One of the first plug-in hybrid SUVs worldwide has been on sale in Germany two years ago with an idiosyncratic concept. A 2 hp petrol engine is supported by two electric motors installed at the front and rear. Since the visual revision, improvements have been made to the chassis and steering as well as in the area of noise reduction. How does the drive concept prove itself in everyday life?
A spacious vehicle interior offers space and plenty of headroom for 5 adults. The controls are clearly arranged for the driver in the tidy cockpit. The controls on the center console between the driver and front passenger with the automatic could have been placed a little higher. Some switches are a bit hidden.
The trunk offer in the Outlander is very diverse. Due to its high weight, the vehicle only allows a small load capacity of a maximum of 358 kg in the TOP equipment.
With many small cars, more payloads are possible than with this MPV. This point should definitely be improved again or you have to switch to the variants with the combustion engines.
Electronic fine-tuning between three motors and 2 drive axles
The 2 electric motors are powered by a 12 kWh lithium-ion battery, which is located under the front seats. The gasoline engine complies with the current Euro 6 standard and is combined with the two electric motors with the help of sophisticated electronics. There is no mechanical connection between the drives on the front and rear axles, so there is also no continuous cardan shaft. The all-wheel drive can be switched on electronically at the push of a button.
Plug-in hybrid with three driving modes
The battery has a capacity of 12 kWh and can be charged via the household socket in approx. 5 hours. With the fast charging plug (Chademo), a good 30 percent of the charging capacity can be reached within approx. 80 minutes. This capacity can also be achieved directly via the combustion engine as a generator using the charge button within 40 minutes. Here the hybrid manufacturers are driving the course towards independence from the power grid.
There are 3 driving modes with this vehicle: the pure electric operation up to approx. 50 km, in which the electric motors are fed from the battery, the dual operation in which the electric motor serves as a generator up to a speed of 120 km / h and finally the real one Hybrid operation over 120 km / h, in which all engines serve as the drive source.
Depending on the type of drive, the actual consumption then also skyrockets. Depending on the driving style, according to the Outlander's on-board computer, we needed between 6 and 11 liters of Super while driving - an expected value given the high weight. Your own consumption figures then very much depend on the driving settings. There are various setting options: from the switchable all-wheel drive to an optional ECO mode to an energy recovery system that can be set in 2 levels using 6 steering wheel paddles. The range of instruments is expanded to include options that can be activated at the push of a button to charge the battery while driving or to block the battery power for driving, so that you can later move in a purely electric manner in an environmental zone, for example.
Mitsubishi claims to have worked on the insulation and the interior is no longer as loud as it was in the previous model. The advance is leisurely. A speed of 100 km / h is reached after 11 seconds and the top speed is blocked off at 170 km / h - ultimately a large-volume touring bike, the chassis of which, after a few revisions, smoothly compensates for the unevenness in the terrain and takes corners with agility and equilibrium. The automatic distance control, which regulates the speed and distance to the vehicle in front autonomously for the vehicle, has proven to be practical for long journeys.
When you arrive at your destination, a 360-degree camera system makes parking easier using the on-board monitor with this equipment line. An impressive all-round view from a bird's eye view plus a reversing camera make parking processes much easier.
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