Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV 2020 review

Let’s get the hard stuff out of the way early; the 2020 Outlander PHEV is more expensive than its predecessors, no matter which one you shop for. 

The Outlander PHEV arrives in three trim levels - the ES ($46,990 MSRP or $50,990 drive-away), then the ES + ADAS pack, which adds $1000 to both those numbers, increasing the cost to $47,990 ($51,990 drive-away), and finally the top-spec Exceed, which is $55,990 ($59,990 drive-away).

The ES arrives with a fairly stacked equipment list, including 18-inch alloys, LED DRLs, auto headlights and wipers and standard roof rails outside. In the cabin, expect cloth seats that are heated in the front, a new 8.0-inch screen that’s both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto equipped, a new lumbar support control for the driver, push-button start, and dual-zone climate control with a vent for rear riders.

All variants feature an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Stepping up the ADAS (Advance Driver Assistance Systems) pack, which is a trim level aimed largely at fleet customers, matches the ES trim level exactly, but then adds some key safety stuff like lane departure warning, auto high beams and adaptive cruise control.

Finally, the Exceed trim gets leather seats, standard navigation, a better stereo, a powered boot, a sunroof and some nicer interior trimmings, as well as a heap of standard safety kit that we’ll drill down on under the Safety sub-heading. 

All up, though, you’ll be paying up to $2000 more for the updated Outlander PHEV - a jump Mitsubishi says is justified by the new multimedia screen, the bigger engine and higher battery capacity.

Mitsubishi makes a big deal out of the Outlander’s practicality perks, and with good reason; here’s an electrified vehicle that can carry five people, tow 1.5 tonnes, and even tackle some off-road stuff without breaking much of a sweat.

Let’s start with the key stuff. The Outlander PHEV measures in at 4695mm in length, 1800mm in width and 1710mm in height, which is about bang-on the conventional fuel-powered models. 

The Outlander has a vaguely premium look from the outside.

As a result, you can expect similar space inside the cabin, with enough room for up-front riders, and a spacious rear seat that provided enough head and legroom for my 175cm frame to ride in comfort. 

In the boot, you’ll find 463 litres of luggage room, with an extra 35 litres hidden in an under-floor cargo box. And unlike some hybrids, the Outlander PHEV won’t shy away from some light-duty towing either, with Mitsubishi claiming a 1500kg (braked) towing capacity. 

Finally, you can expect two ISOFIX attachment points, one in each window seat in the back, as well as two new USB connections points, so there's device charging galore.

It’s here we find the biggest change for the 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, with a bigger petrol engine and a higher-capacity battery combining to deliver what the brand promises will be a “sportier” drive.

First, under the bonnet there lurks a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine which will deliver some 94kW at 4500rpm and 199Nm at 4500rpm - up from 87kW and 186Nm from the old 2.0-litre engine. 

The PHEV is exclusively offered with a single-speed automatic gearbox.

The petrol engine works in conjunction with twin electric motors, (60kW/137Nm front, 70kW/195Nm rear), and though the maximum power produced remains 94kW, it does allow the Outlander to switch between petrol and electric power at will.

That power is fed through a single-speed automatic gearbox and ultimately sent to all four wheels.

The bigger battery, now 13.8 kWh, doesn’t actually result in a longer driving range, with Mitsubishi still claiming a 54km EV range, according to the NEDC cycle. Stick to that, and your fuel use will be zero.

Engage the petrol engine, however, and Mitsubishi then claims a combined fuel-use figure of 1.9 litres per hundred kilometres, and C02 emissions of 43g per kilometre. The Outlander PHEV is fitted with a 45-litre fuel tank. 

Using a CHAdeMO high-speed charger should give you 80 per cent capacity in 25 mins.

When it comes time to recharge, you can expect it to take around seven hours using a plug at home, while using a CHAdeMO high-speed charger should give you 80 per cent capacity in 25 mins.

But the point Mitsubishi makes, and it's a good one, is that owing to the petrol engine, you really never need to worry about public charging. Instead, should you run out battery juice, simply drive home with the petrol engine and plug in when you get there. 

The Outlander PHEV ES arrives with camera-based AEB (up to 80km/h), a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, hill start assist and seven airbags as standard kit. Opting for the ADAS pack then adds Lane Departure Warning, adaptive cruise control and automatic high beams. 

Finally, the Outlander Exceed will add an around-view monitor, lane change assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and what Mitsubishi calls its Ultrasonic Misacceleration Mitigation System, which detects if you’ve accidentally selected Drive instead of Reverse (or vice versa) and will dull the accelerator and sound a warning to let you know. 

The Outlander was awarded a full five-star ANCAP safety rating when tested in 2014.