New Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV gets big price tag at almost £47k

The new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV will start from £46,995, it has been announced. The plug-in hybrid SUV is set to return to the UK in May, offering seven seats for the first time but a pure-electric range of just 28 miles.

That makes the Mitsubishi more expensive than other mid-size SUVs. Plug-in hybrid versions of the Hyundai Tucson and Volkswagen Tiguan are available from just under £40k and £43k, respectively, while the new Toyota RAV4 PHEV is expected to start from somewhere between £40k and £45k. 

Plus, not only does the Outlander cost more than its closest rivals, they also offer considerably more EV range. The new RAV4, for instance, can supposedly cover up to 85 miles without using a drop of petrol. 

Offering seven seats as standard does give the new Outlander PHEV an advantage over those rivals, because that’s a feature only more expensive cars such as the Kia Sorento, Volkswagen Tayron and Hyundai Santa Fe have. However, you can currently save up to £7,000 on a brand-new plug-in Santa Fe with the Auto Express Buy A Car service. 

What’s more, while the base Nativa version of the Mitsubishi will be a seven-seater, the high-spec Diamond model will have five seats. More details about both specifications will be announced as the launch of the new Outlander approaches, but we do know that the first customer cars should be delivered in May. 

While we await more details, this generation of Outlander has been on sale in continental Europe and other global markets for a while. So we know that its plug-in hybrid powertrain combines a naturally aspirated 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors and a 23kWh lithium-ion battery pack. These provide all-wheel drive plus 304bhp, so 0-62mph takes less than eight seconds, and the SUV offers a combined range of 500 miles. 

The powertrain is able to operate in two very different ways to maximise efficiency. At low speeds, it acts as a ‘range-extender’-like hybrid, where the petrol engine in effect works as a generator for the battery. At high speeds, though, the system can switch to a parallel hybrid, where drive from the petrol motor is sent directly to the wheels with assistance from the e-motors. Efficiency ratings put the Outlander PHEV at 108mpg and 60g/km on the latest European cycles.

Mitsubishi’s partnership with Nissan is obvious in the digital interfaces, which are made of a pair of 12.3-inch screens. The central one features software similar to what we have seen on Nissan models, with embedded Google Maps, and there’s an array of familiar switchgear and design elements, such as the stubby gear selector you’ll recognise from a Qashqai.

While it remains to be confirmed if the software will be available in UK models from launch, it’s clear that the Outlander as a whole has taken a big step forward in its latest generation, offering more space, performance and tech.  

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