Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV takes on the Outback

It’s irrefutable that automotive electrification is gaining traction both at an industry level and among consumers in pretty much every market around the world, albeit at different rates.

Australia is lagging behind most other western markets in terms of EV uptake and charging infrastructure, but the recent wave of state and federal government incentives along with an increasing amount of more affordable and competent EVs are seeing sales grow.

The majority of these sales are to urban buyers who don’t regularly cover long distances. But what if you like the idea of an EV, cover long distances semi-regularly and don’t fancy stopping every couple of hundred kilometres to recharge?

Mitsubishi reckons the answer for these conflicted Aussies is a plug-in hybrid vehicle: cars and SUVs capable of delivering meaningful electric range as well as the security and convenience of an internal combustion engine.

The theory goes that most suburban Aussies will never need to fill up with fuel through the working week so long as they charge their PHEV’s battery each night, given the average commute Down Under is less than 40km – a roundtrip even the most meagre of PHEVs can accomplish on EV power alone.

Ask the average motorist why they’re hesitant to buy an EV and chances are they’ll reference limited range, charging infrastructure and slow recharge times as three of their major hang-ups. They are all valid concerns.

Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) go some way to addressing these issues and one of the most compelling current options is the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Indeed, Mitsubishi claims the Outlander PHEV is capable of more than 800km on a full fuel load (petrol and electricity) and more than any pure EV, potentially making it spot-on for Aussies looking to enter the electrified market.

And in theory, it should be able to actually cover 1000km, so to test the claim we decided to drive a mid-range Outlander PHEV Aspire almost 1100km across South Australia from the Nullarbor Roadhouse near the WA border all the way back to Adelaide.

What better way to see if PHEVs can actually work for the modern-day Aussie?

Our 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid EV, to give it its official name, combines a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a pair of electric motors and a 20kWh battery pack to develop a combined 185kW/450Nm and sip a claimed 1.5L/100km – at least under the confusing and often controversial regime used to measure PHEV economy in lab conditions.

In order to start our economy run we first had to get to the Nullarbor Roadhouse, which involved a couple of days on the road – essentially doing a practise run for the trip back to Adelaide, but taking some time to see the sights along the way.

And it was on this preliminary journey that we discovered the Outlander PHEV’s trump card.

Despite showing 120km of combined fuel range to empty in Ceduna, the Outlander and its 56-litre fuel tank swallowed 66.2 litres of juicy 98RON. This wasn’t a misread or trick bowser, because it again took on more fuel than theoretically possible when topping up at the famed roadhouse for the return journey – without any overflow.

All we can say is the fuel system must have some monstrous lines and unofficial pooling areas because for a not-empty 56-litre tank to take on 66L of fuel and not overflow is witchcraft otherwise.

Mitsubishi’s plug-in hybrid powertrains offer drivers four distinct modes for divvying up its fuel use: Hybrid, EV, Battery Save and Battery Charge. These can all be operated in tandem with the powerplant’s traditional Normal, Power, Eco, Tarmac, Gravel, Snow and Mud modes.

We used EV Charge mode to top-up the battery on the outward journey as there’s no public charging station in Ceduna – our pre-economy run overnight halt. So by the time we arrived at the Nullarbor Roadhouse we had close to three quarters of a charge remaining, but strangely only an indicated range of 45km when it should’ve been closer to 60…

The news got worse when the three-phase charger at the roadhouse was occupied by an EV and then for whatever reason wouldn’t charge our PHEV’s battery beyond an indicated 75 per cent once it was our turn to plug-in.

Tight schedules and retreating daylight meant we had to crack on with our economy run regardless of the missing theoretical EV range. We were already starting behind the eight-ball.

The bulk of our test and return journey would be covered running in Eco mode while manually switching between EV and Battery Save in accordance with the speed zones so we could deploy the respective fuel types where they’re most efficient: electricity for low speeds (towns, roadworks) and petrol for cruising.

Have you ever wondered why flights from Melbourne to Perth take an hour longer than in the reverse direction? It’s all to do with the wind, more specifically the jetstream, which typically flows west to east.

On the first day of our Outlander run the weather gods had other ideas and we were met with a howling east-to-west headwind that didn’t let up for the entirety of the 300km run back to Ceduna.

Headwinds are the nemesis of every vehicle when it comes to fuel economy and by the time we rolled up to our Ceduna overnight base, the Outlander was averaging an indicated 9.0L/100km despite keeping stoppages and overtakes to a minimum.

The next morning we left Ceduna with 777km to cover and an indicated 443km worth of fuel (petrol and battery). The signs weren’t promising…

The wind had mercifully died down although there was still a steady breeze to contend with, so we started tucking in behind 4x4s, caravans and trucks, using them as a windbreak before eventually calmly overtaking on a long and clear enough bit of road.

By the time we stopped for lunch in Kimba – conveniently spot-on the 600km mark – the average fuel consumption had come down to a still-high 8.4L/100km. The trip computer still reckoned we were going to fall more than 200km short of our destination, however, with 465km to go and an indicated range of 240km.

Over the next couple of hundred kilometres the margin between our distance to empty and distance to destination continued to come down – so too the fuel gauge. It finally read empty as we passed the Wilkins Highway southeast of Port Pirie.

From there it was only a matter of time before the Outlander conked out, but when would it be? And how far would we get on fumes and what would be left in the battery?

The answer came 92km later when the Mitsubishi slipped into silence and coasted to a gradual halt on the side of the Augusta Highway around 10km south of Lochiel and, more significantly, 123km shy of our destination.

Having covered 936km at an average indicated fuel consumption of 7.6L/100km, there’s no denying the Outlander PHEV failed to deliver on our 1000km range test, but there are a couple of caveats to address – the freakish headwind and missing charge.

As referenced above, the wind across the Nullarbor is typically a westerly as opposed to the gale-force easterly on the day of our departure. This forced the Outlander to drink a heap more fuel than usual just to maintain the speed limit.

The indicated consumption of 9.0L/100km on leg one was higher than what even the angriest of hot hatches use on the open road, and the Outlander PHEV is far from a high-performance track weapon.

Combine this excessive fuel consumption with the 39km of theoretical range denied to us by the dicky Nullarbor charger and it quickly becomes apparent that 1000km on a full fuel/electricity load is actually quite doable. With a howling tailwind, significantly more might be possible.

In a bid to make our real-world test as authentic as possible we also made full use of the adaptive cruise control and climate control systems, given we spent more than 24 hours on the road with ambient temperatures rarely dropping out of the 30s.

While our adventure suggests PHEVs can work for the modern Aussie, we have to at least address the issue of cost. In most cases, you pay a handsome premium for a PHEV’s ‘best of both worlds’ versatility and experience.

The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Aspire currently retails for $63,790 plus on-road costs – $16,450 more than the petrol Aspire AWD and a huge $18,950 more than the equivalent two-wheel drive petrol variant.

We’re not going to tell you how to spend your money or complicate things by mentioning the defiant diesel market because different people have different tastes, needs and requirements for their vehicles. You pay your money and you make your choice.

This challenge was purely about seeing if PHEVs work in Australia, and for the most part they do… Albeit for a price.