► We test the revised 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
► It’s the UK’s best-selling plug-in (part-) electric car
► New one claims 156.9mpg, up from 148mpg!
The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV became the UK’s best-selling plug-in hybrid almost immediately after going on sale last year – drive one, and it wasn’t uncommon to wonder how. Sure, competition is scarce, and pricing the fancy new-age petrol-electric tech the same as the dirty old diesel was a stroke of genius, but were people really prepared to put up with such a low-rent interior for the sake of their tax bill? Apparently so.
Now there’s a revised version. Detail changes on the outside help make what was already a thoroughly modern-looking – if somewhat androgynous – SUV appear sleeker still, but it’s the interior that will have prospective owners jumping for joy (and existing ones reaching for the Prozac). Gone are the Tupperware plastics and underlying sense of agricultural origins, replaced by swish new soft-touch materials, a raised centre console and the closest a Mitsubishi has ever come to premium ambience – assuming you manage to disable all the incessantly bonging safety devices.
In essence, this was job done. But when you’re on a roll, you’re on a roll, and further efforts to muffle engine and exhaust noise have elevated refinement to a library-like hush, while additional structural reinforcement and suspension updates target tighter responses. To be honest it still lollops about like a heavyset hippo when pushed, but the steering is far more natural and comfort levels are recognisably improved. What’s more, recalibrating the twin electric motors means the Outlander now has a touch of killer instinct about its performance – it’s a whopping two seconds faster 0-25mph and much fiercer when called upon to overtake.
As these things go, it’s quite the resurrection – even if the claimed 156.9mpg (up from 148mpg, for goodness’ sake) will remain a pipe dream to anyone unable to make maximum use of the quoted 32.5-mile electric range. PHEV prices start at £29,249.
The specs: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GX4hs
Price: £35,999 (including £5k government plug-in car grant)
Engine: 1998cc 16v 4-cyl plus front and rear e-motors, 200bhp and 244lb ft
Transmission: Single-speed auto, four-wheel drive
Performance: 11.0sec 0-62mph, 106mph, 156.9mpg, 42g/km CO2
Weight: 1845kg
On Sale: Now
Rating: ***
Verdict: Faster, more refined, much better inside