Mitsubishi has pulled the curtain on perhaps its most interesting new model in years. We are talking about the new Outlander PHEV, the successor to the model that was barely available in the Netherlands for several years.
Although Mitsubishi tells AutoWeek that there are as yet no plans to bring the new Outlander PHEV to the Netherlands, the latest plug-in hybrid SUV is an interesting model. If only to see the technical differences with the type of which Mitsubishi sold more than 8,000 units annually between 2013 and 2015.
The outgoing, but still available as PHEV, Outlander has a 240 hp plug-in hybrid powertrain that consists of a 135 hp 2.4 petrol engine and two together 163 hp electric motors. The battery pack in that car measures 13.8 kWh, good for an electric range of 45 kilometers. The 2.4 in the new Outlander PHEV is the same one that came to the outgoing model in 2018, when it replaced the 2.0. The front electric motor delivers 116 hp instead of 82 hp in the plug-in Outlander, while the rear one produces 136 hp instead of 90 hp. More interesting is the battery pack, which is 20 kWh in the new Outlander PHEV and gives the car an electric range of 87 kilometers. This makes the electric range of the latest plug-in hybrid Outlander 93 percent greater than that of the once successful original. Also, the petrol tank of the Outlander PHEV is larger than before, which further increases the total range.
In all-electric mode, you must drive the new Outlander PHEV via one pedal driving able to accelerate and decelerate. The control unit of the rear electric motor is now integrated with that power source and is located outside the passenger compartment. This provides the plug-in hybrid SUV with a quieter interior and makes the placement of a third row of seats possible. Yes, the youngest Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is also available as a seven-seater. The appearance of the new Outlander PHEV is of course no surprise, except for an extra tailgate, which is identical to that of the conventional new Outlander. Its technical brother will come to the Netherlands as the Nissan X-Trail, but nothing is known about the arrival of a plug-in hybrid variant.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl