Say hello to the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
PHEV. It's a sleek plug-in hybrid SUV with a clever powertrain that can run as
a pure EV all time, theoretically. The petrol-electric SUV Office offers a 55-km
EV range, has relatively short charge times and bi-directional charging, so you can power your
home with it in a blackout. But Aussies aren't too fond of plug-in hybrid EVs despite
their best of both worlds functionality, so is Mitsubishi's latest PHEV special
enough to change that? Let's find out. [pause] Competing against the slightly cheaper MG HS
PHEV and Mitsubishi's original plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the long-standing Outlander,
the Eclipse Cross Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle has a tough job convincing buyers to sign up,
especially when you're paying a $12,000 premium for the electrified powertrain over regular
versions. Toyota charges a fraction of that for its plug-less hybrid systems, which charge only
while you drive and offer a shorter EV range. Today, we're testing the mid-spec Aspire version
of the Eclipse Cross PHEV, priced at around 50K. Leveraging the same hybrid electric powertrain
is it's bigger brother, the Outlander. You get a 2.4L petrol engine driving the front wheels and
two electric motors, one on the front axle and one on the rear axle. The e-motors draw energy from
a 13.8kWh lithium-ion battery for a claimed EV range of 55 kilometres. There are both AC and DC
charge ports, so you can charge it at home with a Wallbox or via a public fast charger. It even
comes with a two-directional charging system, so you can charge up another vehicle and appliance
or even your house, say, in a power outage, but there's one issue. The system isn't yet compatible
with Aussie households, but it will be soon. Like many EVs, it features a single-speed
planetary gearbox with the e-motors delivering all-wheel drive. The cabin has some nice touches,
like these lovely seats, this novel gearshifter and EV-specific buttons but things like these low
quality plastics and the tiny screen make it feel dated. The instrument cluster is new but is solely
lacking digital eye candy. The 8-inch touch screen is okay but given the $50,000 asking price, you'd
expect a bigger screen or at least a wide screen. The standard menu system is basic but easy
to use, but there's also Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which makes things a lot easier.
Oh, and there's even a smartphone app to remotely check the battery charge. Storage
solutions are so-so with two cup holders, a medium-sized central bin with sunglasses holder
and a small tray for coins, but not much else. The door pockets are big but there's only two USB
ports in this SUV and no wireless phone charger, but I do like the digital dual-zone climate
controls. There's a decent rear-view camera with 360-degree Bird's Eye View, and the car's 4545
millimetre length means it's pretty easy to park. The seats are really comfortable and this fake
leather and suede upholstery feels really good, but only the driver's chair has power operation
and no lumbar adjust at that. It's got seven air bags but the Eclipse Cross lags behind
new arrivals with no camera-based road sign recognition or active lane centering system.
Back seat room and comfort is pretty good. These seats aren't too bad, it's a little flat, but
legroom and headroom for this size of vehicle is not bad. I wouldn't be upset to spend a bit
of time here. However, amenity, not so good. You get a 12-volt socket, a fold-out armrest with
cup holders, only one seat back pocket but no USB ports or air vents. Two ISOFIX and three top
tether anchorages are included for child seats. Because of the electric powertrain and battery
pack, boot space is down by around 11% compared to regular models but look, the boot is still a very
usable space. However, I kind of wish the charging cable box had some Velcro on the bottom because
when you're cornering, it just moves around a lot in there. One of the best features about the boot
is this cargo blind. Yeah, it's a bit flimsy but when you're not using it, you can chuck it into
these little grooves in here and she won't rattle around. It's quite effective. There are four
tie-down anchorages, one shopping bag hook and a little light, but not much else back here. The DC
charge cable lives under here but there's no spare tire. Just a compressor kit and a can of goop.
There is no power tailgate either and the whole interior is a little bit underwhelming, so let's
hope she likes to dance. Cue the upbeat music. [pause] Having three motors in your car is pretty cool,
but don't expect supercar response when you nail the throttle. That's because, A, the car is geared
to be efficient and B, she's a chubby girl. The hybrid extras add around 300 kilograms of weight
to the vehicle. Hit this button and you'll engage pure EV mode, which gives you around 45 kilometres
of real world electric driving on a full battery charge, but as I've discovered out here on
country roads and freeways, it's more like 30, 35 kilometres. But I reckon you might go close to
the 55-kilometer claim if you drove it gingerly. And look, if you've got range anxiety about
driving an EV, a plug-in hybrid like this would be a great alternative, because it simply switches
to petrol mode when the battery is fully depleted. In terms of driving dynamics, this PHEV version
gets a different suspension churn to deal with the extra mass, and I've gotta say, it's
pretty good. It corners nicely with a flat and predictable attitude and has a solid and
sporty feel, thanks to it's all-wheel drive setup. Ride comfort is very good, too. The suspension
is smoothing out bumpy sections of road easily. Interestingly, this model has significantly more
ground clearance than regular Eclipse Cross SUVs, so you get improved rough road
compliance and bit of visibility. In EV mode and even when the petrol
engine's running, this Japanese SUV is whisper quiet. There's not much tire noise,
a little bit of wind noise from the mirrors, but it ensures this premium driving experience.
If only the cabin didn't feel so low-rent. I drove the car like I normally would, so there
was plenty of heavy acceleration thrown in there and overall fuel consumption is 6.2L
per 100 kilometres which is much, much higher than the frugal claimed
average of just 1.9L per 100 kilometres. Along with pure EV mode, there are a handful
of different hybrid modes, including a battery save mode and a battery charge mode. Annoyingly
though, the EV mode drops out when you initiate cruise control or simply push too hard on
the accelerator. The petrol engine chimes in, and boom, there goes your fuel efficiency.
The light steering makes it easy to drive and park. And while I was expecting the
regenerative breaks to be a little touchy, they're actually really well-modulated and
overall, this is a very pleasant vehicle to drive. Many countries offer tax incentives to buy
cars like this, but some Australian states are introducing an EV tax that would slug owners
of a PHEV like this two cents a kilometer. So if you are driving 50,000 km a year, that's
an extra $1000 you're gonna be hit with. Pretty harsh, I reckon. While the Mitsubishi
doesn't push the tech boundaries in many ways, it is backed by a class leading 10-year warranty
and 10-year capped price service program. The EV drive battery has an eight-year 160,000
kilometer warranty but average annual service costs are quite high compared to regular SUVs.
If you want to reduce your reliance on petrol and lower your CO2 footprint, this Mitsubishi
is an effective way to do it. While it's not perfect, the car offers zero emissions driving
capability for most city and suburban commutes, provided you charge it first, along with the
petrol cruising range of a conventional small SUV. But at the end of the day, I don't
think this vehicle is special enough or affordable enough to convince
a legion of small SUV buyers to jump on the plug-in hybrid EV bandwagon.
If it was me, I'd just buy an EV instead.