zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
Mitsubishi Really Hopes The Outlander PHEV Reminds You Of Back When It Made Cooler Cars
Mitsubishi Really Hopes The Outlander PHEV Reminds You Of Back When It Made Cooler Cars-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:28

Image for article titled Mitsubishi Really Hopes The Outlander PHEV Reminds You Of Back When It Made Cooler Cars

For the first time in a long time, Mitsubishi has the closest thing to a winner on its hands with the . And that’s great for Mitsubishi! We all want Mitsubishi to be the best Mitsubishi it can be, and producing a car someone might actually want to buy is an important step toward achieving that goal.

The only issue is that Mitsubishi to follow up the Outlander except for a plug-in hybrid version of the SUV due next year. So it’s left little choice but to play that puppy up, big time.

How big? By reminding us of Pajeros bounding over sand dunes and Lancer Evolutions skittering on the ice-slick, sidewinding passes of Monte Carlo. Yes: By reminding us of how it used to rally.

Mitsubishi’s YouTube account released the above last Friday, the same day it sent out a press release about the S-AWC — that stands for Super All Wheel Control — system in next year’s Outlander PHEV. Mitsubishi fans will know S-AWC as the automaker’s branding for its all-wheel drive system that once underpinned the . And its resurgence might ring more significant if S-AWC wasn’t also the name of the all-wheel drive option , with all 181 of its horsepower.

Granted, the S-AWC system in the Outlander PHEV will work quite differently from how it does in other Mitsubishi models by nature of its powertrain. The PHEV will have a pair of electric motors, one on each, axle contributing a yet-undisclosed sum of power. Those motors will work together to determine the optimal amount of go from the front to the back of the car. Surely nothing you haven’t heard before with regard to all-wheel drive systems, though this one will supposedly do it better because it’s got both those motors — plus the ICE one, of course. It’ll also be able to brake the rear wheels individually. From the :

Conventional models employ a braking control system to control the brake forces in the left and right wheels only on the front, but the evolved S-AWC adds a braking control system for the rear wheels. This reduces the load on the front wheels and makes it possible to extract the maximum performance from all four tires in a more balanced manner and delivers handling true to the driver’s intent for safe, secure and comfortable driving in various conditions.

Around the 3:44 mark of the video above, we see an — which I had to reconfirm to myself was not an Outlander, based on the facial resemblance — being pushed hard around a test track, so as to convey the sporting pedigree that we’re supposed to believe still beats deep within every Mitsubishi. I’m willing to bet that the Outlander, a 3,800-lb SUV, is not the sort of vehicle that springs to anyone’s mind when asked to imagine a canyon carver, even though my

But this is the card Mitsubishi wants to play, so play it it will. Five months ago, I wanted so badly to believe that might result in something more profound than an appearance package. Today, I’m coming to the grim realization that nostalgia has probably fooled me again.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Let’s cut right to the chase: buying a is not a good idea unless you have deep enough pockets for the upkeep. For those not in the know, they’re sirens. They draw you in with their premium Italian image and sweet songs of and then go in for the...
Jul 9, 2025
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
Today’s Mustang is being sold by a towing yard, which means it’s probably a lien sale. Let’s see if this clean title convertible is priced to put a new buyer on the hook. The general consensus on last Friday’s was that it would be the perfect car for someone...
Jul 9, 2025
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
According to its seller, today’s Nissan 4X4 shows “pride of ownership.” Let’s see if it would take swallowing one’s pride to pay its asking price. Opinions were split on how well the design of yesterday’s has held up over the years. Some of you commented that the design still...
Jul 9, 2025
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
One of the calling cards of today’s Plymouth Colt is its “Twin Stick” overdrive gear change, which gives the car eight speeds going forward and two in reverse. Let’s see if this project car has anything else to offer. Just as Goldilocks discovered when appropriating Papa Bear’s lifestyle and...
Jul 9, 2025
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
The (and Tacoma) have a death grip on used values. It’s been this way for years. Go ahead, go try and buy any TRD trim that’s a couple of years old; it’ll cost you as much as a new one — not that you could buy a new one...
Jul 9, 2025
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
The seller of today’s Caddy claims they should be selling it at auction but says who’s got time for that? Let’s see if we have the time for this custom convertible at its non-auction price. Many of you agreed that the $950 asked for yesterday’s was “chump change.” Even...
Jul 9, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved