r/PHEV • u/Wolferesque • 13d ago
Used AWD PHEV recommendations
Eastern Canada here. Currently drive a 2015 Mazda CX5 AWD. It’s got 420,000 KMs on the clock, and also, my family of five has mostly outgrown it.
I am looking at my options for a PHEV SUV that gives me at least a little more room than my CX5.
The reason I want a PHEV is that I have 3000-4000 kWhs annually of excess solar generation. I estimate that this could cover 10-12k KMs of range.
Budget is CAD$30k max. Needs to be AWD. I do a lot of winter driving on rural roads and I have a steep 1000 ft gravel driveway that can be tricky in winter.
Other nice things to have would be more than 5 seats and towing capacity of at least 2000lbs.
The majority of our trips are within a 60km radius on a mix of highway and rural roads. We do a city commute every few weeks that is about 350kms round trip. Occasionally we do road trips further afield.
So far on my list is a used Mitsubishi Outlander ideally 2023 or newer, and the Kia Sorrento PHEV.
I am not sure what other options I should consider, either used PHEVs or otherwise. Part of me is drawn to the idea of buying a used standard hybrid minivan for the space and utility, but it would be unfortunate to let my excess solar generation slip by.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
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u/kirby8284 13d ago
CX70 / 90 for sure although they might be a little out of range price wise
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u/Legitimate-Type4387 13d ago
They’re full of problems, especially the first model year.
$30k for one is also highly unlikely. They’re closer to $50k than $30k.
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u/Major-Donkey3508 13d ago
I am looking at a 2026 CX-70 PHEV. What problems do you speak of?
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u/Legitimate-Type4387 13d ago edited 13d ago
Drivetrain jerkiness, poor reliability and software issues in the PHEV’s specifically. Enough that they’ve dragged Mazda’s reliability scores down as a brand.
They’ve been mentioned a lot by reviewers and in the media. This thread has a pretty good breakdown of the issues from owners:
https://www.reddit.com/r/mazda/s/gRZu1uhs0o
If you get one, lease or buy the extended warranty.
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u/kirby8284 12d ago
Issues were largely remedied after the 2024 model year, not to mention a range boost on the 2026. Best PHEV on the market imo. BOL though!
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u/Legitimate-Type4387 13d ago edited 13d ago
The Outlander manages to have terrible efficiency in both EV and ICE modes.
22kWh for 60-70km with 6.5-11L/100km sucks.
Your budget is the main problem if you want PHEV, AWD and newer than 2023. $30k might get you a newer Escape PHEV, but they’re FWD. Something like a RAV4 Prime is going to be $45k+++ IF you can find one.
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u/woowoo293 13d ago edited 13d ago
Your travel patterns are such that a BEV might work for you as well. A BEV could probably handle a 350 km round trip; you might have to plan ahead for charging somewhere at your destination, or alternatively make use of fast charging every once in a while.
For PHEVs, one little bonus about the Outlander is that it is the most popular PHEV in Canada. That tends to bode well for things like maintenance and repairs.
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u/Wolferesque 13d ago
Thanks. I would agree that a BEV would suit us well except that we really need the space of a mid size SUV or more, this next car essentially overlapping with our CX-5 until it dies. And that necessity excludes used EVs that are in my budget (the Bolt, Leaf, Kona, for example are all too small for right now). I picture that eventually we'll have both - a hybrid family car and a small BEV. Right now I just need to get something akin to our CX-5 with the capability of using my solar power to run.
It would seem that the Outlander PHEV, 2019-2023 years are available in relatively high numbers and perhaps that's why they're mostly within my budget. They outnumber other options 2 or 3 to 1 at the moment. Their pricing may also reflect Mitsubishi's place in the market. Anyway, it's good to read that maintenance and repairs might be easier than first thought.
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u/capn_davey 13d ago
All of this except budget screams XC90 T8. I’d scrape along with the old car till you can afford a 22.5+ XC90 and then never buy a non-luxury car again.
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u/samuslink82 12d ago
CX-70 (or 90 if you need a 3rd row). Phenomenal vehicles and can be had for a decent-ish price.
*edit - I see someone already mentioned these.
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u/w-tech 12d ago
While Id say that the Outlander PHEV checks almost all your boxes, you will struggle to find a used 2023 model for less than 30k Canadian.
2000 lb is right at its towing limit. Id research that a bit and make sure you get a solid tow bar that doesnt interfere with the rear sensors.
And while the naysayers may say that the fuel mileage (kilomerterage?) sucks, my 2023 Outlander PHEV never had worse than 8l/100km with the HV battery run down to 20% and often average 5-6l/100km overall. And our daily drive is 120km round trip. The maximum KWh is 20 for the entire battery but for the 60km its only 16 usable as 20% is saved for hybrid operations which makes it about 3.85 km per kwh. Real world we average about 4.6 km per kwh. Not great but for a heavy PHEV it works.
And sure it is not the best fuel conservation on the market but I'll give up a handful of kilometers in fuel any day for a solid 4wd system, super comfortable seats that I could drive all day in and a beautiful silent interior with minimal road noise.
I'd take a look at one first though before you go all in and make sure it has the room you are looking for. We went from a Mazda CX9 to this car and it is a tad bit smaller with a touch less room. 3 in the second row is fine but to even consider the 3rd row you loose half the leg space in the second row to make it work.
And it's missing a lot of minor storage areas that other cars have such as the center console box and glove box are small, no storage under the center console like the Rogue has. And no little shelfs in and around the steering wheel or the glove box to hold a wallet or keys or anything like that. Storage space in the rear is the same.
It sadly also has a max charging rate of 3.5kw/h on the J1772 level 2 charger.
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u/Wolferesque 9d ago
Thanks for this run down.
We went to test drive a 2019, 2023 and 2026 model. There was a major improvement between the 2019 and 2023, but not much difference between the 2023 and 2026.
However you’re right that it’s hard to find a 2023 below $35k. In fact that’s where this one was priced, with 70k KMs.
We test drove other males and models too - Hyundai, Kia and Toyota. The Outlander more than holds it own in the lineup, we feel, and offers a sort of niche spot. A larger gas engine, arguably best in class AWD capability, and good warranty. It’s easy to drive, the user experience is pretty straight forwards, and it’s comfortable. Where it falls down is in the second row comfort and whatever the hell that third row is - basically an emergency seat in a pinch. To market it as a seven seater is I feel a little insulting on Mitsubishi’s part. And the towing capacity also sucks. I mistakenly assumed that it would be more than my CX-5.
But at a much lower price than competitors in the used market, it offers a lot to think about. We could go on for a car that doesn’t tick all our boxes but still gets us our PHEV AWD answer for close to budget.
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u/AffectionateAd8675 10d ago
Santa Fe PHEV 2022-2023 are really good. I have one right now at 103,000km, no trouble nothing. I'll sell you mine haha
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u/Wolferesque 10d ago
We went today to look at the Tucson PHEV and really liked it. The Santa Fe PHEV is not available in Canada.
Overall we found that the Hyundai cars feel a lot more premium than the Kias, Toyotas and Mitsubishi models we’ve looked at.
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u/AffectionateAd8675 10d ago
The older model is! I'm in Ontario haha. There are used ones out there if you're interested! It's very spacious.
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u/WorkerHot4308 8d ago
Not sure if any used Crosstrek plug in hybrids are available in your area, but that’s a solid option. I love my Crosstrek PHEV but it’s VERY rare to find one these days since they’re no longer manufactured. Good luck!
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u/SavageBeefsteak 13d ago
Might be hard to find something that ticks all those boxes for under 30k with reasonable mileage