Full tanks range test!

[mellwaters100]

Coming up to my 2nd anniversary of owning the PHEV and, for the first time ever, recently set out on a trip with a completely full tank of fuel and fully recharged battery. I do this trip quite frequently (central France to northern England) but often find myself having to stop every couple hours. However, this time, I just kept going and so was able to capture the entire trip in the watchdog app as a single block (I know you can 'resume trip' but found these screenshots fascinating!).

The main stats from the trip were: 699km (434 miles) covered in 10 hours, 3 mins and 53 seconds at an average of 49.7mpg (5.7 l/100km) and 43mph. The first fuel warning sounded just as I arrived at the hotel for the night in Calais.

Okay - should never drive 10hrs straight without a break and the average speed is slower than "most" road trips, however, a bit of context. These stats were from central France to Calais avoiding the motorway tolls. For those interested, the route was broadly: Guéret - Chateauroux - Blois - Chartres - Dreux - Evreux - Rouen - Calais. On motorways, maxed at 90km/h and then it's mainly 80km/h on single carriageways in France.

The thing that surprised me the most was the 61Ah regen. On average, I find the car does about 1 mile per Ah meaning I got 61 miles free driving, just through regen! Or, put another way, 14% of the journey.

Taking the autoroutes from central France to Calais, through Paris in April, I covered the 702km in 8 hours at 6.5 l/100km using 5.5 litres more fuel than the 'country roads' trip. But, the main difference here is that the tolls for this trip are around €40 and, with the cost of fuel in France, going the motorways whilst saving 2 hours actually costs €50 more.

Appreciate that the above is not usual driving experience for most but goes to show what the PHEV does on a long road trip. Also got me thinking that, on a pure cruise controlled motorway journey, you really don't get much regen and, on the congested motorways of the UK, that A road might actually be a better option!

If nothing else I, for one, am pretty pleased with the 434 miles from a single tank of fuel and battery charge!

 

[jaapv]

Well done. Actually, in 2014, Mitsubishi had the car driven form Basel to Amsterdam (890 km) on a single tank and charge. Admittedly, by an economy run champion.

 

[elm70]

Coming up to my 2nd anniversary of owning the PHEV and, for the first time ever, recently set out on a trip with a completely full tank of fuel and fully recharged battery. I do this trip quite frequently (central France to northern England) but often find myself having to stop every couple hours. However, this time, I just kept going and so was able to capture the entire trip in the watchdog app as a single block (I know you can 'resume trip' but found these screenshots fascinating!).

The main stats from the trip were: 699km (434 miles) covered in 10 hours, 3 mins and 53 seconds at an average of 49.7mpg (5.7 l/100km) and 43mph. The first fuel warning sounded just as I arrived at the hotel for the night in Calais.

Okay - should never drive 10hrs straight without a break and the average speed is slower than "most" road trips, however, a bit of context. These stats were from central France to Calais avoiding the motorway tolls. For those interested, the route was broadly: Guéret - Chateauroux - Blois - Chartres - Dreux - Evreux - Rouen - Calais. On motorways, maxed at 90km/h and then it's mainly 80km/h on single carriageways in France.

The thing that surprised me the most was the 61Ah regen. On average, I find the car does about 1 mile per Ah meaning I got 61 miles free driving, just through regen! Or, put another way, 14% of the journey.

Taking the autoroutes from central France to Calais, through Paris in April, I covered the 702km in 8 hours at 6.5 l/100km using 5.5 litres more fuel than the 'country roads' trip. But, the main difference here is that the tolls for this trip are around €40 and, with the cost of fuel in France, going the motorways whilst saving 2 hours actually costs €50 more.

Appreciate that the above is not usual driving experience for most but goes to show what the PHEV does on a long road trip. Also got me thinking that, on a pure cruise controlled motorway journey, you really don't get much regen and, on the congested motorways of the UK, that A road might actually be a better option!

If nothing else I, for one, am pretty pleased with the 434 miles from a single tank of fuel and battery charge!

I thought I was crazy to drive 1360km in one shot ... but 10h drive without a break ... is maybe even more :?

My last long trip ... in 11h I did cover 1360km ... consumed 10.4L/100km ... average speed around 130km/h .. top speed around 250km/h .. I had to make 2 fuel stop (5/10 min each) for complete the trip

How much is worth 1h for you ? ... How much time you can save driving faster ... especially for long trip .. the Outlander PHEV it is not the right car in my book ... it is fuel efficient only driving slow ... at above 130km/h it does consume more then my old BMW 335i

PS: I'm driving always inside the speed limit ... which in case of German Autobahn ... it might be not present .. still traffic and bad drivers, often, prevent to drive fast and safe in Germany :| ... it is more easy to drive fast in Poland then in Germany, even if 140km/h limit in Poland, vs none in Germany ... mainly because polish people drive more smart then german people ... as well ... in Poland often there is less traffic ... worst is to cross Switzerland ... with 120km/h ... and un-nice drivers like in germany

PS: It would be nice to see, from the DOG trip card: min voltage, and max delta voltage ... and as well ... max battery temperature

 

[Tai626]

In my opinion, these illustrate the beauty of the flexibility of our Phev in regards of gas consumption (miles/gallon, L/100km).
In the city commute: (0), only electricity;
In the more “conservative” driving: ~(50) miles/gallon ~ (5)L/100km;
In the more “aggressive” driving: ~(25) miles/gallon ~ (10)L/100km.

Is there any 4x4 SUV in the world cost less than Outlander PHEV and more flexible in gas consumption?

Please note that I didn’t put $ (or Euro) because the electricity cost and battery SOH (State of Health) are NOT in the equation (should them be considered maintenance cost?)
As examples above:

In the city commute: ~ (1) cycle per day, electrical bill and normal Batt SOH;
In the more “conservative” driving: ~ (5) cycles per day, a little electrical bill + lots of Batt SOH;
In the more “aggressive” driving: ~ (2) cycles per day, little electrical bill and normal batt SOH.

Tai

PS. In the city, I find myself changing the driving behavior according to batt SoC, just trying to NOT deplete the battery. But if I know I will get to a charge point within the pure electric range, The 60kW sprint is fun

 

[mellwaters100]

Is there any 4x4 SUV in the world cost less than Outlander PHEV and more flexible in gas consumption?

I know, as owners, we are a little biased! However, I have to agree. In 2010 I bought a 3L Mitsubishi Shogun (1997 model) for £500 on eBay. Living down a 1 mile farm track in the north of England, had many occasion to rely on its 4x4 capabilities. At 23mpg it was a thirsty beast.

Around 2007, bought a 2002 Jaguar S Type (£17k). Very nice car to drive but, again, 32mpg on a good day and damned expensive to service (had several issues with it over the years as well).

For me, the Outlander combines the long drive comfort of the jag with the off road capability of the Shogun but with an average 50mpg! And, will pull my 1,300kg caravan with relative ease!

Now owned it 2 years driven 60,000 miles and the only issue I have had is the rear cover of the drivers roof rail worked loose causing a vibration above 50mph. A spot of glue and all is well.

So, yes, totally agree with you Tai626!

 

[mellwaters100]

It would be nice to see, from the DOG trip card: min voltage, and max delta voltage ... and as well ... max battery temperature

There is always that argument about driving faster / costing more compared with setting out an hour (or so) earlier and saving fuel. I have done a couple of unscientific comparisons along a 40 mile stretch of motorway I use regularly, between setting cruise at 60mph and 70mph. It worked out that driving faster saved about 7 minutes on that section of the journey (avg speed @ 60mph cruise was 52mph; @70mph was 56mph because of traffic) and, if I recall correctly, used about 1 litre more fuel.

I agree that, at high speed, the Outlander requires a decent bit of concentration (topped 130 km/h on the French motorways a couple of times). And, with a UK plate in France, the French drivers don't like you being in front of them!!

Still - awesome car and its great to hear other peoples experience from around the world.

 

[jaapv]

Well 130 is not that fast... I usually drive about 150 on the Autobahn and the PHEV copes splendidly. I used to drive the Autobahn @ 200 before, so it is quite sedate by my standards...

 

[elm70]

Still - awesome car and its great to hear other peoples experience from around the world.

Thanks for the trip card

Yes your PHEV has a relative "consumed" battery .. SOH ~31.6Ah , Min Voltage down to 3.58v (which for summer time is quite bad), and max delta 0.43v (again quite high) .. max temp 35c .. which is good since it implies the battery cooling system is still perfectly working.

Yes ... making so good fuel efficiency with a relative consumed battery is a good indication of the quality of our PHEV and your driving still quality on driving in efficient way

:mrgreen:

 

[elm70]

...

Is there any 4x4 SUV in the world cost less than Outlander PHEV and more flexible in gas consumption?

...

Speaking of total cost of ownership and SUV ... I believe a Dacia Duster diesel might be more cost efficient then an Outlander PHEV ... the PHEV lose in depreciation more then whatever gain in fuel economy could be achieved.
But ... owning a car .. it is not only about being "cheap" .. but as well .. be pleased while driving.

About fuel efficiency ... what about Kia Niro PHEV ? Is it a possible competitor of the Outlander ?

Anyhow ... fuel economy ... and SUV .. I think are two things that don't go very well together ... I think SUV is a strange fashion trend ... in my case ... I only need AWD / 4x4 ...

Personally since I had always good experience with BMW, and I do like the driving experience from this brand ...

After the Outlander ... I think I will consider the BMW 330e .. or maybe even the Mini PHEV ... the 330e is more fun to drive, more fuel efficient on motorway ... but does not have AWD which I like to have as extra safety in winter ... but .. maybe it is not a mandatory to have ... thanks to global warming ... snow and ice is way less then years ago.

Anyhow ... for make economy sense on mu PHEV ... I need to keep it for other ~5 years ... then I will look around. I bet .. I will go for another PHEV, but not necessary from Mitsubishi.

So far .. the biggest plus on the Outlander .. is total absence of any problem in 3 years of ownership, for a car that has now over 140.000 km ... and the relative cheap price from the local Mitsubishi service

So ... I can't complain ...

 

[elm70]

Well 130 is not that fast... I usually drive about 150 on the Autobahn and the PHEV copes splendidly. I used to drive the Autobahn @ 200 before, so it is quite sedate by my standards...

Yes the PHEV is very stable till the full speed of 170km/h .. but going full speed without any reserve is not "comfortable"

Yes ... 150km/h sounds the good speed for drive in "comfort" in Germany

Only issue is that the PHEV over 120km/h consume a lot .. at 150km/h even more for my taste.

Normally in the PHEV I sit around 125km/h on motorway ... even less for short trip which I want to make in full EV .. even down to 85km/h

 

[Andrev]

My 2018 uses to take up to 8.8 to 9 liters per 100 km on long trip after spending the electrical charge. After 24,000 km inspection, I was glad to notice that my fuel consumption was reduced by one plus liter per 100 km on long trip. I presume that in order to protect the engine when new, Mitsubishi adjusted the injectors on the rich side, but went on the lean side at the third inspection. Is anybody noticed this change?

 

[STS134]

I stopped in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, just off of I-405, where I topped off the tank to the brim. I got about 3.5-4 additional gallons into the tank (after the pump automatically clicked off), and drove for approximately 120 miles before the PHEV Watchdog showed the fuel level tick down from 99% to 98%. So total "bonus" mileage from topping off was probably around 85-90 miles, since if I do not top off, I typically go around 30-35 miles before seeing the fuel level drop from 99% to 98%.

Fuel warning light came on when I was on CA-152, between I-5 and US-101, with 280 miles on the trip meter since I last refueled, and when I stopped in Gilroy for fuel, I had around 37 miles left on the range meter, 4 of which were from the battery. Eco Information screen was showing 22.9 mpg (although this included some driving on battery power and driving in slow LA traffic which means that for the I-5 section of my trip through the San Joaquin Valley, I was probably getting 20-22 mpg) and had I not topped off and started with an empty battery, I estimate that the fuel warning would have come on after approximately 180 miles (subtract approximately 85-90 miles for not topping off and 10 miles for not being able to use battery power). Absolute range, if the range meter is to be believed, should be around 210-220 miles with a full (but not topped off) tank and an empty battery (I'll run tests later with a gas can in the car to see if it can really go as many miles as it thinks it can, even after the range meter goes blank when range goes below around 25 miles). So yeah, the gasoline range on this car just plain sucks.

 

[jaapv]

In 2014, just to counter such posts, Mitsubishi drove a PHEV with sealed petrol and battery flaps from Basel to Amsterdam at normal traffic speeds without refuelling or recharging. 740 km. It all depends on your driving style.
From your description you had 2-3 gallons left in the tank. I've driven the car 0ver 50 km with zero on the total guessometer - there were still a couple of liters left.
The car did go into "no fuel" mode.
When you get your first "refuel" warning you have at least 100 km left, the second one still leaves approx. 50 km, and even in the end, when fuel is nearly gone and the car is shouting warnings at you and after manipulating the power/ICE/battery for maximum range, there will be an additional 5-10 km left, as the car will deplete the battery to the emergency low SOC value which is about 15%. Only then will it shut down completely.

Get a jerrycan.

 

[mellwaters100]

as the car will deplete the battery to the emergency low SOC value which is about 15%. Only then will it shut down completely

Had this happen to me once, heading into work. Pulled away at a roundabout and loss of power, me thinking, hmm, a bit sluggish, what is happen? Hugely lucky as I was 1.5 miles from a rapid charger, but in rush hour traffic. Headed straight for the charger, foot flat to floor was getting about 10 mph, struggling over the traffic calming 'sleeping policemen' in the road. Got to the charger but needed to reverse in up the slightest of inclines - not enough power even for that and the charger cable wouldn't reach! I had to push the car back the last 6 feet to the fast charger!!

Now, that's what I call cutting it fine!! If I recall, had about 6aH in the battery but zero drivability at that point,

 

[STS134]

In 2014, just to counter such posts, Mitsubishi drove a PHEV with sealed petrol and battery flaps from Basel to Amsterdam at normal traffic speeds without refuelling or recharging. 740 km. It all depends on your driving style.
From your description you had 2-3 gallons left in the tank. I've driven the car 0ver 50 km with zero on the total guessometer - there were still a couple of liters left.
The car did go into "no fuel" mode.
When you get your first "refuel" warning you have at least 100 km left, the second one still leaves approx. 50 km, and even in the end, when fuel is nearly gone and the car is shouting warnings at you and after manipulating the power/ICE/battery for maximum range, there will be an additional 5-10 km left, as the car will deplete the battery to the emergency low SOC value which is about 15%. Only then will it shut down completely.

Get a jerrycan.

Interesting. I always assumed that at around 28 ICE miles on the range meter, it was getting critically low, because that's the point at which the display starts indicating "Total Cruising Range: -- mile", and the computer will automatically kill Charge or Save mode if it's enabled and won't let you re-enter those modes, and will start driving on battery alone unless you demand > 60 kW or go over 78 mph. I did notice one time that when I got down to this point with an "empty" battery (0-1 bar on the gauge), it did continue to burn gas and wasn't dipping into the emergency battery reserves, but I never pushed it to figure out exactly how far it would go.