ON THE INSIDE
O Not a shift paddle but a stalk for adjusting the level of engine braking-like battery regeneration.
O Clear display between the dials shows graphical status of battery charge and fuel tank level, plus the range you might get from each.
O No locking diffs, obviously, but the advantage of a driveline like the PHEV’s is that you can ask the electric motors to pitch in equally.
MULTIMEDIA SYSTEM The PHEV’s central multimedia display is one of the few places inside the Outlander where the hybrid’s operations are obvious, and where you can see and, to an extent, control what’s going on. Albeit quite slowly. The Outlander’s central display can be painfully sluggish to respond to inputs; it’s particularly recalcitrant from start-up, but always you’ll find yourself waiting on it. Still, once it has deigned to let you know what’s going on, the range of information it’s able to give you is really quite comprehensive. It is
62 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 16 APRIL 2014
admittedly hard to avoid the feeling that you’re being allowed to browse through a set of diagnostics that some software engineers have put together, rather than using a set-up as slick, intuitive and consumerfocused as the power display options found in the new BMW i3. With familiarity, though, you can navigate your way around everything. Better designed is the app you can download for a smartphone. It syncs with your Outlander and makes it possible to control various functions, such as managing its charging or firing up the climate control.