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Motor Trend
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid Review: Expert Insights, Pricing, and Trims
Mitsubishi's only electrified model is the Outlander Hybrid, which is a three-row plug-in hybrid SUV with all-electric driving range. The 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid arrives with the same updates the gas-only Outlander got for 2025. Anticipated changes include tweaks to the SUV's styling, interior, and equipment list. Rivals to the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid include other plug-in hybrid SUVs like the Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage, and Ford Escape. What's New The 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid enters the new model year with the same changes applied to the gas-only model for 2025. Updates should include: Subtly updated exterior styling A redesigned center console with a larger wireless charging pad A Yamaha premium audio system A 12.3-inch screen for the driver and infotainment displays Driving chops should improve with a recalibrated suspension and steering. Also, to provide a more premium experience, Mitsubishi is expected to add additional sound deadening. What We Think If you're considering a 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander, the hybrid variant makes a case for itself as the best pick of the range. The SUV's plug-in hybrid powertrain provide gas-free driving range, and the extra power improves acceleration. Additionally, the lack of a full one-pedal driving mode limits the SUV's viability as a part-time EV. The Outlander Hybrid's cabin is generally well executed. First- and second-row seating is spacious. Cargo volume is generous. There's lots of tech on hand, with two user-friendly touchscreen options providing easy access to the Outlander's features. Although the Outlander Hybrid has a third row, the rear seats are too cramped for anyone other than children or smaller adults. Squeezing behind the second row can be tough, as well; there's hardly an opening for your legs to pass through while climbing into the back. As one of Mitsubishi's stronger products in recent years, the Outlander Hybrid also benefits from the automaker's excellent warranty and two years of free maintenance. It may not be the flashiest plug-in hybrid SUV or have as much range as the segment-leading Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid, but the Outlander Hybrid is a legitimate contender in its segment. MotorTrend Testing The 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid carries over with the same powertrain offered for 2025. That means the plug-in hybrid SUV will continue to have a combined 248 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque from a 2.4-liter inline-four paired with two electric motors. AWD is standard. The PHEV version of Mitsubishi's compact SUV is much quicker than the gas-only model, requiring just 6.5 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph rather than the standard Outlander's time of 8.6 seconds. This is a difference you'll feel on the road. EV Range and Charging Should Mitsubishi continue to outfit the Outlander Hybrid with a 20.0-kWh battery pack, we expect an all-electric range of 38 miles before the gas engine kicks in. That's pretty good, beating the 2025 Kia Sportage and Ford Escape plug-in hybrids, but is outdone by the Toyota RAV4 Plug-In. The 2026 Sportage may also match the Mitsubishi in electric range. Using CHAdeMO fast charging, the battery can be charged from empty to 80 percent in 38 minutes. Finding a charger that runs on CHAdeMO instead of the more common CCS or Tesla-based NACS standards may be a challenge, but most will stick with slower Level 2 charging. Using a 240V outlet takes 6.5 hours for a full charge, while a simple 120V outlet can yield a full charge in 16 hours. Range totals 420 miles using both gasoline and electric power. Mitsubishi's Generous Warranty Not only is the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid a solid option in the plug-in hybrid SUV segment, it's expected to continue to be sold with a strong warranty. The Mitsubishi Motors Confidence warranties include: A 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty A five-year/60,000-mile new vehicle limited warranty A seven-year/100,000-mile anti-corrosion/perforation limited warranty There's also a two-year/30,000 limited maintenance program with complimentary service. If something goes wrong while you're driving, Mitsubishi includes a five-year/unlimited-mile roadside assistance program. Safety Features All versions of the 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid come equipped with the Mi-Pilot Assist suite of active driver assistance features. Standard equipment includes adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, and traffic sign recognition. Front and rear automatic emergency braking, automatic high-beams, a driver focus warning, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic monitoring are available. Cargo Space and Interior Room Although there's plenty of space for people in the first and second rows, the third row offers insufficient legroom for adults. The rear seats fold away, however, opening up a voluminous cargo area. Technology The 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid is expected to come equipped with a generous list of standard technology features. Entry-level models should receive a 12.3-inch driver display, push-button start, front USB ports, and an updated 12.3-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Higher trims should continue to offer a wireless phone charger, heated front seats, a hands-free power liftgate, rain-sensing wipers, and a 360-degree camera. The SEL trim bundles even more desirable features such as reverse auto-tilting side mirrors, a memory system for the driver, and heated rear seats. Other available tech includes heated rear seats, massaging front seats, a head-up display, auto-dimming rearview mirror, and Bose nine-speaker premium audio. Tech isn't just about screen size, and with the Outlander Hybrid, we appreciate that the on-screen menus are straightforward and easy to navigate. Value Recommended Trim We suspect Mitsubishi will continue to offer the Outlander Hybrid in ES, SE, SEL, SEL Black Edition, and Platinum Edition trims for the 2026 model year. The SE model should continue to be the sweet spot for 2026. Standard features include 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, several drive modes, a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster, as well as LED headlights and taillights. Other Small Plug-in Hybrid SUVs: Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid
Top Gear
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Land Rover Range Rover Review 2025
The Range Rover is one of those vanishingly rare cars that defies the industry's traditional product cycle. The previous gen model arrived in 2012 and even in these unpredictable times it was still hitting the spot with its high-end client base a decade later. But then you see the current L460 – only the fifth generation in 51 years – and you realise there are some things even the Range Rover can't out-run forever. Namely, the march of technology and connectivity, and more pressingly the need to future-proof it as climate change ceases to be a debate and becomes a genuine existential emergency. Advertisement - Page continues below On its reveal in late 2021, this was an all-new car in every aspect with a critical reappraisal of its place in the world. Key here are two plug-in hybrids, badged P460e and P550e (that equates to 454 and 542bhp respectively). These combine Land Rover's 3.0-litre six cylinder petrol engine with a 31.8kWh battery feeding a 105kW (141bhp) electric motor to deliver 'up to 75 miles' of pure electric driving with CO2 emissions as low as 16g/km. 50 miles in the real world is more plausible. Land Rover reckons that typical Range Rover customers will be able to complete 75 per cent of their journeys without ever bothering the internal combustion engine. Not quite a 'get out of jail free' card, but a big improvement. Want more e-range? A fully electric version is on the way with a 117kWh battery pack and 542bhp. Click these words here for our initial impressions from the passenger seat of a prototype. Alongside the PHEVs sit a pair of mild-hybrid diesels badged D300 and D350 – making 296bhp and 345bhp respectively – and two mild-hybrid petrol twin-turbo V8s sourced from BMW. They're known as the P530 and the P615, with the former getting 523bhp and the latter a hefty 607bhp for a 0-62mph time of 4.5 seconds. Oh, and the intakes have been reconfigured to enable a 900mm wading depth, plus a few other robust mods. Seriously, has anyone ever taken their Range Rover into a chuffing river? Well, except Her late Majesty. It has to have the chops to do it though to live up to the reputation. Same for the upcoming EV, although that's even less likely to go swimming up the Severn. Advertisement - Page continues below Everything. The previous L405 Range Rover remains such an archetype that the scale of the challenge here was substantial. There are five fundamental visual pillars on the Range Rover: the falling roofline, pronounced waistline, the rising sill, clamshell bonnet and floating roof. They were all reimagined for the current car, although you need to see new and old side-by-side to grasp just how ingeniously nuanced the changes are. The panel gaps and shutlines are fabulously tight, and the flush glazing abuts the bodysides in memorable fashion. The rain guttering is hidden, too. Design pushed engineering – and vice versa – and the result is as much an ode to metal-beating and manufacturing technique as it is aesthetics. This is a car that will be at its imperious best sweeping along the motorway like an automotive super-yacht. The car's rear end taps into that idea, and is the area of the car that's most obviously different to its predecessor. Check out the vertical tail-lights, and the way the whole thing is resolved. It's also notably aerodynamic for a big SUV, with a drag coefficient of 0.30 and a smoother frontal area. Americans might spot shades of Kia's impressive but not-for-Europe Telluride, but that's no bad thing. It's a great looking car, that. And what tech lies beneath the skin? Land Rover says it took out 125 patents for this generation of Rangie and carried out a rigorous development programme that encompassed 140,000 hours of computational analysis. It's also connected up the wazoo, has a sophisticated air filtration system, active noise cancellation tech in its headrests, and Standard and Long Wheelbase iterations are available, with the option of seven seats for the first time. None of which are cheap. It's also important to distinguish between the regular trim levels – SE, HSE and Autobiography – and the SV opportunities. That last one is a whole different ball-game, offering 'curated' luxury in the form of Serenity or Intrepid packages. While prices for the Range Rover start at £105,675, the fully loaded SV long wheelbase with the 'Signature Suite' – that's the one you need a chauffeur to fully enjoy – is double that (plus the aforementioned chauffeur's salary). "Much of the investment and engineering inside has gone into the tactility," SVO boss Michael van der Sande told TG at the latest Range Rover's launch. "This is about amplifying the luxury remit and the new car isn't trying to be something it's not. We want to avoid mixing our drinks too much." This is important information. The new iteration pushes Range Rover even further upmarket, leaving the Range Rover Sport to be more, erm, sporty. A target it doesn't hit nearly as cleanly as this nails the luxury brief. How is it to drive? Commanding. That sums it up in one word. It's not rapid even with a V8. It's too heavy (around 2.8 tonnes depending on spec) to be able to haul in a straight line, and too ponderous around corners. It really needs the 48v anti-roll system that is only fitted as standard to flagship models. But accusing the Range Rover of not being dynamic is to miss the point – it's not intended to be. Instead it is calm, relentlessly comfortable and batters its way through bad weather like nothing else. Is it still capable off-road? Well, duh. This is Range Rover's non-negotiable talent. A 911 GT3 has to be exceptional on track, a Range Rover has to mix it in the rough. And this one does, with a full suite of off-road accoutrements: low range gearbox, Terrain Response, height adjustable air suspension, ground cameras, locking diffs and, for the first time, four wheel-steering to really sharpen up the turning circle. That's actually handier in Knightsbridge than in the back of beyond, mind you. How's the cabin? Well, it was arguably even better than the exterior, but a model year update for 2024 added the new 13.1in touchscreen for the infotainment and thus removed lots of the physical buttons and the excellent heating controls. Ah. So yes, the interior has the same reductive design language as the exterior, with a clean aesthetic that's attractive but now slightly less easy to get on with than it was at launch. There are a lot of haptic controls on the steering wheel too and they're occasionally frustrating to use. At least the screen is responsive and logical. Plus it feels luxurious to sit in, and the view out is wonderfully open and commanding. For the full luxury experience, you need the long wheelbase version which features limo levels of legroom. Bear in mind this does reduce practicality as the seats don't fold as flat as the regular cars. The boot is generous and at least this Range Rover still has the iconic split tailgate.
