MY2019 Outlander PHEV 2.4 4H - My Test Drive Weekend.

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bounderboy

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 15, 2018
Messages
57
Currently have a BMW X3 with lease up in November want to replace like for like but BiK was crippling me. So Outlander 4H very much on Radar. Localish Dealership offered me a test drive, sales guy very attentive - offered to lend me one for the weekend. Even said we will put a full tank of fuel in and make sure all clean, as its the managers car. Emailed me yesterday to confirm all ok agreed to meet me at 8.30 - even took driving license details to make the transistion over before work seamless.. "Look forward to meeting you tomorrow" even asked what I was currently driving so he could look out for me..

Things are looking good.

Day1: 8.30

Arrived at garage - Sales guy I am dealing with doesn't work today, multiple people said this.. Get left standing there. Finally someone comes and tries to help me. I mention to him that the car I am meant to be taking is just being given to another couple as a courtesy vehicle. Just before they drive off the car is rescued and they are forced into another car. Still no sign of my guy. Stand waiting another 20mins and finally the car is being sorted for me. Sales Manger shows me round, does a little sales patter, and frantically removes some wrappers from the car and puts in some new mats. After a little more faffing I am left to make my way to work.

Before i set off I plug my iPhone in. Car play comes up but needs me to unlock phone - then gives me option on phone to not require that next time. I set Apple Maps to take me to Work. My podcast starts playing. Which is good - however it sounds like a robot. I unplug and it seems to rectify it. I had to do this twice on journey. Phoned my wife to moan about the pick up process - she says I sound like I am in a fish tank. So sounds like the Handsfree might not be great.

Anyway driving - notice range is 90miles - then realise I don't have a full tank - I have an empty tank.0 Battery is pretty much full though. Drove all way to work on Electric. Kept up with traffic fine and drove well - nothing exciting but expected that.. Tried the Regen settings and found B5 quite easy to get used to for one pedal operation in town.

Arrived at me destination. Ended up parked in middle of car park as the 360 Camera is going to take some getting used to after 15years of being used to parking sensor beeps. Surprised how much this car beeps at you that parking beeps can't be had too!

Tried to open boot from button in car - just beeped at me. Sure this is user error that I will investigate. Boot beeps everytime before it opens closes - which means waiting a second then takes an age to open. Something else I will have to get "used" to.

Initial impressions.. It's not my X3, not sure much will be as it matched me perfectly. However must save money - so need to reset expectations.

Will keep updated through the weekend..
 
Interesting post.
I bought my PHEV as a second car back in 2014 here in the UK and I've run it alongside a BMW X5 and now an AMG Merc.
A couple of comments -
1. It was clear back in 2014 that the massive success of the PHEV had taken everyone, including Mitsubishi UK, by surprise and the dealers were struggling to cope both with volume and, frankly, a slightly more demanding customer coming from premium brands. I've found the dealers here (with a couple of exceptions) to be relics of the 1980s with a few good points but many bad. I actually quite like not having smooth front-office salesmen, smoked glass and complicated coffee machines and regard it as a nostalgic retro
experience but if you missed the 80s, I can imagine the crap admin is hard to endure. They have barely survived for decades selling second rate cars and niche products (hard-core 4X4). I suspect that might be the case in other markets too.
2. The PHEV is a very efficient and cost-effective vehicle but not one you will fall in love with (IMHO). You need to decide what is important.

Good luck
 
The button to open/close the boot only operates when the car is in P (parking brake on) or fully off. I imagine this is some sort of safety feature.
 
Yes I think you are right.. However my experience of BMW is pretty horrific when dropping car for service. Always sit there 45mins waiting for them to get their coffees sorted - where i just want to drop and go to work.. I was just surprised today as the Sales Guy on email couldn't have been more attentive and meticulous in arranging to make sure I arrived and went off. Why he wasn't there was a mystery to me...

Update Day 1: 11am:

Went back out to car park to correct my really poor parking. Using the 3D Camera I reversed up to the back wall using Red line to make sure boot would still open.. The catch worked this time. Again the hold and wait for beeps is already annoying with the memory of instant opening of the BMW. However as memory fades I am sure it will be fine.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/v3zNC7jMaYshmNfY9 - This is what the display looked like. I was very nervous looking in mirrors how close I was to wall but decided to trust it. I got out it was very close and was worried about boot opening.. however took leap of faith and opened it. Red line was correct and there was "plenty" of roomish...

https://photos.app.goo.gl/iL7WL5giHZUpeibJ8
https://photos.app.goo.gl/f6qr351M6uaoTGicA

Boot opened fine..

Well Parked car and no damage.. tick.. :)

Update Day 1: 13.00

Lunchtime so though I would run an extension lead at work to charge the vehicle this afternoon. The granny cable had never been used so I had to open that up car only done 260miles - Fuel Computer said 659mpg and has been run on electric 98% of time. Spent 5mins trying to work out where button was to open flap - found the fuel filler one. Then realised it was a push open. Plugged in car started charging. Have left extension lead in boot incase it rains with Granny Cable poking out. Pulled boot shut but can't lock car with boot shut. Not a problem in a car park here. Granny cable has quite a huge what I assume is an invertor or something attached to it - assume it is waterproof . Also make it look much more steal able when charging at front of house. So going to have to see what happens there. I am in a quiet area so hope ok. If I do choose as my next lease will get a tethered cable outdoor charger installed.

Then got excited to set up app. Looked at app and very clunky - but might be of use at home to set heating mode on. Charging said it will take 3hrs to top up battery - which means should be full for ride home..

Update Day 1: 16.00hrs

Went out to check car. Still not full charged.. Still saying an hour to go. I went to check I had extended the extension lead to its fullest. I had meant to as I was worried it might melt down with load and being still coiled. Oh damn I hadn't although not dangerously hot it was too hot. Amateur mistake no harm done but a little silly of me! Uncoiled the rest. Hoping will be fully charged before home time.. I tried opening windows with key fob like I can on BMW by holding unlock button... didn't seem to work. Useful in summer. Haven't tried shutting windows yet using lock button - hope that works at least. Something else that occurred to me is the car doesn't lock the doors on driving off like the BMW used to - that was so useful for feeling a little more safe around town etc.

Update Day 1: 17.30hrs

Homeward bound after a long week... only 9miles so range hardly touched. Drive was nice and stayed in electric mode no problem and always felt spritely. Put in SPORT mode and actually felt quick - my X3 quick.. However knocked 10miles of petrol range in a ten second burst. Also once I turned off engine stayed on.. I could only tell because the Rev counter was in engine section. It was still silent. Even pushing EV Mode engine stayed on. It did turn off eventually but not sure if it is amount of time or distance or something i pressed that did it.. Was more than happy with trip home and nice knowing it cost me nothing..

When I got home I linked up to my outside plug socket - opened boot shut boot and tried to lock up... BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.. assumed something wrong with boot closing but after open and closing I got the BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP - so loud. Realised I had left ignition on doh.. oops...

Look forward to Waze being available on CarPlay as apple maps is yuck... Going out for a spin with family for a drink.. see what they think... speak later
 
Update Day 1: 20.00

Hope i am not boring you. Well family didn't like it at all. Kids complained seats were upright and uncomfy.. Wife didn't like horrible plastic faux effect aluminum type trim.. see photos

https://photos.app.goo.gl/T74vPBKmwyCou1RF7
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZXsVnJXpqFfovYTH9

Asked if there is another choice.. Must admit solid grey or black would look better.. It's not great. Kids were really excited by USB port in back but said they couldn't get plug in. Need to check actually why that was..

Seatbelt chime goes off as soon as you move - I always like 15secs grace period. Boot opening slow still a little annoying.

Longer drive defintely fast enough without using engine and defintely feels rapid when engine kicks in.. Like having my folding mirrors on locking back which I had on my Volvo but not on BMW - great way of knowing at a glance if car is locked if nothing else.. I am known for leaving car open overnight... Car play works well. Car doesn't autolock on the move which I miss - not sure if a setting or something but always felt much safer on last few cars.

Door pockets hold a bottle of wine nicely.. Which I am going to enjoy now.... Hope I am not boring people but i am finding it cathartic :)
 
Yeah I'm enjoying it bounderboy!

Btw you can 'recline' the seats in the back quite a long way, at least you can on the old model. Just lift up the catch and push them back.

I miss the opening/closing of the windows by holding the lock/unlock keyfob button. Thought they might have added that by now. Even my son's recently purchased 6-year-old Vauxhall Corsa does that!

The car always says '1 hour till full' on recharge until it says 'full' I.e. it will never say '30 minutes to full'. No idea why....

Cheers
 
The 'roller blind' cover (to hide any valuables in the back of the car) fixes in two positions, so you may need to move it to the rear one to get the full amount of recline in the back seats. The charger runs at 'full power' up to about 80-90% full and then slowly 'trickle charges' for the last hour to reach the completely full (as determined by the car's electronics) state - this is done to protect the battery. So if you interrupt the charging after this point, you should have close to the full range available,
 
The advantage of a proper test drive is that you are honing in on some of the negatives.
The interior trim is not great and certainly not German premium brand standard.
On the seats, my children actually like the back seat as (with the battery pack underneath) it is raised a little more than usual with visibility advantages.
Lots of unnecessary bonging is part of the package.
Do bear in mind that it is basically a 2012 car with incremental upgrades. I think it will be 2020 before a completely new model.
The key determinant in my mind is how it will be used. If it is primarily a daily short dive commuting vehicle and you maximize electric running AND can charge between runs (ideally at home), it works very well. It is also at its best at lower/urban speeds. However it can be used for longer trips and has surprised me how good it is but with the battery depleted it is basically a heavy 2 litre SUV.
 
gobiman said:
it can be used for longer trips and has surprised me how good it is but with the battery depleted it is basically a heavy 2 litre SUV.
2.4l in the case of bounderboy's 2019 demonstrator :). I haven't checked, but I imagine the new model will be slightly heavier given the larger engine and bigger battery. Despite this, the Atkinson cycle may (is presumably intended to) give better fuel consumption when running on ICE after the battery is depleted.
 
gobiman said:
The advantage of a proper test drive is that you are honing in on some of the negatives.......

The key determinant in my mind is how it will be used. If it is primarily a daily short dive commuting vehicle and you maximize electric running AND can charge between runs (ideally at home), it works very well. It is also at its best at lower/urban speeds. However it can be used for longer trips and has surprised me how good it is but with the battery depleted it is basically a heavy 2 litre SUV.

Yeah I am wondering now if it is a disadvantage now!! I really am trying not to be a spoilt brat and not trying to compare the two cars. I was always a bit anti German brigade and how no other cars compare.. But bloody hell I am feeling it so much... It's just really little things.. Spending 3mins trying to work out how to shut the windows after I had left open and got out of car and locked up. X3 hold lock button down 2 secs.

I think somethings won't be as good but I will get used to them and perhaps avoid some bongs I am getting now..

Day 2

Went out to a kids birthday part with a full charge from overnight. Left charger at home as already getting bored of unplugging and coiling to take with me.. while at party looked at cost of replacement cable and realised over 300quid - perhaps leaving it isn't a good idea. I live in a good area so 99% safe.. But still...

Had to have Air Con on today as a little warmer - noticed that there is no way to isolate vents on each side of the cabin - my wife used to shut them off on her side as she gets colder before i do .. obviously can redirect them..

Tried to use carplay and SIRI to find address.. Tried the name of the Play area and saying a postcode.. both didn't work.. Had to pass my phone to wife to type in.. Not worked out yet how to turn on spoke directions. I don't like them anyway but might be useful. Used DAB today for talksport.. worked well.

Went shopping boot held a small shop easily - as i am sure it will a large shop.. I also moved parcel shelf and reclined kids seats a bit more. They still complained seats were hard. I assume they may soften as the car is virtually brand new. Drives seat does lack lumbar support ut nothing major. Stopped for fuel and put 30quid in - reckon i might struggle to use it all as running 100% on batts at the moment. Tried sport button to burn some off and it is great for an overtake - the car seems a lot more rapid than a 0-60 of 10.5secs suggests. It actually feels quicker than the X3 however I assume that is the instant torque being available. Can't drive around in Sport mode as car is just way too edgy. A dab of accelerator and car wants to take off.. Arrived home with 3miles left in the electric tank. Put back on charge nice and easily having left cable and gave me the same experience once I have installed a home charging station.

Noticed today that steering really lightens up at slow speeds which is nice and also I am pretty sure turning circle is much tighter than i am used too. Did try and push it around some tight bends on an A-Road and it wasn't happy with it - but nothing scary.. Also noticed it crashed over speed humps much harsher than I am used to.. What is nice though is keeping in EV mode is not hard it takes quite a prod to get engine to kick in and I really wouldn't know most of the time if it wasnt for dials. This is probably helped because I am so used to Diesels having them for the last 20 years..

Arrived home with 3miles left in the electric tank. Put back on charge nice and easily having left cable and gave me the same experience once I have installed a home charging station.
 
bounderboy said:
noticed that there is no way to isolate vents on each side of the cabin - my wife used to shut them off on her side as she gets colder before i do .. obviously can redirect them..
.

Might be different on your shiny new one but on my 2015 just push the vent all the way to one side and it clicks closed. Have a play and you’ll see what I mean.

Enjoying the reports.
 
EchoVictor said:
bounderboy said:
noticed that there is no way to isolate vents on each side of the cabin - my wife used to shut them off on her side as she gets colder before i do .. obviously can redirect them..
.

Might be different on your shiny new one but on my 2015 just push the vent all the way to one side and it clicks closed. Have a play and you’ll see what I mean.

Enjoying the reports.

Thank you - will defo try that!!

Day 3

Not been out yet but have a few things on - visiting with family the Poppy display at Middleport Pottery Museum. This another electric only trip and then on to the inlaws - which might still be in range too and get back.. actually let me check that later. As an experiment today I am going to be non ecowarrior and a little more normal in my driving style and my use of the gadgets. Air con on - wife can use heated seat will also try and ignore using dials to stay in in powerband. Also gonna leave the regen brakes on the default start up setting.. which might be two. Not talked much about regen paddles.. think I get how they work and have experimented with higher settings on town driving etc. My only comment is they feel wrong way round - minus paddle (right) adds more regen - left hand paddle with a plus on reduces it .. sure I will get used to it..

Speak later
 
Be aware that all owners go through the "extreme range" phase, the symptoms of which are turning off all electrics, regenerative braking on B5 (and not using brake pedal), streamlining trucks on the motorway etc. to absolutely maximize the electric range. I think it is a bit of a man-thing and has nothing to do with saving the planet.
My ideal car would be the Mitsubishi hybrid technology in an X3 (ideally with the 3 litre 6 cylinder petrol engine) priced at under £40k.
Unfortunately the X5 hybrid, which has no better performance than my PHEV now and wasn't even available in 2014, is over £60k with the same options...
 
gobiman said:
Be aware that all owners go through the "extreme range" phase, the symptoms of which are turning off all electrics, regenerative braking on B5 (and not using brake pedal), streamlining trucks on the motorway etc. to absolutely maximize the electric range. I think it is a bit of a man-thing and has nothing to do with saving the planet.
My ideal car would be the Mitsubishi hybrid technology in an X3 (ideally with the 3 litre 6 cylinder petrol engine) priced at under £40k.
Unfortunately the X5 hybrid, which has no better performance than my PHEV now and wasn't even available in 2014, is over £60k with the same options...

Haha yes that X3 would be perfect!! They woulds sell tons of them straight away too! Id even be happy with them putting the 1.5 mini engine in it and a decent set of batteries. I am not after speed really - but amazing how I got used to the comfort and the well thought out ergonomics. I remember thinking iDrive was ridiculous compared to my previous Volvos but there is so much to ergonomics than a control system.

I reckon most of the changes I would make to the Outlander would have little or no cost to implement. I can get over the cheap trim, not so comfy, not so good at handling etc etc.. but just make it lovely and easy to live with...

Anyway just preparing for trip now.. just worked out the round trip is 30.8miles.. so I will be definitely returning on petrol..or will I :-D We will see ! until later..
 
gobiman said:
On the seats, my children actually like the back seat as (with the battery pack underneath) it is raised a little more than usual with visibility advantages.
Mine are quite happy with the seats too. But I don't think the seats are any more raised than in a normal Outlander, so it has nothing to do with the battery pack. As a matter of fact, the bottom of the footwell is more raised because of the battery pack, so the dept of the foot well is slightly less, resulting in a (to some) little bit less comfortable sitting position.

Does it matter? Not really. Unless you would decide for a PHEV only because of the sitting position in the back. In that case you might (or should) go for a regular Outlander. ;)
 
Day3: 30mile trip with a couple of stop offs. I was about 2miles shy of my target home. As mentioned i didn't try and go ultra conservative .. 70mph on the A road and air con on. Didn't mess with the B Modes - maybe a little - couldn't stop myself. When I noticed that the mileage home was more than my range I thought i Would try the Save mode for a couple of miles so i could go through town on electric. I ended up with 2miles left in the battery.. so I might have made it almost in the end. It defo feels that 30miles is not some mystic figure never to a achieved..

Felt like today was a little bit of a turning point. Starting getting used to the differences and also embracing the car in its own right.. The fact I have done the whole weekend so far and probably used less than a gallon of petrol. Perhaps not even a litre.. is very exciting. I am definitely enjoying the instant acceleration of the battery - and car never feels sluggish.. which the 0-60 figure suggests. even 50-70 today was a nice surge.

One thing i didn't mention before is that my current car is a manual. BMW Manuals aren;t great.. I have been wanting an automatic for ages - so this is a huge tick. Getting used to dog leg to get to D and R rather than a button on most autos I have driven.

One thing i am not used to yet is turning off the ignition.. I hit park get out of car and try to lock or open boot and it becomes bong city. Also noticed that once ignition is off that the accessory sockets stop working.. On my car they carry on working even when car is locked which meat i could leave things charging like powerbanks. Again not a deal breaker but just a missing convenience feature.. While i remember i looked at the USB socket in the rear seats and is totally misaligned so no way anything could be plugged in.. Sure just a manufacturing error. Wish there was 12v socket too as we have an plug invertor the kids liked to use.. Probably more useful than a USB port anyway..

Anyway a good day ... and tomorrow is the last day on the test drive and I have a meeting which will mean a 105mile round trip - so gonna see a dent in my 850mpg weekend.. There is electric charging points at the site i am visiting but don't now if these will be free for use and/or if they will be tethered or I need my own cable (which i don't have with the car)... What is normal with charge points?

Anyway last day of updates tomorrow.. and then decision time..
 
Loving this write up, bounderboy. It pretty much mirrors what I went through when deciding if it was the car for me. Almost 4 years on, I made the right choice. For all it's niggly little faults, it's still a great car, as far as I'm concerned. I just love the whole experience. There are things you can do to mitigate a lot of the bongs, usually involves unplugging various sounders (naughty, naughty)! And as with all cars, you just have to accept some compromises from your own ideals. I've never had a car that had everything exactly as I wanted it, and I don't suppose I ever will.
 
Had my (2014) since january and I'm still loving it.

Its not such a premium interior, compromise has to be made somewhere I guess, I feel its pretending its in a class higher than it is, certainly a decent all round motor but not in bmw/audi teritory.

But unless you spend 3-4 times the cost its the only game in town for a phev 4wd for now!
 
EchoVictor said:
bounderboy said:
noticed that there is no way to isolate vents on each side of the cabin - my wife used to shut them off on her side as she gets colder before i do .. obviously can redirect them..
.

Might be different on your shiny new one but on my 2015 just push the vent all the way to one side and it clicks closed. Have a play and you’ll see what I mean.

Enjoying the reports.
On our 2015 4hs, you can have split a/c with a different temperature for the passenger if you adjust the passenger side
 
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