Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV road test 2

Time for the second test run of the new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV plug-in Hybrid. I went to Thunbergs car, a car dealer in Söderhamn again to borrow an Outlander for 24 hours. The car dealer I met with is driving his Outlander PHEV between Sundsvall and Söderhamn (150 km) on a weekly basis and he was really happy with the car (he's biased, I know). He said there was a big difference comfort wise and with the Interior if you compare the previous model (2014). I recieve the key and put in my pocket, it is a remote keyless entry system with a start button next to the steering wheel. If you have the key with you it is enough to press a button on one of the front doors or the trunk to lock/unlock all doors. Similarly, you can press a button in the cockpit to do the car ready to run.

I start the steering wheel heater and head off on the highway on my way home to Lindefallet 25 km to the North. It's between Lindefallet and Söderhamn and Lindefallet and Hudiksvall I will be driving the car most of the time, and hopefully the range of 32 miles will be sufficient to drive large part of the route on battery power. The gasoline engine, however, will still be starting occasionally to heat the car interior and recharge the battery while driving when needed.

It's a strange feeling to drive away when the car is completely silent, one wonders if it is running, but on the highway, it's the sound of the wheels I´m hearing, except when I accelerate hard, then you hear the sound of the engine and it´s like a large sewing machine revving into overdrive. The car that I´m driving (the GX4h) has leather seats, navigation, electric front seat, 360 Camera with Steering Wheel Switch and 18-inch wheels. The Multi Communication System in the middle of the dashboard has a touch screen where you can choose to see the consumption of electricity and petrol or how the power is distributed between the battery, wheels and petrol engine. It's hard to keep your eyes from the display because you want to see how often the petrol engine is starting and when it's just battery power.

Arriving in Lindefallet it is time to test the car in its proper environment. It's an SUV so the forest roads in Lindefallet will be a good test. I'll take a trip up to the Linde Lake. The roads are icy and very slippery and I'm having trouble just to walk there, but the car drives without problems, very good indeed. I stop and take some pictures of the car in a beautiful pine forest, a shingle field and a clear-cut area. This is the right element for the car, it´s moving quietly along the road on battery power only. I´m driving with ease on the steep, bumpy and slippery, forest roads.

The Rear-view camera comes very handy in the woods when I´m going to turn on a small forest road. This particular model has 360 camera where you can see the car from a bird's eye view.You can see around the entire car. The audio system is equipped with Rockford Fosgate speakers and Subwoofer (only the GX4h model has this) but I keep it turned off, I want to listen to the silence.

To be continued …

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Photographer Hudiksvall, Photographer Söderhamn

Mitsubishi Outlander Plugin hybrid-First test run

Today I went to Thunbergs car in Söderhamn to take a look at a Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid. The car qualifies for the Plug in Car Grant support from the Government of £3100 (until last dec 2015). The car dealer Emil was very helpful, he has a Outlander hybrid as well but in model year 2014. I had the opportunity to test drive the car as well. Unfortunately, the battery in the car almost completely empty so the test drive was not optimal.
Initially the petrol engine buzzez slightly but after a while it stops and the electric motor takes over when it has been loaded by the petrol engine. The transition between electric and petrol is completely transparent except that it gets quieter, everything is managed automatically. It is really comfortable with the low noise level. Something that was even more comfortable this cold winter day was the heated steering wheel. My hands are always cold so this is really a nice feature. I have never had a car with automatic transmission but I feel that it's certainly something that I will stick to. The acceleration is actually better than what I thought but it's no sports car.. If you make a kick-down the gasoline engine takes over and help to either charge the battery or drive the wheels, but then returns to the electric motor again. I drove mostly on country roads and I never got to try the motorway. At speeds up to 40 mph, it is always the electric engines that drive the car and at higher speeds, they can get help from the petrol engine.At speed above 74 mph it is always the petrol engine that drives the car. I like the Interior, it is not as sober as of Volvo, BMW and Mercedes but it´s quite adequate for me and a lot better than the previous model.

I will take the car for a test drive for a full day and try it out with fully charged battery in the next couple of days. A more complete report will come …

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Photographer Hudiksvall
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