1.9L/100km. No, seriously

With engines getting more and more efficient, car companies are touting their efficiency figures with increasing gusto. Fair enough, it's an important consideration these days. But you have never seen figures like the new Outlander Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle is capable of. No one has. That's because there's never been a vehicle like this before. 1.9L/100km(1) from an SUV? You read it right.

This is only the beginning of the remarkable numbers attached to this vehicle. In full Electric Vehicle mode, you can get up to 52km(1) on pure electricity. No petrol in, no fumes out. It only takes 6.5 hours(3) to reach a full charge from an ordinary internal household power point. Better yet, you'll only pay about $1.41(2) for such a charge. When you consider the average daily commute in New Zealand is somewhere around the 38km(2) mark, you could realistically do your weekly runs in Electric Vehicle mode and pay just $7(2). Even when you are using fuel, economy of 1.9L/100km(1) equate to emissions of just 44(1) grams of CO2 per kilometre.

The combination of two electric motors and a 2.0L petrol engine (not to mention the 3 clever drive modes that bring it all together) means Outlander Plug-In Hybrid isn't bound by the range limitations of all-electric vehicles.

Neither is it a bit weird to look at. While other non-conventional vehicles tend to make a rather public point about what's under the hood, Outlander Plug-In Hybrid looks like the SUV it truly is.

That's not to say it's as simple to understand as other SUVs you might have driven. So to help you see how it works and how get the most from it, Mitsubishi have created a series of videos. Prices start at $59,990+ORC (4) for the XLS. And that's probably all the surprising numbers you can cope with in one sitting.

Legals: VRX image shown.
1. Fuel economy figures are official results based on test regime ADR81/02.
2. According to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) advised off peak electricity rate of 15c/kWh and advised NZ daily driving distance.
3. Approximate charge time and rate may vary.
4. Price listed is for the XLS model and excludes On Road Costs of $750 which includes Registration, WoF and a tank of fuel.

Also see:
Overview
Real Performance