2025 Mitsubishi Outlander GSR PHEV long-term review part two: How does the PHEV fare on a long road trip?

Well, in my second month with the Outlander GSR PHEV, I’ve taken the vehicle on two long-distance road trips – without charging on the way – to see if this hybrid can stack up on 100km-plus journeys, or if cross-country driving should be left to less advanced powertrain systems.

As a reminder, the Outlander GSR PHEV has a 20kWh battery that affords it around 80km of all electric driving range before the 2.4-litre petrol engine kicks in.

This means that my first family trip – to Ballarat to pick sunflowers and back home – would only be partially covered by all-electric power.

In fact, the circa-230km round trip means only around a third of the journey would be without any tailpipe emissions, and the remaining would be under petrol power while still propelling the hefty high-voltage electrical components.

The conditions are also unfavourable to a plug-in hybrid like the Outlander, with the majority of the journey being on a freeway sat at 110km/h where the regenerative braking system has no chance to recoup any energy.

So, how did our trusty Mitsie fare?

Not bad, actually.

Officially the fuel economy rating of the Outlander GSR PHEV is 1.5 litres per 100km – though that is in a lab-testing environment that is hard to replicate in the real world.

For context, I was averaging 1.9L/100km before undertaking this journey, and made sure the battery was fully charged before taking off.

By the time we arrived back home – and after the kids picked way too many sunflowers and sampled the local Golden Nugget bakery’s vanilla slice – the Outlander was showing a 4.1L/100km figure.

That’s not bad considering about 150km of the trip was on pure petrol power, and is similar to the combined consumption figure of an all-wheel-drive Toyota RAV4 Hybrid (4.8L/100km).

Of course, the number is skewed heavily due to the all-electric mileage, but how does the economy stay so low when most of the trip was with the 2.4-litre petrol engine running?

Mitsubishi’s plug-in hybrid system reserves a little of the battery when at ‘zero per cent capacity’, and the Outlander can function as a closed-loop hybrid under certain conditions so drivers still see a level of fuel economy benefit when without a charge.

Likewise, the second road trip for the month saw myself and the family head to the Yarra Valley for a wedding – a 125km round trip.

However, the conditions to the Yarra Valley differ greatly than to Ballarat, with the trip mixed between freeway and more start-stop conditions.

The Outlander fared better on this run, returning a fuel economy figure of 3.4L/100km with charging only taking place at home.

Of course, the trip necessitated a few short jaunts from our accommodation, which was heavier on petrol, but overall, the trip is still more frugal than that offered by a Toyota or Hyundai hybrid system that leans more heavily on petrol power.

Also important to note is that the Outlander GSR PHEV has an ‘Innovative Pedal’ mode, which maximises regenerative braking to make the most of heavy traffic conditions, or twisty roads.

It’s not quite the ‘one-pedal mode’ you see in some EVs that can bring the car to a complete stop, but it’s very noticeable when the system is on and still necessitates a change in driving behaviour.

This means it becomes more efficient to use, as your start to ease off the throttle early on at a set of lights, and accelerate more smoothly to get up to speed.

It does also allow you to recoup some battery charge away from an outlet, but this is obviously not the optimal way to make use of the Outlander GSR’s hybrid system.

After two long trips in the Outlander PHEV, does it blend the efficiency of an all-electric powertrain without the hassle of long recharge times?

Well, yes, it really does let owners commute without using a single use of petrol, while still opening up longer journeys on the weekend with that petrol engine coming into the mix.

And because the hybrid system is smart enough to try make use of the electric assistance wherever possible, it still lowers the fuel consumption level.

I do have to say though, these road trips are relatively short in comparison the vastness of Australia, and it must be noted that the longer you drive between charges, the less attractive the system looks – say for example, driving regularly interstate.

It also means if you do not have a way to reliably and consistently charge the car, a plugless hybrid system from Toyota or Hyundai might yield better results over longer distances.

With two months under my belt, the Outlander GSR PHEV’s powertrain has thoroughly impressed in both inner- and outer-city conditions thus far, and all that is backed by a practical, comfortable, and tech-heavy cabin.

But buyers will be paying for the package, as the GSR PHEV is positioned at $73,790 before on-road costs, which is more than plugless rivals and some similarly-sized all-electric options.

However, the Outlander GSR PHEV combines attractive facets from both camps, so whether that price premium is justified will be up to your individual use case.

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Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.

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