What’s So Super About the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV’s Super All-Wheel Control?

Mitsubishi is quick to brag its Outlander PHEV has the most EV cred in the growing plug-in-hybrid compact crossover segment that includes the Toyota RAV4 Prime. For starters, it’s the only one among its peers that can fast-charge its battery pack. That battery provides power to a two-motor powertrain that looks and operates a lot like an EV’s when the gas engine isn’t running. The front and rear motors combine to give the Outlander PHEV all-electric all-wheel drive capability, but one of the most advanced AWD systems, period according to Mitsubishi.

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We tested this claim on the icy and snowy grounds of the ICAR facility outside of Montreal after an hour-long drive that allowed us to get reacquainted with the Outlander PHEV. With front and rear motors making a healthy 114 and 134 horsepower, respectively, the Outlander PHEV can run as an EV in nearly every situation as long as the battery is charged. A 132-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine primarily runs to provide juice to a 20.0-kWh battery pack, but it can also propel the front wheels when needed. This approach is fundamentally different than nearly all other plug-in hybrids, which send more power to the front axle and often deliver it directly from the gas engine to the wheels.

An icy skidpad at ICAR highlighted how the Outlander PHEV’s Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) system combines hardware and software to influence the crossover’s agility. After a few laps running the course in Normal mode, we switched to Snow mode where S-AWC really showcased its abilities. Here the system heavily leans on the rear power bias and brake-based torque vectoring system. Since that rear motor has no mechanical linkage to the front axle, its responses are quick and immediate. There was noticeably less understeer and we were able to navigate the skidpad 5-7 mph faster than in Normal mode.

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The exercise was also a good reminder that tires are often the unsung hero to winter driving. After starting with test vehicles fitted with standard Nexan Roadian GTX all-season tires, we were able to sample Outlander PHEVs with Yokohama BlueEarth Winter V906 tires. Not surprisingly, the winter tires made it possible to drive faster and with more confidence.

In an ideal world we would've had the opportunity to drive the Mitsubishi back-to-back with competitors like the RAV4 Prime and the Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid, but that wasn’t meant to be. Instead, Mitsubishi engineers took our test cars and replaced Eco drive mode with a custom mode that derated the rear electric motor and leaned heavily on the front motor. In this setup, traction control constantly and drastically cut power to keep the Outlander pointed in the right direction, and speeds were much lower than in Snow mode and even with S-AWC in its Normal setting.

Driving on snowy or slippery surfaces can be intimidating and stressful, but proper tires and an effective all-wheel drive system can strengthen your confidence and even make it fun. Having gone through this exercise, we can now say with confidence that the Outlander PHEV with S-AWC is a truly capable winter daily driver.