jaapv wrote:
My point - a PHEV is a dual-system concept. By necessity that involves engineering choices and compromises that do not apply to pure EV or even EV+extender cars.
The thing to do is to use and enjoy the car within the boundaries of those compromises. If you need- or want more, there are other vehicles out there that offer different compromises. If you want pure EV, you want an EV car. If you want a motorway cruiser, there are sleek Diesels, if you want performance, there are sports cars, etc.
The Mitsubishi is a bit of a jack of all trades, and surprisingly good at it.
I so fully agree with this. I did months of research into what I would replace my Subaru with (and I've been extremely loyal to the Subaru Legacy for a very long time having owned five). If you only do city driving and can charge every day then a pure EV may well be a better choice. If you do a lot of motorway miles, then the Outlander PHEV is a poor choice - the diesel one will cost you less in the long run.
But the majority of people do under 15 miles a day of mainly town driving, with the occasional longer trip at weekends - and it's this market that the Outlander PHEV is aimed at. There are plenty of other PHEVs that may perform better, but don't have the boot space, 4WD or ground clearance of the Outlander.