Mitsubishi has fully updated the Outlander plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle [PHEV] for 2023 and it arrives this fall. The new Outlander shares a lot of its construction features with the outstanding new Nissan Rogue. However, the Outlander is a seven-passenger crossover SUV and has a powertrain with dramatically better fuel economy than the Rogue offers.
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The MSPR for the new Outlander starts at $39,845, and with the Mitsubishi Destination/Handling Charge of $1,345 has a beginning consumer cost of $41,190. These prices do not include dealer documentation fees, added dealer markups, or added
dealer-installed content.
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The biggest surprise offered by this new Outlander PHEV is that it comes with DC fast-charging compatibility. Of course it can charge on Level 1 or Level 2 chargers, but if you find a DCFC you can bring the battery up to 80% in just 38 minutes. Best of all, it opens up a lot more possible public charging spots when on the road. This is a big advantage over PHEVs like the Kia Sorento PHEV, Hyundai Santa Fe PHEV, and RAV4 Prime. Once Tesla finally opens up its Superchargers to the public, we presume this Outlander will be able to charge using them.
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Mitsubishi reports that the Outlander will earn a 64 MPGe rating from the EPA, and that it has a 38-mile all-electric range. That is a big improvement over past Outlander PHEVs. Overall range when fully-energized is a whopping 420 miles. There isn’t an affordable BEV crossover SUV with a range anywhere close to that. The Outlander PHEV will prove to be a fantastic road trip vehicle based on these numbers.
"The 2023 Outlander PHEV is the pinnacle of Mitsubishi Motors' engineering," said Mark Chaffin, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. "With 38 miles of electric range and 420 miles of combined range, this vehicle offers the perfect blend of clean and quiet electric motoring with the ease of refueling and no range anxiety that only a gasoline engine can offer. Customers have been reserving cars at Mitsubishi dealers for months, and we can't wait to start delivering on that excitement."
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Like the Toyota RAV4 Prime PHEV, the Outlander employs an all-electric rear drive for its all-wheel drive setup. The 2023 Outlander PHEV’s Super All-Wheel Control [S-AWC]5 system uses the gasoline engine and front motor to drive the front wheels, and a stand-alone rear-mounted motor to drive the rear axle. BothPower is up both front and rear with a combined system power of 248-horsepower and 332 lb/ft of torque.
This brief overview doesn’t do the new Outlander PHEV justice. We look forward to testing this great new entry to the 2023 plug-in hybrid market soon and providing readers with a full report.
2023 Outlander Plug-in Hybrid Electric vehicle image courtesy of Mitsubishi.
John Goreham is a long-time New England Motor Press Association member and recovering engineer. John's interest in EVs goes back to 1990 when he designed the thermal control system for an EV battery as part of an academic team. After earning his mechanical engineering degree, John completed a marketing program at Northeastern University and worked with automotive component manufacturers, in the semiconductor industry, and in biotech. In addition to Torque News, John's work has appeared in print in dozens of American news outlets and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites. You can follow John on TikTok @ToknCars, on Twitter, and view his credentials at Linkedin
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With gasoline prices rising, more people are looking for relief by checking into the electric vehicle industry, but not everyone is ready to take the plunge and go all out. Hybrids are great options, but they
don’t prepare you for the charging aspect of EVs. A PHEV is a perfect solution, but it’s not quite as popular as it should be in the industry. The Kia Sportage and its rival, the Mitsubishi
Outlander, are two good examples. When you compare the two, the Kia offers more than what its rival does. Let’s look at five advantages the Sportage PHEV has over the Outlander.
1. Better fuel economy ratings
Both models have the plug-in hybrid powertrain, which means you can switch between gasoline and electric power as needed. The fact that you can plug it in before you leave allows you to get better fuel economy because the battery is ready to go right away and doesn’t have to wait to get charged by the engine as you drive down the road.
With the Sportage, that’s especially true. Kia offers a total of 84 MPGe combined, while the Outlander only provides around 74 MPGe overall. On the gasoline engine, you can expect 35 MPGe combined, according to Kia’s website.
2. More electric driving range for the 2023 Kia Sportage PHEV
As with fuel economy, the PHEV infrastructure also helps with driving range. On the 2023 Kia Sportage, you get about 32-34 miles, while the Outlander offers only 24 miles when driving on electric only.
The battery in the Kia can be fully charged in two hours if you use a 240-volt charger. According to Edmund’s, the Outlander will take around four hours with the same charger.
3. More horsepower and torque
Kia’s Sportage has a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with a fully parallel hybrid system. Combined, its powertrain will produce 261 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque.
When you compare what Mitsubishi’s Outlander offers, you see a 2.4-liter Inline-four paired with an electric motor system that only generates 221 hp and 147 lb-ft of torque, according to Mitsubishi’s website.
4. More towing capacity
As more vehicles hit the market with either an electric powertrain or a hybrid one, we’re starting to see that they can perform just like their gasoline-powered counterparts. One area that shows this is a car’s towing capacity.
The Sportage offers about 2,000 lbs of towing capacity. That’s quite a bit more than the Outlander, which is only rated for 1,500 lbs. Considering towing does affect EV driving ranges, these amounts are pretty good.
5. More ground clearance goes to the 2023 Kia Sportage PHEV
Neither the Outlander nor the Sportage is known for heavy off-roading, but that doesn’t mean ground clearance isn’t an essential feature for some drivers. Some people need a vehicle with a higher stance simply due to the harsh snowy areas they live in, while others have better driving confidence when they sit up higher in their seats and can see the road better.
For the Kia, you can expect about 8.3-inches of space between the vehicle’s underside and the pavement. Compare that to Mitsubishi’s Outlander, and you’ll notice quite a difference since this model only has 7.3-inches of ground clearance.
While both models offer some excellent features, the Kia Sportage has the edge over the Mitsubishi Outlander in five different areas. It has more towing capacity, more ground clearance, better fuel economy, more electric driving range, and better-combined horsepower and torque.
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