On a trip to Finland and an ice track rally legend Juha Kankkunen has, I got to know more about the new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

In 2017, I drove the updated version of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. It was then the first four-wheel-drive SUV that you could have a towbar on that was a plug-in hybrid. You could also drive the updated version entirely on electricity with a simple push of a button and could drive 54 kilometers entirely on electricity at the longest. The Outlander PHEV was also the world's first plug-in electric hybrid in SUV format that arrived and that was already in 2013. 

The test drive of the new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV was staged in Finland and actually a few miles from the Russian border in a place called Kuusamo. Of course, it felt moderately funny to be so close to the Russian border during the current times. Rally legend Juha Kankkunen is in Kuusamo and has his ice driving event. I have met many racing legends over my years and now I could add one person to that list. What Juha Kankkunen has not won is not worth participating in. He has won everything! The Dakar Rally, Pikes Peak and all other rallies worth mentioning. He was really completely dominant during the time he was driving the most. So it felt incredibly cool to sit down for a while and talk to him and hear some of his stories. 

The ice driving that was offered was of course with the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. The Juha Kankkunen driving event has Audi cars, but of course they were selected. Unfortunately, there was one thing that was quite significant that the Mitsubishi cars did not have and that was studded tires. Something that is needed if you are to be able to drive on ice like this and have fun doing it. Instead, we got to test and feel how the systems in the car work actively with a system called S-AWD. A system that should make driving more fun but at the same time be safe enough to handle difficult situations and make driving as safe as possible. S-AWD was already developed at the end of the 1990s and then in collaboration with the technicians who worked and refined the technology with the legendary Lancer Evolution that participated in the World Rally Championship.

The experience on the ice was unfortunately not that challenging and sporty, but of course both useful and interesting. If you are relatively used to driving on ice, which I can see myself being, I instead get annoyed that the car is constantly trying to oppose me and save me when things start to go wrong. So on that point, the absolutely new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and the new S-AWD system perform exemplary. The car takes care of what you as a driver behind the wheel cannot handle, and it will surely save a number of lives. When it comes to four-wheel drive in particular, Mitsubishi has extensive experience in this area. In 2024, Mitsubishi is actually celebrating 90 years with four-wheel drive. It was already in 1934 that the PX-33 was produced, which was the first Japanese-built sedan with permanent four-wheel drive.

If we then go into comfort and appearance, the new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV really feels updated. Much has happened to the exterior, but you still recognize the shapes from older versions of the Mitsubishi Outlander. The interior feels well integrated and in order. You quickly find a comfortable driving position. The choice of materials is also of premium quality with leather and even carbon fiber patterned details on the doors. It's hardly real carbon fiber but it looks nice and sporty. 

The versions we drove are not the ones that will be available here in Europe. They have not been presented yet, but will be presented in the second half of 2024. So the versions we got to test drive are the ones intended for the American market. So let m kg come back with a more in-depth article when the new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV intended for the Swedish and European market is released.

We journalists who were there also had the opportunity to ride with a real rally driver in a rally-modified Mitsubishi EVO X. Here, proper studded tires and a cage were fitted to the car for maximum safety. Here you can read my test of the EVO X when it arrived. 

The experience I had of the new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV but then intended for the American market and the meeting with the legendary Juha Kankkunen was very positive. I feel that this is an update that is completely in line with what should be done to make the brand stay in its place in the car market that is currently flooded with new Chinese car brands. 

Engine type: 4B12 (PHEV) 2.4 L 4- cyl petrol
Engine: Total 250 hp, 144 Nm
Transmission:
Acceleration   pp
Top speed: 170 km/h
Fuel consumption mixed driving according to the manufacturer (mixed driving: 3.6 l /100 km according to Canadian measurement)
Service weight 2750 kg
Total weight 2,090 – 2,145 kg
Measure: (length: 4710 mm/width 2144 mm/height 1740 mm)