Buying a 2018 car ... is the 2.4 worth the extra

[james44]

Had a 2014 company car for a year and loved it. Changed jobs, had something else, now looking to get one as a personal purchase.

Wife likes the 'S' safety bits, meaning we'd like a 4hs and acknowledge the higher road tax for 5 years.

Sub-5k miles, 18 plate 2.0L 4hs cars can be had for £29k.

Similarly sub-5k miles, 18 plate 2.4L 4hs cars can be had for £32k.

So the question is ... 'Is the new 2.4 version with all the tweaks worth the extra £3k?'

Reviews seem to be mixed. Features wise they are the same. Have driven a new one and it didn't feel much different to my old 2014 one (but then I last drove that at the end of 2015!).

Plan to keep it for may years, but I guess may depreciate a little easier as in a few years no doubt people will want the 2.4 version. But to all intents and purposes i think its a real £3,000 extra.

I will be grateful for any thoughts and perspectives, especially those that may have had the two.

Many thanks

 

[yardbird88]

Lots of improvements for 3k pounds:

Here are a few other improvements that Mitsubishi listed:
New 2.4-litre Atkinson Cycle petrol engine – more power and torque.
Increased EV motor, generator and battery capacity.13.8 kWh capacity vs 12kwh, Top EV speed 84mph / 135km/h
Overall greater efficiency as well as improved driving performance
Steering, chassis, brakes tuned for more driver appeal
Enhanced S-AWC system with new Sport and Snow modes
Exterior styling and interior cabin enhancements
Quietness, refinement and ride quality also improved

 

[twosout]

I guess few people can answer this because they need to have owned both and the 2.4l version has only been available a few months.
However, I thought the premium worth while and preferred it to an earlier model that enjoyed zero road tax. If cost is the driving factor, it may be cheaper to use public transport.
Mine is pleasant to drive but consumes more petrol than I was lead to believe. Not enough to make me trade it in, though.

 

[Kesto]

Yes the 2.4L 18-19 model is worth the extra 3k. I swapped in Dec from 2016 to 2019. model. Much superior car.

 

[CJ1045]

You might want to consider feeding your desired Mitsubishi into CarWow. We found a brand new 4H for just over £35k. We bought it.

Not only that but we drove our 64 plate (owned from new) down to the dealer to test drive the 2.4 car. We really only wanted to check that it was not worse than our existing car as the ability to offset 100% of the purchase price against our business income made it a slam dunk to buy - effectively the government gives you your effective tax rate off the price of the new car. Anyway, I digress, both my wife and I found the ride a lot better, both smoother and less body roll (amazing combo if you think about it). We also found the new engine much quieter (the demonstrator battery was flat but we did not care about that but meant the engine was fully in use). We also like the new Infotainment system. Android auto for us as the whole family has current gen Android phones and loads of data contracts, VOXI. Android auto also supports Tidal which is also used by the whole family for our music. We had the latest Clean Bandit album playing as soon as we plugged in our phone. Do like the new front lights too. Not tried them in the dark but the new cluster and the whole of the front end look so much better now. EV button was also welcome as wife, in particular, likes to drive with air-con which tends to fire up the engine in the old car. Also really like the all round camera - old car just had rear which was excellent but being able to see where the front bumper is is very welcome.

Saying all that the Tax benefit is so strong the purchase was driven by that, all else is a bonus. Only other car currently remotely possible is the Kia Optima PHEV estate but that does look a bit boring. The new Mercedes C300 diesel PHEV coming this summer would be a possibility but car needed to be bought this tax year and who knows what UK politics is going to do to European sourced car prices by the Summer. The Merc was always going to be marginal to get below 40K

CJ

 

[ps44]

I'm just about to swap from a 16MY 4H to a new model 4H dealer demo car with 4K miles on it. I drove them side by side and agree with the various comments above. I found it better in every department - except for the lack of sun roof ! I'll get used to that.

 

[james44]

Many thanks for the helpful comments.

It looks like a clear 'yes' that the new one is a noticeably better car and worth a few thousand more.

... back to the shopping!

 

[gobiman]

Just to add a slightly contrary view. I have a 2014 and did a side-by-side test drive. It is certainly improved but they are all marginal incremental improvements. The decision for me was whether to change - I get the 100% write-off but it is still over £30k out of my business - or buy it out privately at the lowest justifiable price. I did the latter on the basis that it is still basically a 2013 car and those limited incremental improvements (particularly range) didn't justify the outlay. For me it is a very functional working machine and an economic decision - I am fortunate in having two other cars both considerably more powerful.
As to your question (which is slightly different!), I would say £3k is about the right premium for the new model on a like for like basis but I wouldn't pay any more.
I will wait for a new model - double the range, new bodyshell, new tech - I 'd buy it tomorrow.
At the margin, I thought the new wheels were horrid!

 

[ChrisMiller]

I did a similar calculation, gobiman, and reached the same conclusion (albeit mine was leased by the business rather than purchased).

 

[cornclose]

Just to add a slightly contrary view. I have a 2014 and did a side-by-side test drive. It is certainly improved but they are all marginal incremental improvements.

On the other hand, from myself who has never driven a pre-2019 model, and was greeted by 'shock / horror' comments when colleagues found out I had decided on the Outlander PHEV as opposed to a BMW 530e (or something similarly Germanic with a ludicrous EV range..), all I can say is that most if not all of the whines/moans/groans/criticisms I have read and heard about with the Outlander do not appear to be there on my 2019 model.

Surely you'd be better off leasing one for 3/4 years than tying up £30k+ ?

 

[james44]

Surely you'd be better off leasing one for 3/4 years than tying up £30k+ ?

I have never been able to make these PCP, or lease deals work if you have the capital spare. Hence I usually go for 1 year old cars that are usually 20-30% off list using my own capital.

Of course it depends what you can else you do with the capital. If you need a new kitchen then that's one thing, but if that capital will sit in an investment somewhere it'll need to have a pretty good return to beat the PCP costs (which look to be about 6-8% APR)

 

[CJ1045]

I would agree that with respect the the finances it very much depends on your own financial position.

For us putting net 25k cash (after P/X) out of our business into the car was an easy decision as it reduced our tax liability for this year nicely. Due to the 100% offset the goverment effectively gives you whatever you average tax rate is off the net P/X price of the car (assuming you are trading in a PHEV that you previously 100% offset) if it is your own business. It can be even better if the cost pulls you out of the higher rate tax band.

CJ