Mitsubishi

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Is it only me and Clarkson who don’t see the joy of owning a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV electric?

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Sometimes I start to doubt my objectivity when a car that is supposed to be the dog’s nuts isn’t quite what I expected. I’ve read a rash of other reviews on the PHEV this week and they all seem to praise a wonderful car.

Well, not all of them. Clarkson (remember him?) didn’t like it at all. Mainly because he felt the Outlander wasn’t a good vehicle in the first place. I never thought I’d agree with JC but he’s spot on with the Mitsubishi.

I heap praise on Mitsubishi for building a plug-in that is backed up by a petrol-electric hybrid power plant but the Outlander remains a rather soul-less SUV, with a sleepy 2.0 petrol engine and fairly painful styling.

Most depressing of all is that you will never achieve the claimed 148mpg driving in the real world. The PHEV has averaged 32mpg over the last week. It can only go ‘super-mpg’ if you use it on very short journeys in electric mode.

And as the PHEV only has a battery only range of 32 miles, well, you see my point.

Maybe this is the start of a rash of plug-in hybrid models which will improve with time? I hope so because the idea is a good one – just poorly executed in this case.

 

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The sound of silence? How can silent electric cars warn pedestrians of their approach…

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I imagine the court case has already happened – man run over by silent electric car. If not, it’s going to soon. As I pulled out of a hotel car park this afternoon a kindly old chap walked straight out of the foyer and in front of the PHEV.

Should electric cars have a ‘sound’ added to their drivetrain to warn pedestrians? What if somebody steps out in front of an electric car and then claims they simply didn’t hear the vehicle approaching?

Of course, noise pollution can be damaging too. So quite how we get around this issue as more and more electric cars like the Mitsubishi appear on our roads is one that’s open for debate.

Fortunately, the Outlander has exceptionally good brakes. That didn’t stop an angry man waving two fingers in my direction…

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For the love of God, can somebody turn off the alarm bells in my Mitsubishi PHEV!

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More beeping noises with the PHEV! This time it’s when I leave the key in the ignition. But it’s not a gentle ‘ping’ a la BMW. No, the Mitsubishi goes into an insistent rant which makes heads turn at the filling station (I’m topping up again. Remember the PHEV only has a 45 litre capacity).

Now I know that in America cars have every kind of safety device to ensure manufacturers aren’t sued under crazy public liability laws but this is England. May I suggest we simply don’t need such vulgarities?

I’m becoming a little paranoid by the Outlander’s warning devices and alarms. Using the PHEV on a daily basis is not a joyous experience because I’m constantly being told what I can and can’t do with dull monotony.

I would just like to get in, shut the door, press the start button and drive away with no fuss, no stress. Sadly, I think I’m more likely to see petrol at 50p a litre and a Labour government come May 8…

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So the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV plug-in hybrid does 148mpg? Oh no it doesn’t! Welcome to the real world

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You might think your fuel bill is going to be slashed driving a plug-in hybrid like the Outlander PHEV. The headline figure of 148mpg sounds astounding – although common sense suggests you will never achieve anything like that in the real world.

So, what can you expect from Mitsubishi’s much-praised PHEV – 100mpg, 80mpg or a more realistic 65mpg perhaps? I’ve just driven the Outlander on two high-speed motorway trips of around 180 miles each way and the depressing news is 28.1mpg and 31.2mpg!

I was totally gobsmacked. There wasn’t even Easter Bank Holiday traffic to contend with, yet the PHEV was actually far worse than many premium band SUVs. Even the BMW X5 xDrive 25d managed 40+mpg.

And the problem is compounded by the fact that the PHEV only has a 45 litre capacity fuel tank because space is lost to accommodate the batteries. So you can forget Mitsubishi’s claimed 500 miles plus range – it just isn’t going to happen however carefully you drive.

The PHEV is competitively priced but I’m afraid that despite the hype, I’d still opt for a diesel version and enjoy much better, more practical economy…

 

 

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Why do I need three loud beeps from the Mitsubishi to tell me that the auto-boot closure is operating?

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It may be the Easter Saturday traffic but I’m in a moody of unequalled grumpiness. Just why the British have nothing better to do than shop on the weekend is beyond me. That and reality TV is turning our brains to mush.

It’s the kind of day when I want to step out of my house and drive a car that rubs happiness onto my troubled brow. Instead, I’m being audibly assaulted by the Mitsubishi Outlander’s annoying array of warning sounds every time I go near the fecking thing.

For example, why do I need three loud beeps to tell me that the auto-boot closure is operating, when I have just pressed the button myself to operate it? One gently ping would be more than sufficient. There are warning bells for lane departure, door left open, gear select – all the things I actually know anyway.

But what really takes the biscuit is the fact the infotainment system on the Outlander is incredibly s-l-o-w. So when I slip the incredible gearlever into reverse and look at the rear-parking camera, the image doesn’t immediately show me the distance lines I would expect – or sound a distance alert!

The one bloody safety system I want to use is fast asleep. Frankly, I’m not impressed Mitsubishi…

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Mitsubishi Shogun – Always Happier In The Country

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Back in London for a meal at the Australian Embassy tonight. My trousers are still busting from yesterday’s afternoon tea at the Milestone Hotel, in Kensington. You haven’t been? It’s like stepping back in time – amazing.

The Shogun and I have trundled up to Maida Vale to catch the Tube down to the Strand later. Oddly I’m parked next to an exact replica – except it’s a three-door Shogun, with wrecked alloys from serving it’s time in the capital.

The Shogun isn’t really cut out for high-speed motorway work. It’s noisy when pushed hard, although it it one of the few places where the inadequate chassis isn’t upsetting the ride quality.

Will I miss the Mitsubishi? Possibly. It gets under your skin after a while. The Shogun has retro charm and the styling is distinctive. I know that it will cope with anything I want it to do off-road and that 3.2 four-cylinder engine will keep going and going for years.

However, although it competes well with the likes of Land Rover and BMW on price, I think I want my SUV to be a little more well-mannered on the road – and visually more appealing both inside and out.

 

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Mitsubishi Shogun – It Was Never A Chelsea Tractor…

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You could never accuse the Shogun of being a ‘Chelsea tractor’ – which is exactly where I am today. I saw a posse of them in Gloucestershire on the drive up this morning but not a single one around Sloane Square.

The Mitsubishi was always aimed at the country set and it sold incredibly well because it was robust and great in the mud. The problem now is that even the green weepy brigade prefer a car that can tow a horse box AND be a luxury people-mover too.

Which means that while the Shogun can’t compete with the upmarket Porsche Cayennes and Range Rovers (even though it is much cheaper than both), there are also loads more 4x4s on the market today that cost less than Shogun – and are just as good!

My advice? If you are after a Shogun for its mud-plugging ability, go for the entry-level versions and not the luxurious SG4. Three door versions start at just over £26k, and the five door at £28.5k. Now that’s good value for money.

 

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Mitsubishi Shogun – A Tick List of Minor Ailments

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The devil is in the detail and after four days in the Shogun, I’ve compiled a list of minor irritants which potential buyers might want to consider before opening their wallets. None of them are major but they are the sort of issues you only discover after owning the car for a few days – and perhaps not on a ten minute test drive!

Adult passengers sitting in the back can’t get their feet under the front seats unless the electric height adjustment is raised. You can, however, recline the rear seats.

The side-hinged, rear-door is very heavy because the rear wheel is attached to it. It also sounds incredibly ‘tinny’ when you slam it shut. This is not a Land Rover.

Steering is vague at the best of times. There have been a number of ocasions when I have steering into a low speed corner and had to correct my line. It’s obviously more noticeable at higher speeds.

There are an assortment of rattles! Our SG4 is the top spec model but has only covered 17,000 miles. It’s surprised how much noise vibrates from the interior.

The Shogun does not have a DAB radio, which is kind of odd considering it cost £37k.

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Mitsubishi Shogun – Time For Manufacturer’s To Be Clearer On Real-World MPG?

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I left my wallet in London last week. It’s safe but I won’t see it again until Wednesday and the prospect of being without cash or a Visa card for five days  is something of a nail-biter. Not least, do I have enough fuel in the Shogun to see me through?

The SG4 model is claimed to average 33mpg but just like every other car sold in this country, it’s impossible to get within a gnat’s crochet of the official figures. I don’t entirely blame Mitsubishi for this – it’s just totally misleading for the car buying public when they look at the figures and calculate their own future fuel costs.

The manufacturers would argue that all cars are now tested on the same level playing field for fuel consumption, so it is the fairest method. I would would still say that there has to be a better way to give motorists an accurate figure!

So despite a light right foot since discovering the wallet missing, I’m only achieving only 27.4mpg. And I’d like to think that I can drive fairly economically when required after all these years of testing cars. We are being mislead but nobody seems to want to do anything about it…

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Mitsubishi Shogun LWB – Screening Madness of the Shogun Sat Nav

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I anticipated that the navigation unit in the Shogun might be ‘tricky’ and I was right. I don’t believe you shouldn’t have to use the handbook to navigate your own way through the system – even the first time you use it. It should be intuitive and user friendly.

Unfortunately, the Mitsubishi requires a lot of scrolling through assorted menus. Today I had three people in the car, a variety of generations from 20s to 50s. First it wasn’t clear how you access the navigation menu itself – not helped by a button saying ‘navigation menu’ which actually guides the user to the navigation settings.

All we wanted to do was input a destination. The key was a button with a tiny flag symbol. It should be simple from here, or so I thought. Unfortunately it wasn’t and it was the 25-year-old who naturally cracked the code, looking on from the back seat.

The navigations screen on the Shogun is large and angled slightly upwards. That means that with the panoramic sunroof open, the reflection renders it totally useless. Thank heavens for the iPhone – at least we found our way home…