2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
This past weekend we had the opportunity to drive the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV SE S-AWC at the Salon International de l'Auto de Québec in Québec City. Unlike the Montréal Auto Show, visitors were given the chance to test drive certain models with a large emphasis on electric and hybrid driving. We jumped at the chance to try out the new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV as it's a new entry into the plug-in electric market here in North America.
We didn't have a lot of time with this mid-size crossover SUV, but the main advantage the Outlander has in this segment are the dual electric motors that power the AWD system, along with the 2.0L inline 4 gas engine. There are only a handful of crossovers that offer a plug-in hybrid electric trim, but Mitsubishi is the first in Canada to offer it with a dual motor AWD setup. The 3 engines combined produce a peak 277 horsepower, which is about average for other vehicles in this segment, but provides instant torque with the electric power.
Mitsubishi setup a snow course for drivers to experience the Outlander on, and we had a chance to drive it around several times to push this crossover further than we'd normally get to on TestDrive. You can watch our full episode of TestDrive Snapshot on the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander SE S-AWC PHEV below: