America Needs More Cars Like the 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

Photo by Will Sabel Courtney

Mitsubishi’s PHEV take on the Nissan Rogue may not be glamorous, but America deserves more plug-in hybrid crossovers.

In the midst of our rush towards a future full of electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids have been left somewhat in the dust. Unfairly, I might add; for many buyers, PHEV vehicles offer a near-ideal combination of electric driving for around-town operation and gasoline-aided long ranges for road trips. Plus, their comparatively-small lithium-ion batteries mean you can often top up their charge on a regular household outlet — no special wiring required.

Yet weighed against the booming ranks of EVs and the depth of the roster of pure internal combustion vehicles, the PHEV supply seems slim. Even in the super-hot crossover realm, where the heart of the market lies, the ranks of plug-in hybrids feels slim. Want a PHEV crossover from Chevrolet, Honda or Volkswagen? Tough luck. Subaru or Nissan? Sorry, no dice.

Well, actually, there’s a caveat to that last one. You can kinda-sorta score a plug-in hybrid Nissan crossover; it’s just found in Mitsubishi dealerships, and goes by the name of Outlander PHEV.

See, the fourth-generation Mitsubishi Outlander introduced for 2021 is based on the third-gen Nissan Rogue — the ninth-best-selling passenger vehicle in America last year. While the regular version uses the same unremarkable four-cylinder as the Rogue, the PHEV uses an upgraded version of the powertrain Mitsubishi developed for the previous pluggable Outlander back in 2012, combining a gas-powered inline-four with a pair of electric motors.

The fourth-generation Outlander is much more attractive than its predecessor, with a bolder, more assertive stance.Photo by Will Sabel Courtney

So, taking one of America’s favorite vehicles and giving it a PHEV powertrain seems like a win, right? One perhaps worth taking a risk on the barstool ridicule that might come with driving a Mitsubishi? To find out, I took one for a spin for a couple hundred miles to the Catskill Mountains and back in the winter to see how it held up. Here’s what I found.

2024 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV: What We Think

The Outlander PHEV is a solid midpack entry in the somewhat sparse world of mainstream plug-in hybrid crossovers. While its electric-only range isn’t groundbreaking, it’s reasonable enough — and it stands out of the pack with a unique design and a solid feature set, including fast-charging capabilities.

As Mitsubishi’s priciest model, it’s no bargain, at least at full price. Still, if you can find one for a compelling lease deal — which Mitsubishi seems quite happy to provide — it could make a decent addition to any household that needs an AWD family crossover with road-trip range but wants to take a step into the EV realm.

The Outlander PHEV delivers decent electric range, and works seamlessly

The Outlander PHEV’s system is biased towards electric action: the 2.4-liter inline-four spends a large part of its time feeding the 20-kWh battery, which in turn feeds the electric motors found on the front and rear axles. The inline-four can also drive the car directly, but only sends power to the front wheels; there’s no direct mechanical connection between engine and rear axle, so all-wheel-drive is accomplished solely via the stern electric motor.

It’s a complicated powertrain — it’s easy to get lost in the animated power flow diagram that can be summoned on the instrument panel — but it works seamlessly. I didn’t even notice much in the way of noise from the engine as it powered up, except when I had the throttle to the floor and needed it to rev hard to make tasty electrons for the motors.

With 250 horses and 332 lb-ft, the Outlander PHEV isn’t fast, but it isn’t slow, either; it’s more than capable of scooting through traffic Around town, the electric motors that provide primary thrust give it the sort of zippy reaction we’ve come to expect from EVs, which gives you a nice bit of confidence when trying to cut through Manhattan traffic or merge into a busy roundabout.

After spending a night on a Level 2 charger to score a full battery, the Outlander’s instrument panel offered an estimate of 37 miles of range, but that turned out to be optimistic. The battery only lasted closer to 30 before the gas engine had to resort to propulsion duties, even while driving mostly on flat two-lane country roads.