Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GSR 2021 Review

The difference between the 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV at entry level (the ES grade) and at the top of the range (Exceed) is exactly $8500, before on-road costs. At $52,490, the Outlander PHEV GSR slots in at $4500 dearer than the ES variant and $4000 cheaper than the flagship Exceed.

All three trim levels run the same powertrain, leaving the price difference to be explained by equipment levels.

Over the ES grade, the Outlander PHEV GSR offers Bilstein dampers matched to firmer springs, a host of cosmetic tweaks (alloy wheels, rear spoiler, roof finished in black), some upholstered elements inside, an electric tailgate, a cargo blind, heated fold-in door mirrors, an electrically-adjustable driver’s seat, eight-speaker premium audio system and some driver assist gadgets.

Now some might question whether all that adds up to $4500 worth of value, but the Bilstein dampers aren’t cheap, and when you also include the safety factor of the driver assist technology and the extra comfort and convenience inside, it’s starting to look like better-than-average kit for the money.

In fact, there’s no reason why this variant won’t end up being the volume seller in the range – and for reasons beyond just the dollars, as you’ll read elsewhere in this story.

The standard features the GSR grade shares with the basic Outlander PHEV ES include dual-zone air-conditioning, Bluetooth, digital radio, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity and a leather-clad steering wheel.

The Outlander PHEV GSR is only available in three colours: Starlight, Titanium and Red Diamond. A black roof is standard with all three colours which are all premium colours (no solid colour option) but at no extra cost with the exception of the Red Diamond option ($550).

The test vehicle was finished in Titanium and on the road for $56,490 in standard specification.

Something as technologically advanced as a plug-in hybrid SUV could be expected to carry that advancement through to active safety features as well – and the 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GSR doesn’t disappoint.

Naturally, the new variant comes equipped with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), seven airbags, rain-sensing wipers/auto-on headlights, auto high beam assist, a reversing camera, reverse parking sensors, hill start assist, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning – all of which are also offered in the Outlander PHEV ES.

But the higher-priced GSR variant adds blind spot monitoring, lane change assist, rear cross traffic alert and front parking sensors to the specification list.

According to ANCAP, the Outlander PHEV is rated five stars for crash safety, just like the conventional Outlander models. ANCAP’s date stamp for the rating dates back to 2014, the year the plug-in Outlander went on sale in Australia.

That’s a long time ago, and other testing routines have been introduced since, with the side impact test speed raised to 60km/h. But the Outlander certainly shaped up pretty well by the standards of the day, when it was evaluated by Euro NCAP.

Scoring 15.58 points out of 16 possible for the frontal offset test, 16 out of 16 for the side impact test and two out of two for the pole test, the Outlander was judged to be ‘Good’ for whiplash protection and ‘Acceptable’ for pedestrian protection.

The combination of two electric motors and a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine is the same package as the 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV ES we compared against the Toyota RAV4 earlier in 2020 and the Outlander PHEV Exceed reviewed for the local launch at the end of 2019.

Suffice to say, the electric motors are very quiet, the petrol engine is there when you need it and performance is more than adequate for acceleration and hauling loads.

But we know that already anyway. So let’s look instead at the cost of ownership, focusing on energy use. If you think that the plug-in hybrid Mitsubishi is a de facto electric vehicle, and you need never spend another cent on petrol, we have a sad story to tell.

Every couple of days, the Outlander will fire up the petrol engine, presumably to keep it from fossilising. Even if the lithium-ion battery is fully charged at the outset of a journey, the Outlander’s four-cylinder engine will run sporadically.

For the return of the Outlander to a depot 37km away, the battery started out fully charged with a nominal range of 52km, according to the trip computer. Yet within a kilometre or two the petrol engine was up and running, despite the mild weather, the light demands for torque and the mostly freeway cruising.

The Outlander reached its destination having consumed 18.1kWh of battery power and 1.5L/100km of fuel. That makes the Outlander a reasonably cost-effective machine to own. Owners would be looking at around $7.50 per 100km, versus $8.20 or thereabouts for a conventional mid-size SUV returning 7.0L/100km.

We dropped off the Outlander and picked up a Honda CR-V, which was sipping fuel at 7.7L/100km over the same journey in reverse, so the real-world difference between plug-in and conventional SUV may be greater than 70-something cents per 100km, if fossil fuel prices rise above $1.18 a litre and your electricity tariff is under 32 cents per kilowatt-hour.

But bear in mind also that the Victorian government plans to tax plug-in hybrids for road usage at a rate of $2 per 100km. So any net cost advantage will be eroded to nothing. Both New South Wales and South Australia are proposing road tax for EVs too.

Is it any wonder electric vehicles and plug-ins can’t get off the ground in Oz?

When Mitsubishi applies the ‘GSR’ badge to a vehicle, people expect that vehicle to be a little more dynamic. It should go harder and corner better too. Shouldn’t it?

It has to be admitted, the 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GSR may not deserve the badge, if you want to be anal about it, but it has impressed me beyond my expectations.

The plug-in Outlander has steadily improved, dynamically, over the years it has been in the local market – to the extent that the Outlander PHEV ES is no slouch in the bends. But the GSR has certainly extended the plug-in Mitsubishi’s cornering competence.

With its Bilstein dampers and firmer springs, the Outlander PHEV GSR feels pretty well sorted. Rolling on Toyo Proxes 225/55 R18 tyres, the GSR variant handles flatly and certainly feels more encouraging turning in than the Outlander PHEV ES tested earlier this year.

Yet the ride comfort is also respectable and is a good match to the Outlander’s passive dynamics.

Mitsubishi has basically got this right in the GSR variant. While the firm spring rates are felt at lower speeds, the car’s ride is more measured on the open road.

In that context, the ride/handling balance is ideal for most owners, and the steering provides appropriate feedback without being unduly heavy. This is the chassis set-up that Mitsubishi should adopt for the ES and Exceed trim levels also – but then there would be practically no point of difference between those two grades and the GSR.

The chassis tune complements the seats inside the Outlander PHEV GSR. They’re reasonably well shaped for support and hold the occupant securely while cornering, but not to the detriment of comfort. The upholstery is a microfibre suede that’s exclusive to the GSR variant. It’s durable and relatively plush.

In the rear, the Outlander is quite roomy, and adults will travel in comfort for extended periods without complaint. The backrests do feel like they would be too short for taller passengers, and adults will need to lift the head restraints out of the area between their scapulae.

There’s an anchorage point for the centre-rear seat passenger’s seatbelt sash in the headlining, and the belt has to reel out from there and clip into place using two buckles. This kind of set-up is rather inconvenient if you frequently load larger items in the rear of the Outlander and need to retract the belt constantly to lower the rear seat.

On that topic, the backrest of each rear seat can fold down far enough with the seat base in place to take a dog to the vet, for example, if you don’t want him or her slobbering (or worse) all over the car’s upholstery.

You can also fold the rear seats forward with the seat base tipped out of the way – up against the front seats – for a completely flat load floor to carry larger, inanimate loads.

Overall, the Outlander PHEV GSR is functional, safe and comfortable, only let down by the rattly removable flooring in the boot and squeaks from soft-touch materials rubbing against each other over bumps and potholes on country roads.

The doors close very securely and easily, but the indicator stalk feels cheap when you use it – especially in contrast with the Honda CR-V.

Over the past decade or more I’ve reviewed the Mitsubishi Outlander nine times. Five of those vehicles have been the plug-in models. The GSR tested for this review makes number six of 10.

As with any prolonged association (family members, politicians, Bono from U2…), you form a love/hate attachment to that associated person or object.

In the case of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, it’s more a like/tolerate attachment. At times I’ve been forced to ask myself of plug-in hybrids in general, ‘What is the point?’

But I can truthfully say that the GSR is a good product. It does make sense in many ways; it’s not perfect, but it is significantly improved with the upgraded suspension.

As one final point, if you were to plug in the Outlander at home and draw down power from domestic solar panels, it might be possible to reduce the road tax imposed by state governments.

And the Outlander is already configured for vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) functionality that is set to be rolled out in Australia in the very near future.

So the Outlander’s 13.8kWh battery can be recharged from solar panels during the day, and keep your home powered up at night. Maybe the saving gained by reducing your reliance on power from the grid will even offset the road tax?

Just a thought...

How much does the 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GSR cost?
Price: $52,490 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 94kW/199Nm
Electric motor output: 60kW/137Nm (front), 70kW/195Nm (rear)
Transmission: Single-speed multi-mode reduction gear
Fuel: 1.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 43g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2014)