2024 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV: More wow, more charge, but don’t count on the third row

2024 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV SEL S-AWC: Getting better?

Price: $51,835 as tested. SEL Premium package added sunroof, heated steering wheel, leather seats, and Bose stereo for $2,700; fancy paint added $995; welcome package another $195.

Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver likes that it’s “much quicker than the non-hybrid” with an “eye-popping interior,” but not “power train noise, some dynamic rough edges, pointless third-row seat.”

Marketer’s pitch: “Discover impressive range, smooth handling, and luxurious comfort.”

Reality: Somewhat better, but not bigger.

What’s new: Well, this was unexpected. Mitsubishi has long been on my “don’t buy” list, not only because my Mitsubishi-made 1986 Plymouth Colt Vista disintegrated into a pile of rust before my eyes, but because many of their products I’ve tested have fallen far short of standard.

But since the merger with Nissan, it’s been looking a little better for Mitsubishi (although somehow it hasn’t done much for Nissan).

The Outlander offered a nice cabin, and EV range is a healthy 38 miles. But there is one drawback.

Competition: Toyota RAV4 Prime, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Ford Escape.

Up to speed: The Outlander’s 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine combined with twin electric motors really get the vehicle rolling in short order. The whole system creates 248 horsepower, which doesn’t sound like all that much.

But it serves the Outlander PHEV well; 0-60 time is 6.5 seconds, according to Car and Driver.

Shifty: The shifter is a square-headed joystick that you push forward for Reverse or pull for Drive/Brake modes. It hovers, like the stereo controller in older Lexus models.

Paddle shifting raises and lowers the torque, as it’s just a single-speed transmission for this hybrid.

On the road: The Outlander didn’t do things halfway. The settings for drive control are numerous, of course, mostly aimed toward off-road adventure.

On the road, Normal mode swings and sways like an old Land Rover. It can be difficult to aim while simply changing a setting on the dashboard.

The Tarmac setting clears things up nicely, offering the kind of steady but tight steering that turns the vehicle into an easy-to-manage cruiser, and even adding some butterflies on the curves. (Cornering is especially delightful.)

Driver’s Seat: This seat is really nice. More cushy than usually appears in today’s vehicles; it felt like a 1980s Thunderbird or Chrysler New Yorker seat. I wonder how it might hold up in the long run, but in the meantime … oooooh. Roomy and well proportioned, the seating position is nice as well. Pay the freight for the leather; sorry, cows.

And then look ahead at the gauges — the company has definitely gone for some wow factor. The speedometer and tachometer look like the big wheel on The Price Is Right, with numbers rolling past as if on the surface of a wheel or gear. Really neat to watch as you speed up and slow down.

It takes some time to get used to, but it works, and it’s different in a good way.

The rest of the display gets a little casino-like, but it beats the old Omega Race look — simple white lines on charcoal backgrounds — of many past Mitsubishi incarnations.

Friends and stuff: Second-row passengers should be reasonably pleased but still jealous of the front-row occupants.

As for the third row, it’s there — well, except when it isn’t. Ours came with the spot for a seat but no actual seat. Still, considering the middle row sat against the backseat and there didn’t appear to be any actual legroom, I can speculate the ride there would be tear-inducing.

Cargo space is 64.7 cubic feet behind the first row and 30.8 cubic feet behind the second.

Play some tunes: The rather small 9-inch infotainment display is enhanced by a volume knob only. But its operation is fairly smooth and easy to work.

Sound from Bose system is pretty good but not perfect, maybe a B+ or A-.

Keeping warm and cool: Dials control the temperature and nice-sized buttons handle all the rest clearly.

Fuel economy: I averaged around 30 mpg in the Outlander on a wide range of roads. This is especially impressive because I was never able to charge it completely — first we had a two-day power outage, then using an outlet was limited because I blocked the driveway (because of storage for a new generator and the paraphernalia).

Cue the e-mails saying, “Haha, power out, EVs are stupid.” Response: “Gasoline pumps run on electricity.”

The full 38-mile electric range should really help, but the estimated charging time was quite slow. The vehicle information advertises 6.5 hours to add the full 38 miles on a larger 240-volt receptacle, adding about 6 miles per hour. For comparison, Hyundai advertises about 17 miles an hour for its Tucson Hybrid.

Where it’s built: Okazaki, Japan

How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the Outlander PHEV reliability to be a 5 out of 5. That seems strong for Mitsubishi, whose 2022 Eclipse Cross only rated a 3 out of 5.

In the end: The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV might qualify if the charging and seating were up to standard, or if it were a superb bargain. But even having tested only the hybrids and not the plug-ins, I know I’d opt for the Sportage, Tucson, or RAV4. And if you really need that third row, any SUV will be better suited.