"BaconSandwich is tasty." (baconsandwich)
04/30/2014 at 11:07 • Filed to: None
1
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"BaconSandwich is tasty." (baconsandwich)
04/30/2014 at 11:07 • Filed to: None | 1
| 9 |
I feel like a bit of a hypocrite. I'm usually the first one to point out the uselessness of most SUVs. They are big, ugly, hard to see out of, expensive, and guzzle gas. That is, until, I came across this:
(Image taken from here: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )
It's still big and ugly, and potentially hard to see out of, but like a true Scotsman, it's under the kilt that counts. In this case, a plug-in hybrid drivetrain that is able deliver some pretty serious fuel economy numbers.
For some reason, I've got it stuck in my brain that I'd like a plug-in hybrid. The majority of the driving that both my wife and I do is in town, totaling less than 50 km a day. We also do some highway driving - a 150 km round trip twice a month, and a few trips to my parent's place each year - 500 km one way. That rules out any sort of electric only car - even a Tesla. I suppose a Tesla would do everything but the long hauls, in which case we could take the other gas powered car. That being said, the Tesla Model S is out of our price range.
The Outlander PHEV (Plug-in hybrid vechile) is a vehicle I hadn't even considered until last night. I was previously very much interested in the Ford C-Max Energi, which offers a decent electric only range. The problem with the C-Max is trunk space. The larger battery pack of the plug-in hybrid really intrudes into the trunk - leaving only enough room for a few bags of groceries. There's no chance a jogging stroller would ever fit in there unless you stuffed it in the back seat - in which case you'd only be able to fit a single car seat in there. Either way, it's got less trunk space than a Ford Focus. If we were getting something new, my wife would like something with more trunk space. At one point she had also expressed interest in an SUV (gasp!). The trunk space issue has ruled out the C-Max. The Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid and Honda Accord plug-in hybrid have such abysmal electric only ranges, to the point of being almost pointless. That rules them out. The Ford Fusion Energi is another option, but again, it seems like a larger sedan, and again, a bit of trunk room is taken up by the enlarged battery pack. The Chevy Volt seems not too bad either, but supposedly rear visibility isn't great. Not that I'd toss that one off the list without trying it out, though.
Either way, that doesn't leave a lot of options.
Last night I stumbled across the Outlander PHEV. An SUV.
Again, I'll state that I'm usually the first one to say that SUVs are a stupid idea. This guy seems quite a bit different. It offers an electric only range of 32 miles (with a top speed on electricity of 110 km/h) , and a gas engine that can get you much further than that - 800 km. This would work for us - enough electric range to scoot around town, a gas range that would be fine for our longest trips, and a lot of hauling capacity. Heck, it can even haul 1500 kg of stuff on a trailer. Not too shabby!
It also has a pretty nifty trick up it's sleeve - something that other PHEVs don't have: it can use the gas engine to charge the batteries. As far as I know, no other PHEV offers this. Maybe it's a bit gimmicky, but it sill seems pretty cool. It can run in electric only mode, use the gas engine to charge the batteries while driving, use the gas engine to actually drive the front wheels, or use the gas engine to charge the batteries while the vehicle is just sitting there. It also seems to offer a similar feature to the C-Max Energy - a way of selecting when to use the batteries: the option of using just battery, battery and gas in hybrid mode, or save the battery for later.
From what I've been able to read, the real world fuel economy numbers are quite positive, even when using the gas engine to charge the batteries. Mitsubishi realizes that EPA fuel economy numbers for a vehicle like this are a bit.. inaccurate. Mitsubishi states a fuel economy of 1.9L/100 km - or about 120 MPG - when using the electric range and some gas. That's definitely the kind of number you can take with a grain of salt. One review (
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
) showed that even with a low battery, it was still able to get ~30 mpg - not a small feat for an SUV!
Now, like anything else in life - here's the kicker. It was originally supposed to be released in the US this year. It looks like Mitsubishi is delaying this until next year. This is fine with me, as we aren't in a pressing need to get a new vehicle, so we can wait.
That being said, this is about the first SUV that I've ever been looking forward to.
RazoE
> BaconSandwich is tasty.
04/30/2014 at 11:11 |
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looks like a caveman.
Clown Shoe Pilot
> BaconSandwich is tasty.
04/30/2014 at 11:13 |
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Mrs. Shoe Pilot drives a Volt and loves it. The rear vis isn't fantastic, but it's good enough and you get used to it on the road. The backup camera is money well spent.
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BaconSandwich is tasty.
> Clown Shoe Pilot
04/30/2014 at 11:19 |
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Yeah, I certainly wouldn't want to rule out the Volt. How's the trunk room?
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Clown Shoe Pilot
> BaconSandwich is tasty.
04/30/2014 at 11:26 |
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It's decent. A weeks worth of grocery shopping is no problem. Major Home Depot runs are probably a little out of reach. If you put the rear seats down you can get a fair amount in there. Seats down, you can fit 3 crates for small dogs in the back and still have room for some other stuff.
We've had no problems using the car for out of town trips on gift giving/receiving holidays
duurtlang
> BaconSandwich is tasty.
04/30/2014 at 11:46 |
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I see these Outlander PHEVs everywhere here in the Netherlands. Mostly due to misguided subsidies. They're hideous and when not using electricity from a socket they guzzle gas. I despise them even more than Prii...
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BaconSandwich is tasty.
> Clown Shoe Pilot
04/30/2014 at 12:54 |
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Good to know.
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BaconSandwich is tasty.
> duurtlang
04/30/2014 at 12:55 |
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Oh? Anything that I've seen for reviews of it online still says it gets quite good mileage, even when not running in EV mode.
I'll agree with you though - they aren't pretty. But if it gets the job done...
Caboose_Kid
> duurtlang
05/09/2014 at 15:03 |
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hi - have owned an Outlander PHEV for a week - fantastic vehicle in so many ways ..Electric drive is better than words can describe! Like riding on a magic carpet!! And commuting I have used just 4 litres of petrol and driven 500 kms = 0.25l/100km
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duurtlang
> Caboose_Kid
05/09/2014 at 16:41 |
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Had I been in the position many of my countrymen (like you?) are in I would've done the same and would've bought that exact same car. Mostly because it was so insanely cheap for what you're getting, it was an insanely good deal. I get that. But as a car enthusiast, well, let's say I'm not a fan of the vehicle. As a critical citizen evaluating governmental policies I'm not exactly enthusiastic either, as these subsidies/benefits are very ineffective in reaching actual goals like reducing greenhouse gases in the real life (as opposed to on paper).