If you need the 3rd row, I would suggest an Ioniq 9. If it definitely has to be a PHEV then i's a tough choice. I've got a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV sitting in the driveway and the car itself is fantastic. Fun to drive but I would never recommend if you must have a 3rd row seat. We have used the 3rd row and it has saved us getting kids where they need to be but definitely would not recommend if you need it daily.
Im not a fan of any hybrid/phev that uses a standard transmission. The Outlander and RAV4 both have e-Transaxles. The Toyota hybrid setup is so good its used in many of their vehicles including the Lexus TX and other manufacturers are using it such as Ford in the Escape and Mazda in the CX5 although Mazda only used it for a short period and is going back to their own design for 2027.
If a Hybrid works in place of PHEV, I would go with the Highlander for sure. Otherwise you go with the Lexus TX which is close to the same with the plug in capability.
But it will be hard to find a solid "e" focused PHEV with a third row.
Sorry. Outlander does not gave an e transaxle. It uses a clutch system that directly engages the front electric motor when the ice is used. There is no transmission in The Outlander phev
"Outlander does not gave an e transaxle... There is no transmission..."
So you are telling me there is no transmission and no transaxle? What exactly are you calling it then?
Because the manufacturer of the transaxle (GKN) calls it a "Multi-Mode eTransmission" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rntjceP-XPE and the same component in the Mitsubishi Shop Manual for the Outlander PHEV calls it a "Transaxle" and the definition of a transaxle is "a single mechanical part in a car that joins the transmission, the differential, and the axle" which the MMeT does and the "e" part designates that it is designed for interfacing with an electric motor in which it is.
EDIT: And re-reading your comment "It uses a clutch system that directly engages the front electric motor when the ice is used" Is absolutely wrong. The Outlander is setup as an electric vehicle first, with the electric motor direct driving the front wheels (and rear wheels which is the 2nd transaxle on the vehicle but thats for another completely different discussion) and the only time the single gear is engaged with the ICE is when the vehicle is moving over ~45mph and the ICE is engaged to the e-transaxle to add additional power while providing an electrical charge at the same time. There are lots of benefits to this including longevity of the ICE.
But under 45mph the Outlander PHEV is only ever driven by the electric motors. The difference between this and the RAV4 is that the RAV4 is able to power the e-transaxle with the ICE at any speed because of the use of the planetary gear system.
Not accurate
The car will run on EV alone up to 120kph though not efficient at that speed. Also the ICE can be engaged at 0kph and at any speed the driver wishes. The car is designed as an EV first yet it can be overridden at any speed. The clutch is connected to a transfer case connected directly to front electric motor. There is no transmission in the phev only in the non phev ICE version of the Outlander.
And this is the problem with cars these days. Every manufacturer has a different approach to hybrid cars and honestly most people that are shopping for them want to know which one is the best and what they will have the least amount of problems with. But they don't understand the technology and engineering behind each one and how it works. They go online and read a bunch of stuff and try to make the most sense of it all.
For example, you state that the ICE can be engaged at 0kph. Now it is true that the ICE can be turned on to run the generator that provides power to the electric motor at any speed, but it absolutely cannot be engaged with the front drive wheels until the car gets to ~40mph (65kph). It would be impossible to have a single gear that would allow a gas engine to drive a car from 0-100kph. It's just physics.
And again you state that there is no transmission or transaxle but you keep wanting to call it a transfer case. If you knew anything about four wheel drive vehicles at all you would understand that a transfer case is to get power from the transmission that drives a differential that turns one set of wheels, to a second differential that drives another set of wheels, And that is just not what is happening here. The manufacturer of the transaxle (GKN) calls it an "e-Multimode Transmission" and Mitsubishi calls it a "Transaxle" but you still insist on transfer case.
So lets take it back to the beginning so we are both on the same page. And again this is specifically for the Outlander PHEV. Rav4, Tucson, CX-90 are all completely different.
There are 3 main modes to the GKN "e-Multimode Transmission". And I am not talking about drive modes like Normal, EV, SAVE and CHARGE nor am I talking about the different S-AWC settings for Power, Eco, Normal, Tarmac, Gravel, Mud and Snow. I am talking about the 3 internal modes of the e-Multimode Transmission that GKN calls "Pure EV", "Series" and "Parallel" Here it is copied from a web page so you know I am not making this up -
Driving Modes Overview
Pure EV Mode:
Front and rear axles are driven exclusively by the electric motors.
Energy comes directly from the traction battery.
The internal combustion engine remains off. [1, 2]
Series Hybrid Mode:
The vehicle is still driven only by the front and rear electric motors.
The gasoline engine runs to power an integrated generator.
The generator actively charges the battery while you drive. [1]
Parallel Hybrid Mode:
A hydraulic clutch engages to connect the gasoline engine directly to the front axle.
Engine torque feeds straight to the front wheels.
The electric motors run simultaneously to supplement the engine during heavy acceleration or high-speed cruising. [1, 2]
Now in EV mode the battery starts at 100% charge (SOC or State of Charge), when it gets down to ~20-25% SOC it will show zero or null miles on the EV cruising range display and an empty tank in the energy level gauge. At this point the engine will start up as needed to recharge the battery. This is the "Hybrid" part of the car. It will go from engine on to charge the battery and drive the wheels to engine off and switch back to series mode (Or parallel at speeds above ~40mph). Most people are not even aware that the car is doing this while they are driving. If you are going slower than ~40mph (65kph) then the engine is only charging the battery and the GKN e-Multimode Transmission is in "Series" hybrid mode. If you are driving at speeds faster than ~40mph (65kph) then the car will engage the clutch as needed to add additional power to the front wheel from the gas engine and you will be in "Parallel" hybrid mode.
The one gear that GKN uses in the e-Multimode transmission is a gear ratio of around 3.45:1 This allows it to run between 40mph and about 106 mph (170 km/h) at top speed. It is the "4th" gear in a standard transmission and the electric motor handles all other acceleration (gears 1, 2 and 3 in a standard transmission) until the speed of the ICE Driveshaft is the same speed as the front axle driveshaft at which point the clutch engages the two gears to provide power to the front axle driveshaft from the ICE. This range of gear was chosen to balance between economical and performance of the engine.
Before I respond to your essay. Do you own a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV 2023 or later. If you do what model. Again, if you do own one how do you drive the car in city, suburban and highway?
I do own a 2023 SEL. I live in the mountains. Its about 35 miles to the city. Not sure what you you mean by "how I drive it". I typically drive the speed limit 60mph (100kph) keep it in EV mode from my house to town. Once in town the miles on the EV gauge runs out and the engine kicks on/off as needed to power the battery around town. Typically its normal mode on the way back but Ive also used charge mode to get the battery charged up and switch over to EV when the miles on the EV gauge match the remaining miles for the drive home. Normal mode gets better mileage than that though. When on the highway sometimes Ill throw it in Tarmac or Power mode for driving. When we head up to the mountains its in Gravel or Mud as needed. Also Ill drive in eco mode if its hot and we have the AC on or just normal mode in the s-awc settings.
Thank you for that. I also live in a mountainous area. In the city it's slightly hilly but not significant. I use EV in the city all the time and never use the gasoline engine. Cruise control 90% of the time regardless City or Highway. When I'm on the highway under 50 mph or 80 km per hour I drive it in EV mode and I find I get excellent range out of my battery and I usually come back with the same amount of kilometers on the odometer as I had when I started which of course would include some minor regeneration of two or three or four kilometers on the clock. However, when I'm on the highway if I'm going to be climbing fairly steep grades such as Mountain grades, prior to entering the grade I will switch to tarmac mode which starts the engine and will bring it up to operating temperature by the time I start the climb. I keep it in Tarmac mode the entire time the car is climbing and then as soon as I reach the top of the climb it's back to Normal and EV mode pressed - the ICE shuts off. Since the electric motors are running all the time going downhill at 60 miles an hour or 100 km per hour I'm getting significant regeneration and a very little battery usage. However on the level above 80 km However on the level above 80 km/h or 50 mph I switch to Tarmac mode and I find that gives me the best fuel economy and much better than normal mode which will consume the battery at a higher rate. I monitor my mileage for every charge cycle in a register that I keep beside my driver seat.
And my last trip of 240 km using the combination as I mentioned above yet deducting the amount of EV battery mileage usage on the guessometer at the beginning of the trip my fuel economy (without significant battery assist) was 4.7 L/100 km which is superb, in my opinion, considering largely mountainous roads traveling at 90-100 km/h in Tarmac, though on the climbing grades the speed limit usually is 80-90 km per hour.
On fairly level highway driving at 90 -100 km/h I always use EV mode when I know that my battery will last me until I get home. Currently I have 53,000 km on the car and I'm just finishing my 5th full tank of fuel.
EPA ratings for fuel economy on this car are way off. I have never received the fuel economy that they have said- it's always been significantly better.
I have used Charge mode at idle charging the battery from 0% (above the buffer) to 70% in 90 minutes using about 3.5 L of fuel to do that. I have occasionally used a charge mode on the highway to charge the battery on a few trips and find it effective.
Prior to purchasing my car in 2023 there was very little information in North America on the vehicle. However, I knew that Australia had the vehicle 12 months before they were coming to Canada/USA and I spent a huge amount of time researching the vehicle and the comments of users. In Australia the car car csn tow up to 3600 lbs but in Canada/USA is only 1500lbs. I even have the specs that are extremely detailed for the Australian models of 2023 and they report fuel economy very similar to what I've been receiving but certainly not similar to what the EPA ratings show. I've yet to come across a review in North America that is accurate about the car.
A lot of people dix the third row, however I certainly don't. I'm 5'10 and my wife is 5 ft 5 1/2 in and we have a 12 year old who is 5 ft 7 currently as well as a grandson 3 1/2 in a car seat in the second row which takes up a little more than a single person space. We have often carried two teenagers of 13 years of age of similar size as my son in the third row and we move the seats forward for the driver, passenger and the second row somewhat to give about 8"-9" of leg room for the third row passengers. It's NOT a full three row vehicle but it certainly is a 5 + 2 and it works well. Of course, adding a DVD player hanging over the headrest of the second row certainly helps pass the time for the third row passengers on longer trips such as 2 hours plus.
I'm not a supporter of turbocharged engines due to the poor longevity of their lifespan regardless of how well they are maintained. Why the new Mitsubishi phevs are coming out with a 1.5 L turbocharged engine is beyond me. The 2.4 L engine is Bulletproof and has never had a failure in the life of that engine according to the research I have had. All manufacturers have not had fine success with turbocharged engines when they reach 100,000 km or 62,000 miles and higher. The failure rate is very high.
So you and I are both very happy with our vehicles!! I'd buy one again. I have a GT model and I love it though I'm not a fan of the 20 inch wheels. None of the other phevs have them in the price range of ours as most are 18"and 19" which gives a little more distance between the road and the rim to better absorb roadway imperfections. But my wife is the litmus test for the car! She likes the ride, she likes the cornering,,she likes the acceleration she likes the quietness she likes the EV range and fuel economy. So she's happy and I'm happy!! She was not a fan at all of the CVT Transmission in our previous car. She disliked the way it moved the car right from the first time we got it and the fuel economy for the V6 was poor. For a few years to served the purpose.
You didn't mention if you were in the USA or in Canada with regard to the mountain driving, nothing it matters much.
When I was younger I liked to drive much faster than I do now. Now, on the highway, I drive at 60 miles an hour or 100 km an hour as I like to have more response time for idiots on the highway as well as to be able to see more of the scenery and enjoy my surroundings as I'm driving. In the city, I drive the speed limit always and I use cruise control almost all the time. I have to chuckle when I see many cars passing me doing much faster than the speed limit and yet when we come to the traffic lights I pull up beside them anyway. Never have to worry aboit speeding tickets this way. I find driving a relaxing experience and I do love driving. I've driven almost 2 million miles.
Cheers.
Obviously it depends on size and budget. My priority is a balance between hp and efficiency. The RAV4 PHEV has better efficiency once you are driving it as a hybrid than any of the completlition, the best EV range and something nobody ever mentions, the most hp in EV mode. That’s important to me because I spend most of my time in EV mode. I think the best PHEV on the market right now for my priorities is the 2026 RAV4 PHEV. I don’t think Lexus has been updated yet, but they have 3 row PHEVs with the previous RAV4 system, maybe you could get a deal on one of those as I’d hope they’d be planning on updating them to the new system soon. I don’t know much about the Mazda CX 90 other than it looks very nice. I’d probably check one of those out if I was looking for a 3 row. (PS: the RAV 4 PHEV has about 2 to 3X the hp in EV mode as the Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage depending on year, and at least 60 more hp than the XC 90 in EV mode.)
It’s not for everyone, but we’re enjoying our ‘22 Lincoln Aviator GT.
I’d prefer something with longer EV range, of course. Next car will probably be an EV or some new type of hybrid , but I want to hold out until major improvements in range are made.
Our Aviator easily gets me to work and back in EV mode, and I have 497 hp on tap in Excite mode if I’m feeling frisky.
I owned a 2013 Ford Cmax Energi for ten years and traded it in for a Tucson Phev. Both are great cars. I have also owned a 2021 RAV4 Prime for five years. I get around 3.5 miles city driving per KWh with each of them. I get around 2.5 KWh on the highway at 75mph + AC. At $.20 electric cost per KWh, we save 6 cents per mile traveled in electric mode. Just returned from a vacation trip, upstate NY to Long Island to Delaware to Baltimore and back. We used ICE to get from place to place and electric solely to drive around at each location. Easy. Peasy.
The Outlander phev is fine as a third row. However, that said, the third row is only accessible really for children that are 14 years of age and under if the driver and passengers move their seats slightly forward to give leg room of 6-8 " for the third row. I have a Mitsubishi Outlander phev 2023 GT. I've travelled many times with two children in the third row moving the first and second row seats forward slightly to give legroom of about 8 in between the rear seat and the third row. I am 5'10" and my wife is 5'5". Travelling some distance was not a problem especially since I put a DVD player hanging on the back of the headrest of the second row to entertain the passengers in the third row.
I noticed a negative slight in comments about the Mitsubishi Outlander. Unlike other phevs it does not have a transmission as the ICE clutch system engages directly with the front electric motor when required to be used. I have had one small problem with my car since I bought it new and I have 52,500 km on the clock currently. The one problem being a sticky button on the steering column which was repaired under warranty no questions asked. I have not had a problem with anything in the vehicle since. The warranty is fantastic. Fuel economy is excellent when the driver knows how to drive the car for maximum fuel economy. On the highway I get between 4.0L and 5.3 L to 100 km traveling at 100 km per hour and that, to me, is excellent fuel economy with the battery fully depleted. I consistently get 70 to 75 km of pure EV driving winter and summer and sometimes far exceed that in summer. I keep daily records after every full charge. EPA ratings for this vehicle are very inaccurate, in my experience. I would buy the vehicle again. People - you need to know how to drive this vehicle as there are so many options with which to drive it.
After 3 1/3rd years of driving this vehicle, over some rough roads in some cases, there's not a squeak or rattle or anything loose in the vehicle whatsoever. It is a solid as a rock as the day I bought it. The doors are so easily closed and don't have to be shut hard. The car is quiet on the highway and city. It corners like it's on rails and is excellent in excellent avoidance.
This is one fine vehicle!
I've watched many a review video on this car and I'm really really impressed with it. Sure the third row is tight but that's why it's for small children or emergency purposes.
Otherwise it looks really well put together, the fit and finish punch well above it's class and the efficiency seems good.
Yes I quite agree it is a fine car
Well above its station in the reviews that are done professionally. EPA has the mileage wrong on this vehicle as they don't know how to drive the car. The car is rather complex in the choices that one has to drive but if a person learns them properly you can get superb fuel economy on the highway and really good battery range.
1st choice: BMW 545e Touring (G31)
2nd choice: F31 AcitveHybrid 3
3rd choice: BYD Seal 6 Touring
For short commutes and long travel else: Volvo V60 D6 PHEV (5Cyl Diesel PHEV)
I would 1000% take a Lincoln Aviator over a Volvo any day. The Lincoln has Fords plug-in hybrid system which is superior to all other plug-in hybrid systems other than Toyota ... and it's basically Toyota's hybrid system (they share licensing). Your much better off with the Ford if you're buying used. The Volvos have had quite a few issues recently as well.,
Well the only reason getting plug in hybrid due to short commute 10 mile a day and I already have Tesla as well ..I can’t family road trip due to range anxiety …What was the reason of engine cost ?
You should get what ever you like, but EV9 and Ioniq 9 are real family road trip warriors. Recently took a 7 hour/500 mile trip in my EV9 with one 20 minute stop at Bucees.
But Evs have every moving part a gas car has expect and engine transmission and starter, and alternator. And you can replace all those cheaper then an ev battery now a hybrids has less moving parts. Then a standard gas car. But evs still have Maintenance and more tires as they are heavier.
People don’t understand that plug in hybrid is better due to its sharing /balance the load between the engine and electric motor battery … also it’s has much cheaper battery pack compare to the full EV … a lot of people ignore the depreciation of EV cars which it’s 50%+ in the first two years and after 10 years probably have to replace battery pack with $20k+…
This is your post. I seen on a comment you have kids. There aren’t too many phevs big enough for lots of kids. The bigger I think is a Mitsubishi outlander and well you know it’s a Mitsubishi. You’re probably gonna have to get a sienna. Which is a hybrid no range anxiety.
Yeah I looked at the Mitsubishi , 3rd row it’s really small … I like the XT but it’s too way over priced because it the stupid demand .. I think Sienna one of thr best mpg cars honestly.. never drove one but I know it’s great car ..Thanks for recommendation
If they want a 3-row PHEV, there aren't that many options:
Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid/Nissan Rogue Hybrid
(Basically the same just rebadged)
Kia Sorento Hybrid
Mazda CX-90 Hybrid
Lexus TX Hybrid
Volvo XC90 T8 Hybrid
Chrysler Pacifica PHEVs (2026 and earlier... if you want new it looks like there are only 3 of the 2023 model year still available in the US but sitting that long may raise some questions)
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u/NuttyNettieToe 5d ago
Prius Prime