If Susan is driving at 48mph and it takes her roughly half an hour to reach the ice cream shop, how far away is the shop? That depends on how far away from what, and how long she had already been driving.

It’s a vague attempt at a formula to calculate the distance traveled, in this case, 24 miles.

If Susan had set off directly from her house and there was an EV charger handily located at the ice-cream shop; she would be ok doing the journey in her last-gen Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV on battery power alone – saving the planet while she indulges her love for sweet desserts at the same time.

While Mitsubishi has already unveiled the updated 2022 Outlander, that was the skimmed-version with gasoline powertrain and no PHEV parts – on October 28th we are set to see more details emerge on the new hybrid variant.

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Shaking Up The Formula

2022 Mitsubishi Outlander Cabin
Via Mitsubishi Motors

Shown off earlier in the year, the standard and dependable Outlander was given a major lift and tuck to bring it up to date and enable the manufacturer to offer a more desirable product with more luxury and perceived quality than before.

Launched in 2003 the sports utility vehicle from Japan was related to the Pajero or Montero Sport and went through a total of 2 evolutions prior to the new, fourth-gen model we see here.

The Outlander has always been a capable workhorse, with strong petrol and diesel engines but luxury and cabin quality have been reasonably low-key.

Where the third generation really shined was its PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) version with both gasoline and electric power.

The former was a generator for the electric motors or could switch to purely working on the front wheels full-time like in a normal car. The four-wheel-drive was achieved via the electric motors’ help on the back wheels.

For a good chunk of time, according to Wikipedia – the Outlander PHEV was the best-selling plug-in hybrid and 3rd best overall EV behind the Tesla Model S and the Nissan Leaf – both ground-breaking EV’s.

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Major Cosmetic Surgery

White Mitsubishi Outlander 2023
Via: Soloautos

For the 2022 Outlander, the biggest changes at first glance are the majorly altered front end and the back end, with the sides and other areas benefitting from a few nips and tucks.

At the front, the design has been completely changed and looks all the better for it, bringing in a modern design ethos with a similar feel to cars like the Kia Telluride for example.

Up back, the rear lights blend in well and 20-inch wheels are optionable. Inside the fun continues with a suave and impressive cabin, featuring a much-improved design layout, colors, and higher-quality materials.

This is fine, but details of the PHEV are yet to be handed out to the public aside from some images of the PHEV hybrid version. The last one, based on the old generation is rated at 24 miles electric-only range with a power output of 220hp.

The petrol engine element already grew from 2-liters to 2.4-liters in its lifetime. The new generation PHEV might better those range and power figures.

For now, we’ll have to stay tuned for the premiere a couple of days before Halloween to learn more about the interesting parts of the hybrid powertrain.