A compact SUV with a nominal third row and 45 miles of range, the updated Outlander PHEV can be a viable EV alternative—if owners plug it in.
For much of the 2010s, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV was the world’s best-selling plug-in hybrid. Hitting the European market just as incentives and tailpipe limits were finalized, that first-generation model sold roughly 300,000 units in 60 countries from 2013 through 2021.
The second-generation Outlander PHEV arrived in the U.S. as a 2023 model; roughly 22,000 units have been sold through this past June. I drove the 2023 model almost four years ago, and found it a notable upgrade from the previous model: better looking, more electric range, and significantly upgraded appointments.
Now, midway through its model life, that second-generation Outlander PHEV has been refreshed. It gets a different battery pack with higher capacity, more all-electric range, and a few upgrades to appearance, trim, and digital equipment as well. Exterior appearance is all but unchanged, but the EV part of the powertrain is significantly upgraded—except for its fast-charging port, anyway.
Complex powertrain
As before, the Outlander PHEV’s front motor and generator and rear motor offer series and parallel operation via the front transaxle, depending on which mode will use the least energy to move the vehicle. Transitions are largely imperceptible to the driver, as are many (if not all) engine-start events. Like any hybrid the Outlander uses regenerative braking to recapture energy that would otherwise be lost to friction brakes. But if anything, Mitsu offers too many different ways to configure the driving experience.
Photos by John Voelcker
Powertrain settings, for instance, include the default Normal; EV for electric-only running; Save to conserve battery charge for later; and Recharge to use the engine as a generator to recharge the battery. There are also three drive modes: Normal, Eco, and Power. And then there are four traction options: Tarmac, Gravel, Snow, or Mud.
On top of all that, drivers can choose among five levels of increasingly strong regen, B1 through B5 (B0 is coasting with no regen at all). Those levels only address regenerative braking, however, whereas the Innovative Pedal (i-Pedal) blends regenerative and friction brakes for stronger yet deceleration. “Think of it as about B8,” said Sittner. It’s not true one-pedal driving, however: The driver must brake to a complete stop from about 8 mph. Drivers can eliminate the idle creep programmed in, regardless of regen level, by activating the Auto Hold function.
As in many battery-powered cars, the Outlander PHEV’s various driver settings vary in whether they’re retained through on/off power cycles (known as “latching”) or wiped out, which forces the driver to ask for them every time the car is switched on. As it is, while Auto Hold is retained, the drive mode reverts to Normal whenever the car is switched off. Both GM and Hyundai-Kia have figured this out in their EVs, and we’d very much like Mitsu to do the same.
On the road, the 2026 plug-in Outlander drove much like the 2023 one. I put more than 50 miles on a couple of different plug-in Outlanders outside Seattle in early August. It’s relatively quiet and comfortable, engine starts go largely unnoticed, and it will operate exclusively on battery power for most—if not all—driving circumstances. Accelerating up a fairly steep hill, however, did flip on the engine even with a fully charged battery. There’s a pedal detent that helps prevent drivers from accidentally demanding engine power, too.
Overall, it’s a pleasant compact crossover, though it “drives large” against the 2027 Mitsubishi Eclipse Sportback battery-electric hatchback we also drove. That’s effectively a current Nissan Leaf with a new name and some mild styling changes, whereas the Outlander is a large compact SUV—with a third row, although we were unable to get any adults into it.
Returning to Mitsubishi roots
As the latest generation of Outlander was being designed, Mitsubishi became part of the Nissan Renault Mitsubishi Alliance—an ultimately doomed attempt to bring a large Japanese maker together with a large French maker, plus a much smaller Japanese maker. Nissan then owned 34 percent of Mitsubishi, giving it a controlling interest and veto power under Japanese law.
So not only was the Outlander built on the underpinnings of the Nissan Rogue, its gasoline version used the Rogue’s 2.5-liter engine. The PHEV model, however, stuck with the Mitsubishi 2.4-liter Atkinson Cycle engine used in the first-gen model—essentially transplanting that PHEV’s powertrain into the Rogue platform. The pouch cells in its 20-kilowatt-hour battery pack—which deliver an EPA-rated 38 miles of range—came not from Mitsu’s longtime cell partner Lithium Energy Japan (a joint venture with GS Yuasa), but from Nissan’s battery joint venture AESC.
Photos By John Voelcker
Times change. Nissan’s corporate convulsions—including its CEO Carlos Ghosn’s arrest for fraud and subsequent escape to Lebanon—led the company to shutter plants, shed staff, and reduce its Mitsubishi stake to 24 percent. Perhaps as a result, both updated Outlander versions now have more Mitsubishi in them. The gasoline version has dumped the Nissan 2.5-liter engine, instead using a 1.4-liter Mitsubishi engine (as found in the Eclipse Cross small SUV) with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system added.
More relevant to this piece, the PHEV model has returned to GS-Yuasa prismatic cells for its updated battery, as it used throughout the first generation of PHEV. The cells are skewed more toward power delivery (suited to hybrids) than to overall energy capacity (more suitable for BEVs). Mitsubishi says the newer cells have 33 percent less internal resistance, allowing the battery to deliver up to 60 percent more power than its predecessor. That power reduces the number of times the engine must switch on above 25 mph, and allows more electric-only operation even at highway speeds.
Wait, whut? CHAdeMO, still?
Capacity is now 22.7 kWh, for a rated range of 45 miles. The total powertrain output has also risen, from 248 horsepower last year to 297 hp. The motors haven’t changed, explained Kevin Sittner, manager of EV powertrain engineering for Mitsubishi Motors North America. Instead, updated control software safely draws more power from the larger battery pack.
The previous Outlander PHEV had a J-1772 port for Level 1 and Level 2 charging on its left-rear fender, and a DC fast-charging port using the CHAdeMO connector on its right-rear fender. While the industry is now moving from CCS to NACS for EVs sold in North America, the plug-in Outlander remains the sole vehicle sold in the U.S. with a 50-kilowatt CHAdeMO port. It’s only offered on the SEL and Black Edition trim levels, but it’s not surprising Mitsubishi simply omitted any mention of it during its presentation. (It was in the specs, to be fair.)
Reduced resistance and improved cooling lowers the heat generated during charging, meaning the 2026 model holds its maximum rate for longer in the charge curve. Charging from 0 to 100 percent on Level 1 remains tedious, at 16.5 hours for the 2026 model against just 30 minutes less before. Level 2 charging remains at 6.5 hours, despite the larger battery, owing to the 3.3-kW onboard charger. For intrepid owners who manage to find a CHAdeMO fast-charging station en route, the DC fast-charging time quoted to 80 percent has fallen to 29 minutes from 38 minutes.
Do these PHEVs get plugged in? Mitsubishi says it now has some limited, preliminary data on the plugging-in behavior of its 2023-2025 Outlander PHEV buyers in the U.S. Note the $7,500 federal incentive for leased EVs was available while the previous version was on sale. That made it effectively a top-trim Outlander with a four-figure discount on the price—and may have lured buyers uninterested in the plug. We’ll update this article if we get the data.
Four trim levels, starting at $45K
The 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is offered in three trim levels, starting with the ES. It’s fitted with 18-inch wheels, a pair of 12.3-inch displays (one in front of the driver for instrumentation, and a center touchscreen for various controls), LED headlights and taillights, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, and heated front seats.
Moving up to the mid-grade SE model adds 20-inch alloy wheels, an available light grey interior, various semi-autonomous safety and driving features, a hands-free liftgate, rain-sensing automatic wipers, and heated and folding mirrors, among other upgrades. An optional Tech Package adds a power panoramic sunroof and a premium 12-speaker Yamaha Ultimate audio system.
Above that, the Outlander SEL adds leather seating, ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, a power panoramic sunroof, and the DC fast charging option. A Premium Package on top of the SEL trim adds leather upholstery, the Yamaha audio system, a head-up display, a digital rear-view mirror, and niceties like illuminated scuff plates. Finally, a new-for-2026 ‘Black Edition’ appearance model blacks out all body chrome and much of the rest of the car’s trim. It adds most of the SEL Premium equipment, along with massaging front seats.
PHEV models of the Outlander range from $44,990 for the ES to $55,440 for the Black Edition. All prices include a mandatory delivery fee of $1,745. All Outlanders are imported from Japan; the 2026 models are available now.
Mitsubishi provided airfare, lodging, and meals to enable Charged to bring you this first-person drive report.
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