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Written by Richard Gooding
PHEV Diary
MONTH FOUR
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV The Outlander PHEV’s eco-conscience isn’t just for the city: this month Richard Gooding finds out that the countryside is another (almost) ideal environment for the SUV’s low emission side nature A change of scenery for the big grey Mitsubishi this month. Rather than low emission cruising through city and urban streets and stretching its battery-powered legs on the M25, this month the Outlander PHEV could be found low emission cruising among the bracken, hedges and leaf-lined tracks of Essex. Yes, I took it green-laning. Green-laning? A green lane is technically a road, but an unmade road. A vehicular right of way and quite often a challenging and mild ‘off-road’ track, green lanes criss-cross the countryside and offer owners of cars such as the Outlander a more demanding environment in which to drive, as well as a sense of adventure. Often unseen from major routes, these green-walled roads are – maybe obviously – traffic-free and the only other horse power you quite often find is that of the equine type. Countryside adventure AutoVolt magazine editor Jonathan Musk partnered me for our drive and after consulting the greenlanefinder.com and bywaymap.com websites and selecting two suitable-but-not-to-challenging routes, we set off for our countryside adventure. Fully aware of the Outlander’s more on-road capabilities and design, the first of our selected lanes presented a bigger challenge than the one we
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can be heard splashing through the muddy had bargained for. An uneven rut with a much puddles, slowly covering the car in brown deeper nearside track on the brow of a small liquid, and making it look a little less city-like. hill was judged impassable without the risk of damage to the hybrid Mitsubishi. So after Raised ride height a well-judged and directed long reverse back The third and final lane again, looked well to the start of the track, we moved onto the up to the Mitsubishi’s capabilities. With its next route. A shame, as the ford which was at raised ride height and SUV-style body, the the foot of the hill looked quite enticing... hybrid Outlander also has four-wheel After dismissing our original drive which can be locked on to second lane for being slightly provide even more traction too far away, its replacement The i h s when needed. A long way looked much more up i b Mitsu PHEV into the final track, we had the Mitsubishi’s ‘green’ r e d n a to call on it. Much like the street. Largely flat, with l t Ou urth o f unsuccessful first lane, a few undulations, the e h t is o t e l deep rut on the nearside Outlander handled it with c i h ve of the track proved ease. Never approaching plug-in ve sales e impassable and as the even the urban speed i h c a units Mitsubishi’s wheel sank 0 limit, we passed the 0 0 , 0 of 10 ldwide into the mud, we knew we leafy branches in almost were done for. I pressed the absolute silence. That’s the wor ‘Twin Motor 4WD Lock’ button main benefit of being in an in the centre console to increase the electric or part-electric car such as the all-terrain performance from the Twin Motor Outlander when in the countryside: wildlife is 4WD system, but to no avail – we were well undisturbed – we saw a brace of pheasants and truly stuck. Jonathan bravely stepped out who seemed unflustered by the slow-moving of the car and loaded the mud-filled rut with car – and farmers and other byway users are broken branches and logs but it still wasn’t more amenable, a fact we would appreciate enough. And with the farmer wanting to get a little while later… Also, with almost no through and go back down the track to where noise emanating from the car itself, the tyres
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