Kuga to Outlander..views please!

[iand01]

Hi there..

I'd really welcome your views. I currently own a diesel Ford Kuga 4x4 titianium. I've had several Kuga's now and have found them to be reliable, but not exactly cutting edge when it comes to technological innovations/new features etc. My daily driving tends to be a few miles down the road to work and back, and taking the dogs out somewhere locally. I like the 4x4 element as living in Edinburgh, you can never be too sure what to expect weather-wise. Also my in-laws live another few hours further north in a very remote part of Scotland, with dodgy roads and even more unpredictable weather.
I'm drawn to the PHEV for a few reasons, firstly most of my daily driving could be done on electric (assuming the 28 miles per charge is accurate) and also the positive impact on the environment, rather than using my diesel engine. And the fact that it has 4x4 functionality for driving further afield. The bit that I'm battling with is that I get a family discount on a Ford, thanks to my brother-in-law. My monthly payments, on the options scheme are about £280 a month. To buy a new PHEV, they would be considerably more probably. Hence I'm thinking of buying an ex-demo car, when I pay my final Kuga payments at the end of the year. I'm thinking it at least means I can see how I get on with a PHEV, and if it's not me, go back to Ford. Having said all of this I'd be interested in your thoughts..I'm currently getting around 39MPG with the Kuga.
Thanks a lot. Ian

 

[TweeNeuzen]

Hi,
I would say, It all depends on what you want to achieve.

If it’s financial, I could not advise you on UK grants and road taxes.
But the running costs are something different,

These are on long trips on Petrol traveling at the Scottish backroads (which I know too well) about 1 Ltd per 20 km once your out of EV. Also it depends on the distance to travel after running out of EV.

The other cost aspect on your daily commute is about charging costs.
I myself charge at home from our Solar for 95%, so can’t advise you, but an average of 4,5 km per KWH is relealistic for non Highway traffic.

Main reason for us in choosing the Mitsubishi, we wanted alectric, but all the BEV did not have enough boot space for our 2 hunting dogs.

I was lucky to purchase a 5 yr old Instyle with just 30.000 km (as government grants and leases expired here in NL)

Best wishes from a Dutch dog owner

 

[ThudnBlundr]

Most of our journeys are local, so the cost is tiny as the ICE rarely starts. Be aware that the "base" model Gx3h doesn't have an electric heater, so it will fire up the ICE in cold weather solely to heat the car. We already had another EV, so we didn't use the OLEV grant to get another charge point fitted, though it's certainly something I'd recommend while the grant is still available.

On longer trips, we get around 40mpg - that's with the cruise set at an indicated 70mph. We recvently had a holiday in the Yorkshire Dales where I wasn't able to charge for several days, and the MPG was worse on narrow roads where the car uses Series Mode most of the time. Don't forget that petrol is noticeably cheaper than diesel, so the cost per mile will drop even with the same mpg.

We went for the PHEV as much for it's environmental credentials as for its economy, but we were lucky enough to be able to afford the higher purchase price to be able to take advantage of the lower running costs

 

[rgilyead]

It does sound like the PHEV would suit your driving needs very well. I am on my second one - traded up for an ex-demo MY19 4h at the end of last year. I bought mine because we have a pollution problem in our small town and I didn't want to add to it. Reliability is hard to judge - I suffered from a manufacturing fault on my first one with a dodgy oil seal on one of the electric motors - but the dealer told me that they had very few faults reported so I guess I was unlucky. Also a squirrel ate one of the rubber parts in the steering assembly but I can't blame the car for that! You might find some of the owner reviews here https://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/mitsubishi/outlander/phev-suv/owner-reviews useful. Good luck with your decision.

 

[jaapv]

Some of these reviews are hilarious! One owner complaining of the whining noise from the CVT gearbox. It must have been the Prius behind him :lol:

(Disclosure for those not in the know - the PHEV has no variable gearbox)

As for mine 2013-2014 model 120.000 km. One motor rubber replaced @ 100.000 km, exhaust broke @ 110.000 km -so rare that there was only one spare one in the country, one software fault - car could still be driven- in the FCM @ 15.000 km.

 

[user 3575]

At present I have a 2017 Ford Kuga 2.0 Diesel 150 Powershift next year we are due to change and would really love a new Mitsubishi PHEV 2.4.


about 80% of my journeys are less than 25 miles, 10% approximately 60 -70 miles, the other 10% towing our caravan, our energy provider Octupus Energy off peak electric tariff 5 pence (£0.05) per kWh at the caravan club site are electric is covered under our site fees, however on the Caravan forums they are very bias against the Mitsubshi PHEV.


The alternative is the new Toyota Rav4 Hybrid.

 

[gobiman]

My tuppence -
1. Assume you can charge at home. Makes a big difference on running costs and you can pre-heat for those Scottish mornings.
2. It's a bit bigger than a Kuga but quite narrow which is good for City driving.
3. 4x4 is good but splash out on Michelin Crossclimates as soon as you can for real mobility and safety.
4. On new cash prices, you can get £8k off a list price £39.5k 4h so make sure you shop around.

 

[jaapv]

At present I have a 2017 Ford Kuga 2.0 Diesel 150 Powershift next year we are due to change and would really love a new Mitsubishi PHEV 2.4.


about 80% of my journeys are less than 25 miles, 10% approximately 60 -70 miles, the other 10% towing our caravan, our energy provider Octupus Energy off peak electric tariff 5 pence (£0.05) per kWh at the caravan club site are electric is covered under our site fees, however on the Caravan forums they are very bias against the Mitsubshi PHEV.


The alternative is the new Toyota Rav4 Hybrid.

There are few complaints by caravan towers about the PHEV in the PHEV forums, the main one being that it can be a bit noisy as it will run the engine more than it normally does to provide sufficient electricity.

 

[karl]

The MY19 is much improved, it's just growling rather than screaming.

I don't have any experience in the alps though, but a big trailer up a rather steep hill on 0 bars is like in any other car.

 

[user 3575]

I am only looking at towing 200 - 220 miles in the UK from the midlands to the new forest, not a particularly hill journey, it just I have no experience of PHEV

 

[jaapv]

You'll have no problem, Anko was dragging his 1500 kg caravan all through Europe.

 

[iand01]

Thanks guys. I appreciate your comments - please keep them coming. What I'm trying to get my head around is ..does a PHEV suit my needs better than a self-charging car like the RAV4. I imagine you need to do a good number of miles to keep the self-charging batteries topped up adequately?? Ian

 

[jdsx]

I went from a Ford S-max to the PHEV. My early model doesn't have the heated screen, which I miss - newer PHEVs do, however (can't remember off-hand which level they start at, I think you need a 4h to get this).
It's quite narrow in the back - I have three kids and when they're all in the back, they complain it's too narrow... (kids now 20, 18 & 13!).
The MMCS (sat nav etc.) is pretty awful on mine. I'm not sure if the newer ones are better, but I assume Android Auto/Apple Car Play is an improvement.
Having said all that, I love the PHEV and wouldn't go back to an ICE, certainly not a diesel!
In terms of 'self-charging cars', there is of course no such thing, really. A RAV4 will harvest a little bit of energy from braking - turning a 35mpg car into a 45mpg, say (that's being generous). (We have an Auris as well - there is no comparison.) A proper plug-in hybrid needs no fuel at all if you have a short-ish commute.....
If you really only do a few miles to work and back, (28 miles is optimistic, think 25 in summer, 20 in winter), then the PHEV is ideal. The ability to pre-heat is fantastic. But it's not a 'driver's car' - if you like to drive fast on narrow windy roads, the PHEV is probably not for you! The fuel tank is also quite small....
I'm in Edinburgh from time to time - my daughter's at uni there (although she's home for the summer already, so may not be there till September now!). Happy to meet up for a brief demo if you're interested. Send me a PM....

 

[jaapv]

Thanks guys. I appreciate your comments - please keep them coming. What I'm trying to get my head around is ..does a PHEV suit my needs better than a self-charging car like the RAV4. I imagine you need to do a good number of miles to keep the self-charging batteries topped up adequately?? Ian

It may be just me - But I find "self-charging" a bit of nonsense. You burn petrol into electricity - with all the efficiency loss and drawbacks of the process- and then turn it into motive power - the second round of loss. Also, the PHEV can - and will when the battery is low- turn into a self-charging car. With the additional option of charging it up with electricity that can be generated as efficiently as you like. Solar, wind, whatever.
"Self-Charging" is just a fancy marketing word for a DBS hybrid with a slightly bigger battery.

 

[yardbird88]

This is our first plug-in (2018 PHEV) and will never go back to regular ICE or hybrid. For the 12KW, it costs $1.20 to charge overnight at home that run for 22 miles which is almost a gallon of fuel. Do the math, at over $4/gallon, we can save $2.80 per day which is about $1000 per year so it is worth even you need to replace the battery in 10 years from the saving of $10,000. This does not include the other benefits of less brake wear, etc.

 

[ChrisMiller]

It may be just me - But I find "self-charging" a bit of nonsense. You burn petrol into electricity - with all the efficiency loss and drawbacks of the process- and then turn it into motive power - the second round of loss. Also, the PHEV can - and will when the battery is low- turn into a self-charging car. With the additional option of charging it up with electricity that can be generated as efficiently as you like. Solar, wind, whatever.
"Self-Charging" is just a fancy marketing word for a DBS hybrid with a slightly bigger battery.

It's certainly not just you, jaapv. "Self-charging hybrid" is just a bit of fluff dreamt up by Toyota's marketing department. There are very few non-plug-in hybrids that deliver significantly better fuel economy than an equivalent conventional ICE vehicle. And when you factor in the extra costs (financial and environmental) of the battery ...