Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV 2021 Review @carsales.com.au

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.