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2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV First Drive Review: Slightly rough diamond

The Mitsubishi Outlander was one of the first small, affordable plug-in hybrid SUVs, yet it lost ground in recent years with the introduction of strong offerings from Toyota, Ford, Hyundai and Kia. The main reason was that the regular Outlander wasn’t especially competitive, so once the PHEV finally had company, there was nowhere to go but down. Well, thereÂ’s an all-new and dramatically improved Outlander now, and finally, its plug-in hybrid version is here to make up that lost ground. Like the gas-only version, the new 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV impresses with a stylish, spacious and suitably modern interior, and generally comfortable and quiet demeanor. The plug-in hybrid goes significant further, though, with more power and refinement, plus a strong electric range. There are a couple weak points that keep it from being best-in-class (like the gas-only version), but depending on your needs, the Outlander PHEV could still be the green compact SUV for you. The Outlander PHEV has a powertrain that's extremely similar to its predecessor. A naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder now makes 134 horsepower rather than the previous model's 148 horsepower. While it can provide direct power to the wheels, itÂ’s most often employed as a motor generator for the front and rear electric motors (much as a Honda hybrid operates). Both of those motors are also more potent than before. The front motor picked up 20 horsepower and 88 pound-feet of torque to make 114 ponies and 188 lb-ft. The rear makes 40 more horsepower for 134, though torque remains the same at 144 pound-feet. The result is a grand total of 248 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. That's more than the Ford Escape PHEV, and more torque than the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage plug-ins. The Toyota RAV4 Prime's 302 horsepower bests them all. In addition to more power, the Outlander PHEV can now go 38 miles on a charge –14 more than before thanks to a pack that has grown from 13.8 kilowatt-hours to 20 kWh. Once again, thatÂ’s more range than Ford, Hyundai and Kia, though less than the Toyota. Mitsubishi also offers an unusual feature not available on those competitors: DC fast charging. WeÂ’re not sure how necessary a DC fast charger is on a vehicle that can run on gas in a pinch, but if youÂ’d like a topped-up battery and donÂ’t want to wait overnight to get it from the plug in your garage, why not?

Waymo partners with Nissan, Renault on robotaxis outside U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO — Self-driving car pioneer Waymo is teaming up with automakers Renault and Nissan to make its first journey outside the U.S. with a ride-hailing service that will dispatch a fleet of robotaxis in France and Japan. The partnership announced late Wednesday underscores Waymo's ambition to deploy its driverless technology throughout the world in an attempt to revolutionize the way people get around. The Mountain View, California, company can afford to try because it's backed by one of the world's richest companies, Google, which secretly began working on driverless technology a decade ago before spinning off that project into what is now known as Waymo. After launching its ride-hailing service in France and Japan, Waymo intends to explore other European and Asian markets with Renault and Nissan. "This is an ideal opportunity for Waymo to bring our autonomous technology to a global stage," Waymo CEO John Krafcik said. Waymo, Renault and Nissan didn't set a timetable for when their ride-hailing service will launch. They left most other details vague. It seems likely it will still be several years before Waymo will be in a position to pose a serious challenge to Uber, the world's largest ride-hailing service. Although Waymo's self-driving technology is widely considered to be the world's most advanced, it still isn't adept enough to be trusted without a human poised to take control in case something goes awry with the robot. Waymo had hoped to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing service last year in the Phoenix area, but instead is still keeping human safety drivers in those vehicles more than six months after it rolled out. That service, known as Waymo One, is still only offering rides to a few hundred passengers that previously participated in a test program. Krafcik told the German newspaper Handelsblatt last year that Waymo will likely use a different brand for its ride-hailing services outside the U.S. That could be one reason Waymo is working with France-based Renault and Japan-based Nissan, household names in their home countries. Waymo has previously struck deals with two automakers, Fiat Chrysler and Jaguar, but those involved ordering tens of thousands of vehicles to be equipped with self-driving technology for services in the U.S. So far, Waymo is only using Fiat Chrysler minivans for its Phoenix service. The partnership with Renault and Nissan also involves a long-time alliance they formed with Mitsubishi.

Mitsubishi expects to sell only 4,000 Outlander PHEVs in first year in US

First, it was late 2013 or early 2014. Then it was the fall of 2014. And then it was "roughly" April 2016. Now we can strike "roughly" from the record: the Outlander Plug-In Hybrid will finally arrive in the US in April 2016. Alex Fedorak, public relations manager, Mitsubishi Motors North America, told AutoblogGreen that the company is now "confident in that date." The various delays that held up the SUV this far – including battery shortages, deciding to make the PHEV in the US the refreshed version and better-than-expected sales in Europe and Japan – have worked their way through the system, he said. "The issue was battery capacity, and the vehicle sold far better in Europe than anyone anticipated. It just takes time to build the battery. You got to buy raw materials and rethink the whole process. We're confident that it's going to be next spring." As for where the Outlander will go on sale in the US Fedorak said he did not know the initial markets for, but said it was likely the plug-in SUV would mimic the roll-out of the i-MiEV, which is now available in most states. Even with the Outlander PHEV's success overseas, the company does not expect it to be a big seller here. "It's not going to be big percentage of Outlander sales [in the US]," Fedorak said. "Our expectations are in the single-digit percentage of the total Outlander sales. It's just going to be a technology showcase for us, and we'll see what happens. If it takes off for us like it did in Europe, it'll be good news for the brand." Last year, Mistubishi sold 31,054 Outlander Sports and 13,068 Outlanders in the US. That means Mitsubishi expects to sell a maximum of 3,970 Outlander PHEVs (nine percent of 44,122 total Outlander sales) in the plug-in's first year on sale in the US. Fedorak said he doesn't think there are any specific regulatory issues that need to be solved to bring the Outlander PHEV here. Things like EPA certification and crash testing still need to be done, he said, but that's just part of the normal process now. Fedorak said he thinks there is no difference in the plug-in powertrain from the current version sold in Europe and Japan and the version that will come to the US. But the rest of the 2016 Outlander will be "much more than a facelift," he said (something we've heard before). "It's a total rethink of the chassis and the tuning of the vehicle. The NVH of the vehicle, too."Related Video: