Should I buy a used phev or new (2023)?

[ontheroad]

My wife and I want to get a plug-in SUV in the next 8 months or so. Our first choice is the Rav4 Prime but getting one new in our timeframe is impossible in Canada, and used ones are outrageously overpriced. So, I've started considering other makes and I see quite a few used Outlander PHEVs (2018-2020) selling for a reasonable price (around 40k CAD for a 2020 top trim with low kms). Does anyone know why they are so reasonably priced? I ask because most other used plug-in SUVs are currently priced higher than they are worth brand new.

As for the 2023 Outlander phev, it would cost me 51k for the base trim and 60k for the SEL (which is what I'd like). I can afford a new one but I'm wondering if it's worth paying that much more for it. The extended electric range and increased safety appeal to me, and I prefer the appearance of the 2023; but other advantages (newer tech, bigger screen, 3rd row) don't mean much to me.

Thoughts?

[AndyInOz]

Hmm...

I bought mine when it was one year old for approximately $40k on road.
(ex lease to Mitsubishi)

I bought the top model because of the adaptive cruise control, which is marvelous for long drives in Australia.

(When you activate it, it maintains the current distance and speed of the car in front, so I ping a car that's about a kilometer ahead and then relax. The car starts slowing down before I see the speed sign of the next country town that's coming up...)

The electrically heated seats were a massive bonus, if my back starts playing up, I go for a drive, and hey presto!

(The car has probably saved me a fortune on physio visits, since I haven't seen a physio since I bought the car).

I haven't regretted buying mine second hand, because $20k is not to be sneezed at.

Andy

[ontheroad]

Thanks for the info. How has yours held up over the years - it's a 2014? Is the electric range still good?

And how about fuel economy on long drives? That is my biggest concern because I keep reading how the Outlander uses a lot of gas once the battery runs out...but is there a way to getting decent mpg on long trips by driving it a certain way?

[littlescrote]

(When you activate it, it maintains the current distance and speed of the car in front, so I ping a car that's about a kilometer ahead and then relax. The car starts slowing down before I see the speed sign of the next country town that's coming up...)

No it doesn't, it controls to one of 3 selectable minimum distances. By default, it's quite far (3 lines under the car symbol) but can go closer with 2 or 1. The car symbol is just an outline if no vehicle is detected in range, and gets filled in white when there is a vehicle in front in range that it might need to do something about.

If you want to not slow down as you approach the back of a slower vehicle you can simply press the accelerator to get your desired speed and override the slowing down by regen that the ACC would normally do.

[AndyInOz]

Thanks for the info. How has yours held up over the years - it's a 2014? Is the electric range still good?

And how about fuel economy on long drives? That is my biggest concern because I keep reading how the Outlander uses a lot of gas once the battery runs out...but is there a way to getting decent mpg on long trips by driving it a certain way?

Mine still looks and feels like a new car, albeit with two tiny dings that I inherited.

I'm not sure how the range is holding up. I noticed when I jumped in yesterday it was showing 38 km range,
but the guess-ometer is notoriously hit and miss because it is based on your driving behaviour up to that point.

Note also that I've only just gone over 30,000 km so my car is getting very mild usage.

There are two main determinants on long range fuel consumption:

(a) speed - consumption increases very rapidly as speed increases, if you want to maximise range don't exceed 60 mph/100 kph,

(b) brakes - lots of forum members have reported that their range plummeted when their brakes started to stick in the 'on' position. If you notice a sudden change in range have the brakes inspected.

Overall, highway range has been comparable for me, to my previous tiny four cylinder car, much better than I'd expect from a soft-roading brick.

[Carmageddon]

I bought mine 2019 GT at the end of May 22 with ~44k km on the odometer from Montreal.
Its now almost 60k km, I am charging with Level 2 charger at home daily, sometimes twice a day and try to stick to EV driving as much as I can.

The car is great value for money, but there are some things that annoy me very much and you would have to live with:

• It never remembers your EV priority setting, always have to go through the same routine of Start->EV button -> Brakes off-> Autohold On -> Shift to Drive -> Shift twice for B5 (max regen braking) - every single damn time! The alternative is twice more expensive Tesla..
• As temperatures plummeted, I noticed that it turns on the engine even when I start with full battery! after a while it shuts down and uses the battery, I get around 4L/100km average on such occasions - still beats my cold started Hyundai Kona 2L doing over 10 l/100km on similar conditions and commute. It just makes me mad the computer overrules my choice for no reason, how can it charge a charged battery, I am not sure..
• Towing capability of the 2019 motor peaks at about 2500 pounds on the steepest hill I could find in Halifax, testing with a trailer from stop, on a hill - it couldn't tow upwards... 2023 should be about 50% more powerful. I also towed the trailer from Halifax to PEI over the summer - at that particular drive, the stupid computer decided to ignore me pushing the "Charge" button, and discharge the battery before revving up the engine to recharge - its fine on level highway going 110-120km/hr, until you hit longer uphill climb, and then it couldn't generate enough electricity to pull 3000 pounds load - the car started slowing down to about 70km/hr until the uphill section was over, then went back to 110. During that period, the 110v AC power was unavailable to keep charging kid's tablets for example.
  On that drive, when I stopped to refuel I opened the hood - and it was boiling hot! even the support stick to hold the hood was too hot to touch.. I don't think that's normal... I don't know, it keeps working fine after I returned that rented trailer.
• The remote stuff is not ideal and doesn't work as seamless as in Tesla, my phone app stopped connecting, and I guess I will have to re-link it and my wife's phone, and then test the pre-warming stuff again (will update if I don't forget)
• My estimated range oscillates between 26 to 31 km or predicted range, it seems dependant on how long it's been fully charged, if it only recently fully charged, usually would show more km, and if it's been all night charged, would show less. I am not sure at what point a warranty claim on the battery is warranted..
• Have to get into the routine of plugging it always, every day at home, and any other free chargers in the city to get the most savings - it gets tedious, compared to Tesla you'd do it once a week and forget about it. Its not fun sitting down in the driver's seat, and remembering you forgot to unplug it.. If you don't do that routine, you wont save maximum using EV range.
• I am not very impressed with the plastics interior building quality - lots of loose parts, compared to my 19 Hyundai Kona for example, but it could be because of previous use, I don't know... eg: bolt covers on rear seat occasionally come loose and have to be snapped back in place.

Overall, those are small gripes, and only because there's a better toy around to compare which sets a very high bar - Tesla.
If you don't compare to that and calibrate your expectations, the car is a very good value for money! Very reliable, economical and fun to drive with the instant torque when needed! Also driving regular gas cars after a week of driving this one, feels like riding a 19th century car that's rattling, and has wooden tires with no suspensions.. feeling the engine and transmission vibrations..
I am never going back to gas cars for sure, and personally I am waiting for the Cybertruck, with the Outlander PHEV a reasonable value for money to tide us over until then..


I hope that helps!

[ontheroad]

Thanks for all the details, it's very helpful info. I won't be towing anything and I'm not too bothered by the cheaper interior quality (as long as the faux leather seats look nice and are comfortable. But 26-31 km of electric range is a bit concerning because my wife's daily commute is nearly 50 km. I was hoping I'd get close to that on a fully charged battery during the warmer months and then maybe 25 km during the winter.

How many L/100 km do you typically get on long distance drives? I know the specs state 9 L/100 km but I'm hoping it can do better than that with some skillful use of the hybrid features - EV charge then use EV only, then charge some more, etc....

And will it stay in EV mode at high speeds (110-120 km/h)?

Thanks!

[AndyInOz]

Hmm... I'll chip in where I can...

I haven't checked the overall usage on long trips, so can't comment on that.

With my car, at speeds above 80km/h the car will automatically go into parallel mode, with the engine providing charge for the electric motors (and battery if space available) and directly driving the front wheels.

I don't know if that behaviour can be turned off with newer models.

One other thing I forgot to mention.

I think the manual recommends that the tyres be inflated to 38 psi, on my car, that resulted in the tyres showing the "under inflated" wear pattern.

When I bought new tyres, the provider weighed the car and recommended that I keep the tyres at 41 psi.

It has been suggested that 38 may have been recommended for a more comfortable ride, but I haven't noticed a change in comfort.

The steering seems lighter when the tyres are inflated to 41 though.

I'm fairly sure that 'hyper-milers' inflate their tyres to a higher pressure to reduce rolling resistance, so it's probably something to keep in mind.

Since I'm rarely at a petrol station, I purchased an oil-free compressor and a third-party tyre pressure monitoring system.
That give me a real-time display of tyre temperature and pressure on the dashboard. (small device stuck on the dash mat)

[Daixiwen]

About the cheap prices.... When I bought mine (a 4 years old model 2016) there were a lot of PHEVs of that age on the market because there is a big and expensive service that must be done at 4 years, and some owners want to get rid of their car before that. I negotiated with the dealer for a free service if I bought the car (or rather that the service was included in the sales price )
I know that Mitsubishi doesn't have the same service schedule in Canada and Europe, but it may still be a good idea to ask about that before you buy the car, it could be one of the reasons why you can find so many cars at reasonable prices.

[ontheroad]

Thanks for the heads up but can you please tell me what this big expensive service requirement is (and how much it costs)? And why is it necessary? I assume it's related to the warranty, which is another concern of mine - for the warranty to remain valid, does all of the car's servicing need to be done at a Mitsubishi dealership?