like the idea of ​​the year. Because a car like the Outlander PHEV is a kind of part-time electric vehicle without range problems.

Mitsubishi estimates the stamina of the batteries at 52 kilometers. They lie under the floor of the body and have a capacity of twelve kilowatt hours.

52 kilometers range? Illusory

If you have a commute of no more than 25 kilometers to work, you should make it to the office and back on weekdays and only have to fill up gas for the longer trips at the weekend. At least that’s the theory.

The “world” tested the Outlander PHEV on several days over a commuter route of 42 kilometers (one way) and tried out various strategies. What immediately became apparent: The 52 kilometers of electric range are just as illusory in practice as compliance with standardized gasoline consumption. The batteries were empty somewhere between 35 and 40 kilometers.

Day 1: The batteries are fully charged and the goal is to get to the office purely electrically, because there is another socket waiting in the underground car park. In vain, however, you look for an EV button in the Mitsubishi that forces the car to remain in electric mode until you either want to drive faster than 120 km / h or the energy has just been used up.

The Japanese follow the strategy that the on-board electronics already know what is best for overall energy consumption. So it can happen that the combustion engine switches on from time to time. This is especially the case when you are traveling at higher speeds outside of the city, even on this side of the 120 mark.

On average 2.9 liters per 100 kilometers

In the city, however, the two-liter four-cylinder remains silent (otherwise it is also quite quiet) until, shortly before reaching the destination, the batteries are so discharged that the car continues to work as a typical hybrid: sometimes electric, sometimes with gasoline, always Be careful not to completely empty the batteries.

So you get, there and back put together, a gasoline consumption of 2.9 liters per 100 kilometers. Not much for a 1.9 ton mid-size SUV, but more than the factory specification of 1.9 l / 100 km.

Day 3: After the second day passed like the first, the batteries were not recharged in the evening. The next morning the Mitsubishi received a command for this via the “Charge” button. The car is instructed to use the internal combustion engine as a drive source and to let it fill the batteries at the same time and without interruption.

After a good 40 kilometers to the workplace, according to the cockpit display, the battery was charged to around 80 percent – that is exactly what the “Charge” mode promises. Accordingly, the on-board computer also showed a completely different figure for fuel consumption than on the previous days: 13.2 l / 100 km.

There is always enough residual current in the batteries

Day 4: On the evening of the third day, the 80 percent full batteries helped the Mitsubishi halfway home, and the next morning it was supposed to serve as a normal hybrid. The batteries were not charged again overnight, but now the button with the "Charge" label remained untouched.

It’s interesting how well the Outlander PHEV handles the low level of its batteries. Even if only a small bar can be seen in the display, there is still enough energy left in the batteries that the two 82 hp electric motors (one at the front, the other on the rear axle) can also push when accelerating.

Short, level sections are also possible without a petrol engine – just like in a classic hybrid. And the gasoline consumption of 8.1 liters is quite impressive considering the size of the car.

Nevertheless, most owners of a PHEV model should aim to drive without petrol if possible, otherwise the high surcharge for the new technology would hardly pay off. The Outlander PHEV is a bit more powerful with 203 HP system output than the 150 HP petrol version with all-wheel drive. It also has better standard equipment. But at 39,990 euros it also costs 9,350 euros more.

Unfortunately, electricity also costs money

You can try to recoup this surcharge at the petrol station – but you shouldn’t forget that electricity also costs something, at least if you tap it at home and not for free in the employer’s underground car park.

It took five and a half to six hours to recharge the batteries, so they were as empty as they could be: of the twelve kilowatt hours they had only 3.6 left – they are always there, because otherwise the car could no longer drive off.

The start is only electric because the petrol engine is only connected to fifth gear. It can therefore only be activated when the driver reaches a certain speed (approx. 40 km / h).

So if you recharge 8.4 kilowatt hours twice for a commuter route totaling 84 kilometers, you have to pay 16.8 times 28 cents for it, that is 4.70 euros.

Payback only after 170,000 kilometers

We remember that the electricity was not quite enough for the journey and the on-board computer showed 2.9 l / 100 km. 2.9 liters per 100 kilometers makes 2.4 per 84 kilometers. 2.4 liters of Super E10 cost EUR 3.72, so the energy cost for commuting to work would have been EUR 8.42.

In hybrid mode it is 10.55 euros and in charge mode 17.18 euros. For the “world” commuter route, normal mode with full batteries was the cheapest solution.

Even so, the amortization is difficult. The petrol Outlander consumes around ten liters in everyday life, which corresponds to 15.50 euros. A 100-kilometer trip with the PHEV costs 10.10 euros, you save 5.40 euros and recoup the surcharge after a good 170,000 kilometers. So around the year 2023.

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