Toyota RAV4 Hybrid vs Mitsubishi Outlander Plug In | To Plug Or Not To Plug?

[@davidyang577]

I've owned PHEV for 2 years and for short city driving we get over 1000 km to a tank. For Long distance travel, the phev gets around 500km to a tank. Its a big difference but for a tank that's only 40litres it's still really good for a car that weight nearly two ton.

[@Ian-mv4qq]

Thanks for the real world data. I'm converting to miles and gallons, your city driving gets you 621.371 miles on 10.567 gallons = 58.8 mpg. That's pretty good. But your long distance travel, assuming mostly highway speed, is bad only half the mpg above or 29.4 mpg. Not sure what car you have but 10.5 gallons tank sounds like a small car like a Honda civic (12 gal) that can easily give you 30-35 mpg especially if you drive on eco mod. Although if you mostly drive in the city, your phev definitely wins, getting more than 2x the mileage than Civic.

[@Ian-mv4qq]

Forgot to ask you, do you plug in every day so that you always drive on a full battery every time?

[@unitedwestand56]

​@Ian-mv4qq You have to plug it in every night, otherwise this PHEV makes little sense. After 50,000 my 2019's lifetime mpgs are 48.

[@dennisscipio]

Well, fortunately for Mitsubishi, an all-new Outlander and Outlander PHEV is set to release in 2021/2022 for the 2022/2023 Model Year, so hopefully there will be improvements to the powertrain, and technology.

[@dygardion9130]

Dennis Scipio and better mpg because I believe it’s only 25 mpg after the juice runs out

[@afcgeo882]

dygardion 91 It’s 25mpg in hybrid mode.

[@sendtobarry]

Mitsubishi are famous for reworking old cars and changing as little as possible. In Australia they have been running the same switchgear and dash layout for 10 years !! They are masters of facelifting ancient tech and reselling it as new. As far as a new PHEV goes I would NOT be first in line to try it unless it had an iron clad battery degradation warranty !!! I'm tipping they will come on strong with a battery warranty - but they will be silent on degradation.

[@ibmtpx24]

Well news update, the new outlander is largely based on nissan rogue now that nissan owns large share of mitsu. It is expected to have worse reliability considering the bad jatco CVT historical record.

[@unitedwestand56]

​@@afcgeo882 Not exactly. It is 25 mpgs in hybrid mode with a drained battery. Otherwise, it is 30+

[@Alexd3498]

We got 8k off our PHEV Outlander back in June and that's excluding the 5k in tax credits, so that could be something to consider

[@afcgeo882]

Not enough.

[@Alexd3498]

@@AmperageY no, 8k off msrp, theres still around 5k in tax credits:)

[@epichmongguy]

Over the years, the battery would loose its charge. That's why toyota never went full plug in. Toyota will be releasing a Rav4 Prime by 2021 or 2020. Hybrid plugin. Also toyota has a higher resale value.

[@pasta-eo5mt]

@@epichmongguy You say that Toyota never went full plug-in because the batteries lose their charge but then you say that they will be offering a plug-in in the future.... Huh??

[@kmckenzie2461]

Cant beat Mitsubishis up front discounts and rebates. I just got my top trim loaded $33,000.00 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SEL with Touring Package and S-AWC for $26,000.00 after rebates and dealer discounts. Couldn’t beat it. We have owned 5 Mitsubishis now and 7 of us own them at my work and they are great reliable vehicles plus they give you a much longer warranty and way longer roadside assistance which shows they stand behind their vehicles. Plus the Mitsubishi dealer I use is amazing and their service dept is top notch. I have had great overal experiences with Mitsubishis. I always purchased new Kia and Hyundai vehicles before Mitsubishi but after our 2013 Hyundai Elantra we bought new was plagued with so many issues we decided to switch brands. So glad we did!

[@darrencurd4462]

I’ve had a UK 16 plate outlander and now the 19 plate... the 2.4litre outlander replacing the 2litre smashes all its technical numbers. 70mpg over 25,000 annual miles all day, every day and will buy a third

[@limpunsing224]

Toyota RAV4 Hybrid without thinking Nice comparison review

[@rightlanehog3151]

With and without thinking.

[@tjs114]

I don't think the new Escape is going to effect RAV4 sales much for people that need a useable 2nd row seat. Our local dealership has a 2020 with the 3 cylinder, and that second row is still a rock hard parcel shelf with door openings too small for a 6 foot person to use regularly. Though it is pretty; and I'm sure the Fords will be discounted a lot more (and more often) than the Toyota.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Exactly.

[@James-il3tq]

I'm 6"1 driver and both my brothers are 6"2. I drive them regularly in my 2019 RAV4 and we all fit comfortably 😃

[@nasirgondal9279]

Interesting comparison of Rav4 Hybrid and Escape Hybrid by Alex. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3vNhZVpo76orJo

[@kmckenzie2461]

Never been a fan of Ford.

[@Beach5and]

I saw an outlander phev today and It's pretty handsome.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Alex, Well done. You are really rising to the challenge of comparing that RAV4 Hybrid to anything on four wheels. BTW details on your channel are never 'excruciating' . #GotCharts

[@Omfcody1]

Toyota hit it out of the park when they redesigned the RAV4.

[@dylanslaney]

Really? That thing looks hideous an is going to age horribly

[@Darrenhd2]

They kind of copied the Jeep Cherokee design didn't they? At least they look similar. You almost need to do a double take on them to figure out which is which.

[@thivakarsaravanamuthu4744]

Looks amazing

[@matty_o]

I know looks are subjective but the rav4 is hideous.

[@that1guy524]

Yes they did hit it out of the park with the design. Because there is a lot worse out there like the Hyundai Kona and others. At least Toyota knows how to keep their headlights in the right place!

[@MsCaterific]

RAV4 Hands down.

[@pauldavis7225]

I made this exact comparison 6 months ago. For us, the determining factor on fuel use/environment was the number of long trips we took. After calculations, even if we assumed we could somehow get 30 mpg from the outlander, the Rav still won out. Plus we prefer it in every way. Small but annoying additional thing about the outlander: the shifter feels like it’s made by Mattel.

[@LeoTheShortGuy]

I have to agree with everyone, Alex, you are very analytical and very detailed - an accountant’s ideal car reviewer. The more data, the better.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Well said.

[@AlejandroArchila1]

Good review however looks like this guy is more in favor to the Rav4 putting less effort explaining some of the adventages on the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@dtay8913]

I don't personally care for either of these vehicles over the escape, I'm just here to support Alex.

[@MrMoose-mf1oy]

The new Ford Escape is so ugly and bland though

[@dtay8913]

@@Brew-doo just preference. I know Toyota's are know for their reliability and resale, but in my family we generally keep vehicles for 10+ years so resale isn't a consideration. We've also owned fords in the past and haven't had any issues I just like the look of the Ford more.

[@webcomment8895]

@@dtay8913 LOL. Reliability still matters after 10+ years. A 10 year old unreliable car may have thousands of dollars of repairs that the reliable car won't need for another 5-10 years. There will also likely still be a significant difference in resale value of a 10 year old Ford vs Toyota. I just looked at KBB trade-in values base model 2009 Ford Escapes and 2009 RAV4s with just standard equipment, 100K miles and good condition on KBB. The Ford was valued at about $2200 and the Toyota about $4500. Chances are money spent on out of warranty repairs on the Ford driven for 10 years would also be much higher than the Toyota. Low resale value normally is caused by an expectation of high/frequent repair and maintenance costs. Cars that people expect to be cheap to maintain and also expect to not need many repairs are in high demand on the used car market and therefore have high resale value.

[@dygardion9130]

Rav4 plug in hybrid! It’s coming Also Lexus nx hybrid is there soooooo

[@James-il3tq]

The RAV4 is the easy choice as once you get over Mitsubishis minimal 22 mile EV range it get 25mpg, compared to RAV4 40mpg. Add its faster, quieter, more refined suspension, more ground clearance, higher resale value and better drivetrain (proven Prius ECVT and drivetrain) the RAV4 is the logical choice. If you're going for all electric range I'd make the jump to full EV as there are much less parts and maintenance. With a PHEV when it's in battery mode it's pulling around a useless engine and when it's in gas mode is pulling around a large useless battery.

[@joa8593]

I think if you can charge at work or really want express lane access the Mitsubishi wins (say in the bay area), but for the majority of buyers it's the RAV. I still think for most buyers the Clarity or Prius Prime make the most sense financially, but people want their CUV.

[@afcgeo882]

Joseph G But if you can charge at work, there are FAR better options out there at the same price point.

[@rkalla]

@@afcgeo882 the Mits offers dramatic discounts, so that would need to be considered.

[@rightlanehog3151]

@@joa8593 What makes most sense is the Hybrid Corolla Wagon with AWDe.

[@joa8593]

@@rightlanehog3151 I mean, I wish. That said, if you qualify for government incentives the Prime is the better value over pretty much any hybrid.

[@kevyNova123]

You do amazing reviews, i ordered a 2020 Rav4 Hybrid after watching some of your videos.

[@james2042]

One thing to consider is soccer moms who only drive the kids 5-7 miles to school and maybe to the grocery store 80% of the vehicles life. The 22 miles of electric range means that gasoline engine will never turn on and the cost to operate the PHEV will be sigificantly lower. Honestly a PHEV is the best use of electric motors in vehicles for the next few years at least, as the ability to run around town on electric only but still be able to utilize gasoline when you need it, is just the best of both worlds. The toyota may get 40mpg but at 12 cents per kWh and a 12 kWh battery, you get a 1.44 dollars to charge the battery. So say we have someone who drove 7k miles (a city person or suburban soccer mom), and of that 5k miles was on electric while the other 2k was on gasoline vs the rav 4 that was all gasoline. The 5k miles of electric driving would consume 2,250‬ kWh of electric and at a cost of 12 cents per, it would total 270 dollars. Now add the other 2k miles on gas at an average of 3 dollars a gallon and you get 240 dollars for a total of 510 dollars in "fuel". The toyota rav4 at a flat 40 mpg with that same 3 dollars per gallon would cost 525. If you look at the breakdown, it cost almost as much in gas to go 2k miles as it did in electric to go 5k miles. If the outlander had a bigger battery, say a 16 kWh battery, so 33% bigger, and got 29-30 miles of range, and now you would have a 15 mile daily commute on pure electric and that bill will plummet. But if you drive a lot per year, say 14k or in my mothers case 25k miles per year, then the normal hybrid scales much better and would be an obvious choice, as the fuel economy savings would pay for the actual auto loan over the life of the loan

[@AAutoBuyersGuide]

As I cover in the video, this depends greatly on your cost of electricity. Most PHEVs are sold in California and rates here can run from $0.18-0.28/kWh

[@Darrenhd2]

@@AAutoBuyersGuide $0.104/kWh in Ontario off-peak. Charge overnight, and if you have a short commute within the EV range, the Outlander can be driven as a pure EV 100% of the time, except in really poor/cold weather conditions. Use EV priority+Eco mode and the engine will almost never come on, if you have enough juice in the battery. Over time that is by far cheaper than buying gas. As you stated it's really the only game in town for it's size and if you want AWD. I had a 2018 Volt and it behaves very similar, amazingly almost the same, but the Volt is tiny in comparison - although it has a larger battery. HOWEVER, the software in the Outlander stinks, the BMU (battery Management Unit) aggressively degrades the available battery capacity - reducing the available kWh/Ah usable, and thus your 22 miles EV range, close to 18% per year. Read up on it - it's all over KZbin and Facebook. The problem exists in all Outlander PHEV models, and is even worse with the newer 13.8 kWh batteries available in Europe. Mitsubishi is refusing to admit there is a problem, despite user groups complaining to them. Also, their Service departments are (mostly) clueless about the PHEV and how it works, at least in North America where it's a relatively new release. Although there are ways to reset the battery capacity and do a true battery capacity measurement, you can risk voiding your warranty if you do that on your own. Until and unless this is addressed, best to stay away from Mitsubishi entirely.

[@henryhonda8408]

I'm in Ontario also. It makes total sense here to plug-in your PHEV in off-peak hours (7pm to 7am). I presently have a Honda Insight hybrid but I will certainly look into getting either a Rav4 or CR-V PHEV in a couple years. I'm also not impressed with the Outlander PHEV...... 22 miles per charge that gets worse over time just isn't for me!

[@mattmortensen8492]

@@Darrenhd2 I would revise your comment to say "if you have an average commute" which is within the all electric range of the PHEV. Note: the average American commute is 13.6 miles. Americans don't like to admit it or are unaware that 95 percent of them traveled less than 40 miles to work.

[@jackp2563]

So many horror stories about Mitsu battery degradation Bought 2019 Rav4H and so far I love it. MPG 44 hwy/city

[@rightlanehog3151]

Good call.

[@Dntdgxj]

The battery should be also covered by 10 years warranty.

[@James-il3tq]

@@Dntdgxj Starting with 2020 models its 10 year warranty on battery. My 2019 RAV4 has 8 year 100,000 mile warranty. Same battery.

[@sendtobarry]

@@Dntdgxj hah - Mitsubishi carefully have reworded warranties to exclude degradation. Word wide hassles with BMU prematurely degrading traction batteries - it is a SCANDAL. Mitsubishi, head in the sand refuse to help.

[@redwhite_040]

don't worry about the battery will loose charge. Here in the Netherlands we have a lot of Outlanders PHEV (pre facelift), as well as toyota hybrids, Tesla's, and even though they have 300.000km they will loose max 10% of the battery. And the drivetrains are pretty solid as well, actually the drivetrains are more reliable than a normal gas one, because there are less parts in motion.

[@jeffluo8960]

Depends on whether you live in a city with or without public transportation. If your city does not have any light rails or subways (e.g Dallas, Houston, Amarillo, San Antonio, El Paso, Atlanta, Louisville, Cincinnati, New Orleans), the plug in won’t do much for you. If your city does have subway line (Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco), you can drive to your nearest station on electric range.

[@bird718]

i saw that mitsubishi on the road a few weeks ago it had hybrid written all over it, in fact it was the first new mitsubishi i seen in ages.

[@T16-s5o]

I'll take the Mitsubishi Outlander

[@judithgould4363]

This is an excellent review and comparison. Thank you.

[@kaffenoizen]

Actual ground clearance 2019: The measurements are a bit strange since every car model uses cm so we have to translate it to inches. Grand Cherokee 8.26 - 11.02 (rejustable) (21-28cm) Forester 8.66 (22cm) Rogue 7.87-8.46 (20-21.5cm) (depends on model (motor and/or 4wd)) Rav 4 hybrid 7.48-8.07 (19-20.5cm) (Diffrent sites says diffrent things) CR-V 7.87 (20cm) Tiguan 7.87 (20cm) Outlander phev 7.48 (19cm) Rogue 7.28 (18.5cm) Sorento 7.28 (18.5cm) Sportage 6.69 (17cm)

[@bossoli60]

Your are the best @alex I made the same comparison before buying my premium Rav4

[@toldroyd1]

Bear in mind that the federal tax credit is a non-refundable tax credit so it will only benefit the purchaser if, after all other deductions, refundable credits and non-refundable credits, you still owe $5,000 in tax. The state tax credits in some states is a refundable credit and so may well be worth far more. Of course, you can get both. Figure the cost for a 1,000 mile trip with only 22 miles of electric only driving and the remaining 978 miles at 25MPG . It would take 39.12 Gallons. With a cost of $3.00/gallon your trip would cost $117.36 (assuming you have your own Solar or wind source for free electricity) The RAV4 Hybrid at 40 MPG combined would take 25 Gallons. At a cost of $3.00/ gallon your trip would cost $75 Add to that the poor repair costs of the Mitsubitchi compared to the Sterling repair cost of the RAV4 and you can see why the Mitsu doesn't impress me. Of course you could throw a full electric car in the mix and fuel cost would be more in line with the RAV4, but then you would have to figure in the cost of a motel/hotel room for your overnight stay caused by the extra time watching the clouds roll by while you wait to recarge your batteries at least 3 times with a time of 2.5 hours per charge. Or an extra 7hours and 30 minutes.to drive that 1,000 miles.

[@chrismad1344]

Be honest.....nothing like Toyota,those engines runs for life.

[@MyWonderApple]

Looking forward to seeing the CRV hybrid when it comes out next year.

[@easternpa2]

Almost 200 comments and no one has mentioned that OpenPilot is only compatible with the RAV4. OpenPilot brings amazing Level 2 autonomy to almost 60 compatible vehicles now, dramatically reducing or nearly eliminating the stress of driving. The latest RAV4 Hybrid features Toyota's TSS 2.0, which raises the Lane Keeping Assist hardware to new levels. Pairing that up with OpenPilot gives you endless hours of relaxing drive time.

[@himeinochi8864]

Adaptive cruise control, 360 camera, LED head lights are standard in Japan original model . The dealer in your country seems stealing your money for options.

[@Trades46]

The Outlander PHEV is the less expensive car if you can charge frequently, but the Rav4 hybrid is the better overall car. That said I look forward to the new Escape hybrid & especially the Rav4 PHEV once that arrives since I believe that car would really make the Mitsubishi redundant should it also have AWD.

[@GoldenLegionHoney]

I wonder if GM will ever bring back the Volt. I just got a 2013 used. love it.

[@dtay8913]

They need to have a volt, bolt and jolt to complete the electric trifecta

[@normt5463]

No, GM us going all EV. No more dual propulsion. Even Toyota dropped the Synergy tagline as the are following GM's lead in EV's.

[@sree7441]

Now in 2022 with the higher fuel cost, when it comes to fuel economy, outlander phev has become a much better option than the Rav4

[@cumulonimbus2533]

Agreed in 2k24

[@vastcapital]

Best review so far.

[@westerncowhand7814]

I really like the outlander phev. It needs 40 or 50 more hp and have a tow rating in the US to make it on my list.

[@Highlander888]

If your commute is 20 miles and you charge both ends then Outlander PHEV will use only Electric and the Hybrid would use 1 gallon. As the Outlander does not use the full energy in the battery but around 10kW that would mean PHEV use would be 20kW. So that would mean that weekly cost (5 day) would be (Electric @ $0.12kWh Petrol @ $3.00) PHEV $12 and Hybrid $15 that is a 20% saving on commute cost and if your destination had free charging then that would be $6 or 60% saving. Now there is the weekend you saved $3 so that means on this video 25 miles for the PHEV plus the 20 miles of electric, so 45 miles for $4.2 and the Hybrid to balance that off would be 10 miles or another trip to work. With PHEV and Hybrids you have to balance off all your short journeys with you long journeys. And just to note with Fast DC charging the Outlander is 20 mins to charge to 80% (Battery Protection). I have had an Outlander PHEV for 18 months and lifetime MPG is 100.

[@ktl2001]

Outlander need a 20kwh pack to give it more usable range.

[@chrisw443]

Also unless you are driving more than 100 miles daily with no way to stop you can easily do almost all of your driving on nearly free ev charging, and no one should drive it with an empty battery it has a chg function for a reason so those economy numbers are worst case. You could run that outlander when you arent going on super long trips, which few people do more than 5 times a year, for practically nothing! I hope the next gen in a couple years ramps up that EV only range a bunch if so that would be outstanding!

[@johnkerr8076]

Very good. The numbers you gave for improving EV range and engine efficiency just happen to be exactly the reported performance of the Outlander PHEV that is on sale in Europe & Japan. Why is Mitsubishi selling a second rate product in the USA?

[@agenttnega6173]

my mistake... of course before converter / inverter 244,8 V (6,5Ah x 244,8V = 1,591 kWh). My data was AC 650V

[@GlennRobinsongetgln]

There is no third row seating on the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid in the older model years.

[@FantomLightning]

Not to nitpick Alex, but I've noticed this on a couple videos with ground clearance comparisons. From 2014 to 2020 the Nissan Rogue has had a couple different ground clearance numbers. But to my knowledge in each of those years the AWD variant had a higher GC number than the 2WD. For instance the 2019 and 2020 AWD currently has 8.4 inches of GC putting it near the top of the list VS. the 7.8 of the 2WD variant.

[@marcioseia5232]

Europe have new outlander 2.4 phev 240hp, full led and a S-AWC (4X4) ,same system as lancer Evolution, 360° view cameras , etc...

[@arevee9429]

Other than 20-ish miles of all electric range, it's hard to see any compelling reason or use case to purchase the "OutlUnder" over the Rav4. The OutlAnder is obviously an older designed and probably adapted to electrification rather than designed for it from scratch. Take a look at Ford C-Max plug in. Nice car, but Ford sacrificed a huge amount of cargo space to house the battery pack high up and to the rear. Nice car (the C-Max), but compromised in PEV form. Pity Ford ditched it.

[@stevensales7502]

I hate Toyota Bias. I drive 8 miles a day so the Outlander makes way more sense

[@belowme4927]

OH LOOK! A 3 WHEELED SUV

[@kristianhermann5971]

Goodness, the Out-lender again. Alex, your prounounciation is epic 😆 I have to check your Highlander (I mean High-lender) review...all fun (I love your vids)

[@rightlanehog3151]

I believe that vowel shift is the correct linguistic term for the effect you are describing. Mozda.

[@cumulonimbus2533]

Mitsubishi Outlander 2019 with 2.4L Atkinson motor became a better choice by far in 2024 (in mechanics but also in general design imho)

[@aps3300]

If yiu drive mainly local, with the odd large trip, how can the rav be more economical of you charge regularly?

[@jowowetan]

The Outlander looks better but it's such a complex system so between these two - RAV4 Hybrid is the winner.

[@redwhite_040]

It's not complex, it quite the same as a Toyota Hybrid. It's bullitproof, we have lots of them in the Netherlands with high kilometers.

[@dretech]

redwhite_040 Outlander PHEV is not popular in the US because the highway MPG is not good. I'm sure it is perfect for shorter commutes that rely mostly on its electric power.

[@redwhite_040]

@@dretech Oh i can believe that, over here most people drive 0-35 km average for work and then it's ideal.

[@dretech]

redwhite_040 Is the Outlander PHEV equipped with 3rd row over there?

[@redwhite_040]

@@dretech It's an option when you buy a new one.

[@EpicEternal2]

If you commute 44 MPD then outlander fuel economy is 50 combined mpg compared with 40 in RAV4. Still a bargain.

[@InvestBetter.]

Toyota is now selling 36000 Rav4s a month, with about 25% of them being hybrids It will be the #4 best selling vehicle in America, behind the 3 pickup trucks It's sales this year have easily pulled away from Rogue, CRV, and any car on the market

[@azera55555]

would love to see charging speeds of the outlander phev at a chademo station if you can do that, not many videos on that at all, the only phev with fast charging, thanks

[@Pikminiman]

RAV4 has a spare tire, whereas the Outlander does not. That's pretty conclusive to me.

[@BulletSpoung]

I'm with TR, the resale value and 40mpg are good reasons to buy the Rav4. With the Outlander you will spend all your extra time sitting at the dealership waiting for parts.

[@aguadulce8]

You are missing in your review the fact that this car loses the acceleration when is going up hills for more than 10 miles since the cell battery gets depleted and at that point, the fan stop working and gets overheated. Did you try to go up hills in this car for more than 10 miles?

[@JURASSICEDITS09]

Mitsubishi has lost their mojo over the years.....

[@minivanman1356]

Can’t wait for escape phev and hybrid and the new crv hybrid all will be very interesting

[@henryhonda8408]

I'll take a serious look at the new CRV hybrid as for the Escape.... not a chance in hell. No Ford (found on road dead) in my future!

[@legambaz]

I DO NOT like any of these cars. But i still watch it cause Alex reviews them. And I'm glad I did. From 8:22, that answer that very question I always have : 'Is it worth going electric?'.

[@henryhonda8408]

Simple answer is..... YES. But only in a Hybrid or PHEV for me. Full electric isn't for me either.

[@jericlamb2676]

Dont by electric you got 200kms only then recharge wait 2hrs or more again, while hybrid awesome

[@daves1646]

Outlander: Can DO electric OR run as hybrid. RAV4 (never have to plug in??) - hybrid ONLY - CANNOT plug it in at all and CANNOT use electricity to AVOID use of gasoline.

[@jsponson]

David Silva Agreed. Talk about spinning it like a Toyota marketing person. You don’t have the ability to plug in the RAV4, not “you don’t have to”. It’d be more accurate to say that you can plug in the Outlander but you don’t have to. Plugging it in helps you not burn any gasoline for short trips.

[@afcgeo882]

The thing is... there are eBikes out there. That doesn’t make them good family transportation. If you need an EV, there are FAR better options out there for the money. If you need a hybrid, clearly better out there too. If you need a CUV.... I don’t even want to start. This car is last on that list. It’s a car that tries to be everything... and fails at it all. The sales back me up on it.

[@mattmortensen8492]

@@afcgeo882 American sales only. That's all related to advertisement. The Outlander PHEV has been the top selling PHEV in Europe for 5 years. If you don't like getting a lifetime average of over 100 MPG then don't buy the PHEV. Suit your self and get real world MPG's around 35 in the RAV4

[@Ian-mv4qq]

If the RAV can get 40 mpg all the time, it's definitely better on fuel efficiency, right? The phev will only save you 22 miles of gas. If your total daily commute is only 22 miles, I guess that works. But you'll need to charge it every 22 miles. So much hassle. My ideal of going hybrid is so that I don't have to recharge/refill every so often.

[@godsakes]

Depends on who you believe for real world MPG figures, but bear in mind once the outlander runs out of electricity it isn't suddenly just a gas car it still works like a hybrid in regenerating it's battery similar to the RAV4 (albeit a heavier car due to the larger battery/electric motor)

[@Ian-mv4qq]

@@godsakes so at any time phev can drive as a regular hybrid once the battery is depleted for its electric only range? In that case there is still an advantage over ICE car. But why not get a regular hybrid anyway? If the absolute advantage (running purely on electric) is only for the short 22 miles. It takes hours to fully charge phev battery but it only produces a very short range. It's more hassle than benefits. This is the part that I still don't understand why people buy phev.

[@godsakes]

@@Ian-mv4qq Depends on your use case whether you fall into the camp of whether phevs are the best of both worlds or the worst of both (there's no right or wrong answer, it's a personal thing). If you mostly do short commutes (i.e. trips within your home town) with the occasional long trip - you can argue phevs are the best of both worlds as most of your trips you're only paying your electric rate yet you're covered on the long range trips by petrol. If you mostly do long distance commutes, then diesel ICE cars make more sense and you wouldn't want the dead weight of the batteries/elec engine in a phev. There's a case to be made for the hybrid element in getting some extra efficiency out of your fuel consumption but whether this offsets the premium you tend to pay for a hybrid/phev over a regular ICE is another matter

[@Ian-mv4qq]

@@godsakes true, I need to map my daily drive. Thanks for your insights.

[@jeffchen8178]

I owned a 2018 PHEV w LED head light, and is about average 45MPG , as I charge full daily. to work place about 20 miles away, so far pretty happy about it. one way to office, no gas at all. :-)

[@Shadownian]

Still say... The winner is the Volvo XC40

[@JJFLD]

The RAV4 Hybrid doesn't have a B mode on the transmission shifter. It has a sequential mode (S) and there are six simulated gears.

[@AAutoBuyersGuide]

It’s essentially the same as the Prius B mode

[@jackp2563]

JJ163 I was wondering what the hell Alex was talking about :) Thanks for clarifying

[@JJFLD]

@@AAutoBuyersGuide Sure but the Prius only has one "gear". The RAV4 has six "gears" of regenerative braking, but I see what you're saying.

[@edwinalfredo310]

The toyota looks kind of similar two the Mitsubishi in the rear

[@26DR715]

i own a phev 2015 model and when fully charged i get 26 to 30 miles on ev only, i have get good mpg ranging from 64 to 98 mpg. So should not be comparing a phev to a hybrid totally different. i have driven a rav4 and do like it but still think prices what to come down a hell of lot before buying a new hybrid.

[@fredrikvonwerder]

the outlander has a fast charger...that could have been worth mentioning?

[@luisg277]

Thanks. Excelent info.

[@davidg426]

Too bad Mitsu has software issues reducing range. There are a couple guys on here who discovered it.

[@halkufahl5632]

Alex, I understood that the 2019 Outlander had a 2.4L engine, prior to 2019 it was a 2.0L. Is that correct?

[@woodykeiko]

Dear Hal, Asian and European markets got a 2.4L Atkinson ICE plus a 13.8 kWh drive battery upgrade for MY2019. American markets did not get this upgrade for either MY2019 or MY2020. Mitsubishi will wait for the all new MY2021 model to update the power train for America.

[@halkufahl5632]

@@woodykeiko Thanks, those two upgrades are a deal maker or breaker for me.

[@JJustinXu]

RAV4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@normt5463]

The Outlander PHEV is averaging over 44 mph on fuelly.com with many in the 70's. Seldom see a RAV4 hybrid over 40 mpg.

[@AAutoBuyersGuide]

You cannot go by those numbers because the 44 MPG score includes miles traveled on electricity. Mitsubishi offers no way to remove the kWh consumed in their calculation so the 44 MPG number is meaningless.

[@normt5463]

@@AAutoBuyersGuide those numbers on fuelly are real world numbers reported by owners. Some can budget their electric only driving better than others so it should beat a RAV4 Hybrid in daily driving.

[@mikespark72]

@@AAutoBuyersGuide thats silly, real world numbers by actual owners are meaningless?

[@AmperageY]

I know it’s not in the same vehicle class but it’s crazy how the Pacifica E-hybrid would destroy this pair of CUVs Aside from AWD. It’s bigger sits 7 gets 33 EV miles (84mpgE beating the outlanders EV range, and fuel efficiency) & while the 33mpg is shy of the 40 in the rav4 the 33 gas-free miles takes about 5 gallons of non EV driving to match the Pacifica meaning if u can charge nightly and drive less than ~180 miles daily the Pacifica becomes more economical. Considering that Toyota has been in hybrids for over 20 years, Mitsubishi has refined the outlander phev for ~7 years and Chrysler’s first in house PHEV managed to still outperform on a larger heavier (granted different class) vehicle is pretty amazing.

[@rightlanehog3151]

As a Canadian I would love to see the Ontario-built Pacifica succeed but FCA has a well deserved reputation for nightmarish QDR. Their proposed merger with PSA will only make the nightmare worse. Luckily I can buy a made in Canada RAV4 Hybrid instead. We will see who gets the assignment to build the plug-in RAV4. I know Kentucky will soon be building RAV4 Hybrids in some form as well.

[@Darrenhd2]

Agreed but the Pacifica, even only as 2WD, is much more expensive.

[@rightlanehog3151]

@@Darrenhd2 I expect a Hybrid Sienna is just around the corner. We have to wait for the hype campaign around the new Highlander to quiet down before an announcement.

[@agenttnega6173]

3:18 are you sure of these data? I found: Main battery in Rav4 is 6.5 Ah capacity The maximum voltage is 650V (6.5Ah x 650V = 4.225 kWh)

[@rightlanehog3151]

Alex, Did I miss the real world, on-the-road towing comparison? #AllWeAreSayingIsGiveItAHitch

[@GoldenLegionHoney]

7:31

[@rightlanehog3151]

@@GoldenLegionHoney That is theoretical towing . I want to see a real trailer being moved. ;)

[@GoldenLegionHoney]

@@rightlanehog3151 Ahhh I see

[@James-il3tq]

My 2019 RAV4 hybrid XSE has a hitch and I regularly tow a 2016 Prolite Mini trailer (1050lbs dry). The RAV4 tows it well and has acceptable passing power when towing. 2 downsides are engine becomes noisy on highway (revs fair bit bit higher) and fuel economy drops over 50% going 75mph. Without towing I get 34mpg @ 75mph, towing I get 16mpg. These numbers are over 3000 miles which is a large sampling size.

[@sendtobarry]

So - with a little research you would have dismissed the Outlander PHEV immediately as a car to even buy !! Why? Ongoing worldwide fault with the BMU and rapid reported degradation of the traction battery. This has been festering for years with Mitsubishi refusing to help. Owners are now doing home hacks and purchasing MUT III devices to try and restore their battery capacity. Mitsubishi have over the years re worded their warranty statements to avoid any hassles with degradation !!! So - compare all you like - but buying a Mitsubishi PHEV - good luck with that - you will need it.

[@johnny_w]

Yes, you are right about the battery problems, but that is not the only trouble. Don't forget that the 4x4 system of the Outlander PHEV is not reliable ! The electric motor of the rear axle can not deliver the torque needed for real offroad traction. Look for example at the youtubes : "Phev fail" and "phev on rollers". That is also a reason for NOT buying a Outlander PHEV.

[@sendtobarry]

@@johnny_w 100% agree. Also only 4WD in EV mode, otherwise front wheel drive.

[@mortsystems432]

Alex, Do you work for Toyota? Bottom line: We own a Outlander PHEV and we drive the same 13000 miles per year as the average American. We charge every night with 120 volt AC level one charger. life time MPG? 101! WE have been on one road trip consisting of 1100 miles during the two years we have owned the vehicle. This mixture of driving returns approximately 75% EV driving. My friend drives a new Rav 4, approximately the same mileage per year. His life time MPG 34.4! No comparison. Your assessment is dead wrong.

[@youknowwho6215]

Maybe him and kilmer is butt buddies

[@freddiecarr7602]

Choice # 1 in California---HOV lane access. Plus the PHEV fed, state and utility kickbacks. Another choice in SoCal---I park at level 2 chargers since they are usually close to the mall entrance at Christmas time.....

[@z-max9033]

Am I the only one who hates tf out of the new RAV4?

[@afcgeo882]

The problem with the Outlander (aside from its age) is that it’s just not good at being an EV, not a hybrid or a CUV. It doesn’t have the range of an EV and people who want an EV to commute can get a far better EV for the price. People who want a hybrid can get a far better hybrid for the price, as demonstrated by this video as well. With 45mpg vs 25mpg, I think that’s clear. The Outlander PHEV also fails as a CUV. It’s outdated, with rear seats that need to have their cushions folded forward before the rear comes down. It has a low towing capacity, poor ground clearance and approach/departure angles and terrible driving dynamics. Its AWD system is also very suspect. What’s worse is that apparently it has a major flaw - a faulty battery management unit that reduces the battery’s capacity quite a bit in a very short time. After a year, people are seeing the maximum charge drop below 80%. Not good at all.

[@woodykeiko]

If you read extensively the comments on reduced charge, you will see that it is not in fact degradation but rather the BMU artificially lowering the high charge point, probably to protect the battery and increase its longevity. Overall range is not impacted much if any.

[@afcgeo882]

Wood Yu Except I have read them and at least two specific cases where owners actually had their batteries tested and they came back degraded, and were replaced by the dealer via warranty, only for the replacement battery to degrade in the same way within a year of replacement. Stop being dismissive of the issue. Even Mitsubishi has admitted the problem and issued a re-program, which seems to not be working. www.change.org/p/outlander-phev-drivers-around-the-world-mitsubishi-outlander-phev-battery-degradation-acknowledgement-request-to-mitsubishi-japan The BMU lowering the SOH readings is an issue of replacement batteries or batteries on which Mitsubishi performed a reset. Mitsubishi is erroneously wiping all data in the BMU, including full battery capacity, and that causes the BMU to continuously reduce charging capacity to avoid overcharging. It doesn’t know its own capacity. Mitsubishi has also been caught with their pants down when it comes to their battery capacity. Turns out it is not 38 Ah, but rather at least 40 Ah. It might actually be more. We don’t know. However, for at least one person who did the research and backed Mitsu techs into a figurative corner, they reprogrammed the BMU after cell smoothing to a 40 Ah capacity and it charges perfectly (replacement battery). At the same time, dealerships across the world are still telling the owners that maximum charges below 80% are perfectly normal and are refusing warranty work.

[@woodykeiko]

@@afcgeo882 I have followed this thread and others like it extensively, even the link you provide is showing readings from Watchdog, not showing actual range affected nor the actual SOH. Only Mitsubishi dealers can read the true SOH. The users are complaining about the BMU reducing SOH, which is not the same as actual degradation. It's protecting the high charge point. I have seen very few users actually complaining about drastically reduced electric-only range.

[@afcgeo882]

Wood Yu Now you’re just being defensive for its own sake. Even if you were right, which you aren’t, the reduced SOH indication limits the battery charging capability below 80%, thereby limiting the drivable range just the same. Even if the battery was perfectly good in theory, what’s the difference if you still can only charge it to 76% in ideal conditions? That’ll drop to what... 45% in cold conditions? GTFO with your stupid argument!

[@mattmortensen8492]

After 18000 miles and a lifetime MPG of 101.4 I have not experienced these issues. I was stuck in an inferior 2014 RAV4 for 4 years waiting for the PHEV to become available in the US. My best bud has a new Hybrid RAV4. We have ridden and experienced both cars frequently. He and his wife wish they bought the PHEV. Real world driving experience shows significant flaws in Alex's assumptions. PS. the PHEV traction control is superior in deep snow. I have pulled both the new hybrid version of the RAV4 and the old standard RAV4 out of precarious stuck situations in the forest service roads of the Pacific North West.

[@toddb813]

The plug in RAV4 won’t be available until 2021 instead of 2020 as mentioned unless Toyota just made a new announcement

[@tomyan4634]

Todd Bohlke Model Year designation is 2021 but they will be available in the fall of 2020.

[@MattyClivingthedream]

I think Toyota is talking porky pies on the cargo space. Those two extra suitcases are not going to fit in that RAV.

[@thivakarsaravanamuthu4744]

Easy though

[@hollypark2752]

no one cares about mitsubishi anymore. the comparison we want to see is the new CRV Hybrid vs Rav4 Hybrid!

[@au1947]

oh, nice review

[@MrAntonioxi]

Outlander battery is under driver floor not rear..

[@bradyb9929]

Who on earth would choose the Outlander over the Rav4

[@dre857]

He pronounces Outlander like it's a last name.

[@LeoTheShortGuy]

When we bought our 2019 Rav, the dealer said they will not negotiate on the hybrids. 😳. I can’t figure out the BSM. Sometimes it comes on, sometimes not - I think it is me. Have to get it sorted.

[@joa8593]

Toyota BSM doesn't beep I believe to force you to look at your mirrors. It does beep in reverse though. Maybe that's what you're experiencing?

[@LeoTheShortGuy]

Joseph G Ty for your help. I know it doesn’t beep. Was doesn’t talking about in the mirror. My 2016 Highlander BSM works really good. The 2019 BSM must function differently. It is my wife’s RAV so I don’t get to drive it much. Lol. Just a quirky thing I have to figure out.

[@BullittKid08]

i would have ran far and fast from that dealer. sounds like they were trying to put you over the barrel. every hybrid ive looked at was negotiable here in MD

[@LeoTheShortGuy]

Track Days I walked out and told them they could keep it. I didn’t even want a hybrid. They called me a couple days later and offered me a good discount. I got a different sales guy. Lol. Good grief.

[@jericlamb2676]

Many americans dont like mitsu, but filipinos yes more mitsu on the road, im a filipino i dont like mitsu

[@MistSoalar]

it's interesting that he kept calling manufacturer name for Outlander but model name for Rav4.

[@AAutoBuyersGuide]

Bad habits die hard

[@joeyscleaninglady2877]

carpool lane access in CA for the PHEV not for the rav4

[@Photologistic]

Joeys Cleaning Lady - So stupid, the phev gets less mpg.

[@henryhonda8408]

Rav4 will have a PHEV model in the new year so hang on to your britches dear.

[@ghenkhoash2440]

Mitsubishi PHEV is a joke, it only gives you 25 MPG in hybrid mode! (Rav4 40MPG) Not to mention the inferior quality of Mitsi comparing to Toyota.

[@djcoronel]

"hollow-gen" headlamps. haha.

[@stephenfiore9960]

1x(9/25/22)….1….3:00..6:00…13:00…15:30…..

[@PhilippJanke]

So basicly the RAV4 is the better car overall and all the Mitsubishi has to offer is tax credit and car pool lane. xD

[@mattmortensen8492]

And a real world MPG of over 100 MPG

[@Highlander888]

Outlander PHEV Battery is under the floor not under the rear. What is under there is the rear electric motor.

[@RichardCasey1967]

The split screen makes me dizzy.

[@absrecovery]

Is this sponsored by Toyota I get 27 miles on a full charge He said the Toyota has a bigger boot but didn't even try to get the other 2 suitcases in

[@thivakarsaravanamuthu4744]

I mean trust

[@bikingmoments]

The CR-V hybrid is coming next year. Honda’s hybrid might be a better ‘EV’ like feeling just like accord vs Camry hybrid.

[@sergevivier2861]

Nice blue