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Chuckalicious

Member Since: 23 May 2014
Location: Midlothian
Posts: 1701

2014 Freelander 2 SD4 SE Auto Santorini Black

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV First Impressions

So. I posted a few days ago that I was looking to change my car. In December last year I sold my ageing 2010 Freelander 2 (which I loved, but was slowly failing any way it could) and was gifted (yes) a gorgeous late 2019 Discovery Sport with very low miles.

The Discovery Sport was, in comparison to my GS FL2, heaven. Like a luxury hotel, with an automatic gearbox. As others have said, other FL2 trims were far more luxurious and more in line with the DS. The DS was lovely to drive, lovely to be in and lovely to look at it.

But it broke. Quite a lot. Then the oil change messages came up. I then realised I could not humour Land Rover any more and was so tired of reliability issues, I decided to jump ship and sell or trade the DS in for something (sniff), non-LR.

Long story short, I opted for a brand new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Dynamic. It was literally a swap of keys and paperwork. New car didn't cost me anything and was worth what WBAC would have given me for the DS after I had had it serviced.

So, onto the OL. My neighbour has a 2018 model and is very pleased with it. It has an electric range of between 20 and 30 miles on a full charge depending on how you drive. Mine also has a 2.4l petrol engine for when required. So you're never going to be stuck.

Exterior, the OL isn't a pretty car as such. It looks chunky and fairly old school (which it is, it's been about since 2014) but to me seems like you wouldn't be too scared to get it mucky and a bit battered. I couldn't bring myself to do that to the DS.

Click image to enlarge

Inside, the OL is more Executive Holiday Inn and the DS more an upmarket Hilton or boutique hotel. The OL has leather seats. Comfy. Not quite as comfy as the DS. Not quite as classy leather feeling as the DS. But nice. The trim materials are nice. Not as nice as the DS, but still nice, minus the faux carbon fibre (why Mitsubishi???)

Driving position is actually really good. The car has a similar ground clearance to the DS and I am really comfortable and find I have a great view, which is something I assumed was fairly unique to LR.

The OL randomly does not have parking sensors. This threw me. Reversing camera, but you need to be quite a few trims high to get parking sensors. Odd. But it has blind spot warning and rear cross traffic sensors, which is handy.

But, the biggest change is the mindset. In the DS I was aware my short commutes to work were not ideal. I knew it needed the odd long run. Plus, from past experience I knew it was going to break. For the mileage I was doing, I was getting between 25 and 30mpg, according to the trip. It didn't really bother me at first because the car was a joy to drive. But as the shine wore off and the dealer visits went up, the knowledge that this wasn't the right car for me was getting clearer. Hence the change.

So far, the OL has proved fairly true in its range predictions. I can get 2-2.5 full commutes on a single charge. That costs about £1.30. I also did a run to somewhere that was 10 miles away, much of it dual carriageway between 60-70mph, petrol engine never came on, and I got there and back, with AC on and stereo blaring, with 6 miles left on the battery. It made me realise how far 20-30 miles actually is.

That same 10 mile drive there and back was gonna cost roughly £3 in diesel at a realistic mpg, and it only cost £1.30 in electricity. That's a fair saving.

Plus, it drives really nicely. Superbly smooth on electric. Just as smooth on petrol/hybrid, just a bit noisier. It's also a lot more responsive than I was expecting. Reviews say it is sluggish, slow and dull to drive, but I disagree. It's not a sports car, but it is as lovely, possibly more so, than my D150 DS. It'll shift if you want it to.

Practicalities wise, you need somewhere to charge it. I have a driveway, so installed a new external socket to charge from using the included "granny charger", which takes 4-5 hours for a full charge. But you plug it in at night and it's done by morning. Won't work for everyone but it's spot on for me so far.

It has 2 charging options - a type 1 connector for fairly slow charging and a ChaDeMo (I think) socket for the really fast chargers. My work car park has those chargers and it did indeed charge the car in 20 minutes, but also cost me £2, so not as cost effective.

Most other public chargers use a Type 2 connector, so youll need an adapter cable to use them. Not a huge deal, but about £100 more to invest if you plan on charging on public chargers.

As it's 4 wheel drive, with instant torque, my neighbour commented his made short work of the snow we had over the winter. I saw it in action and was impressed. This is something I genuinely need where I live so was a big factor in choosing this car.

Now, the downside is that Mitsubishi are in the process of pulling out of new car sales in the UK and largely Europe, and even then only working with Renault and Nissan. There is a chance service locations will be a little harder to come by, I do appreciate that, but the ones local to me are long standing dealers who plan to (at the time of writing) continue to provide all Mitsubishi work for the foreseeable future. I am fairly comfortable with this situation.

So far, if the car proves to be reliable and trustworthy, I would hopefully see myself drive this car for a long period to come. Electric, for most people, I think, really is the future. Dramatic I know, but it really does work. Learned to drive in 2011.
Bought a Micra - great little car
"Upgraded" to Kia Sportage - hated it
Proper upgrade to FL2 TD4 GS 60 reg Facelift - tailgate paint issues, fuel gauge rewire, transfer box failure at 36k miles, clutch at 60k
Reconditioned diff at 70k ish
Sold at 84k and now on a DS. Terribly unreliable.
Sold DS for a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Fingers crossed....
Sold Outlander for a 2014 SD4 SE Tech because I’m mental

13th Jul 2021 8:56 pm

Bobupndown

Member Since: 26 Dec 2014
Location: Upside down behind the TV!
Posts: 2652

2014 Freelander 2 SD4 GS Auto Orkney Grey

Interesting review, please continue to provide updates on your ownership experience. Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

2014 Orkney grey Freelander SD4 GS.
2004 Zambezi silver Discovery 2 Td5 (Gone)
1963 Surf blue Morris Mini Minor Super de Luxe (my little toy)

13th Jul 2021 9:54 pm

Chuckalicious

Member Since: 23 May 2014
Location: Midlothian
Posts: 1701

Will do 👍👍 Learned to drive in 2011.
Bought a Micra - great little car
"Upgraded" to Kia Sportage - hated it
Proper upgrade to FL2 TD4 GS 60 reg Facelift - tailgate paint issues, fuel gauge rewire, transfer box failure at 36k miles, clutch at 60k
Reconditioned diff at 70k ish
Sold at 84k and now on a DS. Terribly unreliable.
Sold DS for a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Fingers crossed....
Sold Outlander for a 2014 SD4 SE Tech because I’m mental

13th Jul 2021 9:55 pm

Smallmankey

Member Since: 28 Jan 2017
Location: Bridgend
Posts: 199

2013 Freelander 2 SD4 XS Auto Mauritius Blue

Thanks for the little review, look forward to updates over time.
An OL is something I've considered as a future replacement for my FR2 so interested to hear how you find it.
Thanks Andrew

13th Jul 2021 10:22 pm

IanMetro

Member Since: 11 Sep 2017
Location: Somerset BS21
Posts: 2772

2014 Freelander 2 SD4 Metropolis LE Auto Fuji White

Thanks for your review.

Please keep us posted as you venture onto longer journeys.

One question, were your DS problems diesel related? I am interested as I am keeping my eye on DS PHEV prices, and wondered if the DS problems were deeper than the effects of fuel/oil dilution. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 76k+ miles) (MY2015)

13th Jul 2021 10:58 pm

Chuckalicious

Member Since: 23 May 2014
Location: Midlothian
Posts: 1701

No, the problems were failed sensors, all traction control and traction modes being unavailable in cold weather and then both rear discs and pads causing judder under breaking at 7000 miles and LR refusing to suggest there could possibly be an issue that might cause both rear discs to need replaced at 7k. This was even when there was an open JLR case from 2016 onwards about this exact issue, but I was told my car wasn't included under that.

I just didn't want to argue any more. Learned to drive in 2011.
Bought a Micra - great little car
"Upgraded" to Kia Sportage - hated it
Proper upgrade to FL2 TD4 GS 60 reg Facelift - tailgate paint issues, fuel gauge rewire, transfer box failure at 36k miles, clutch at 60k
Reconditioned diff at 70k ish
Sold at 84k and now on a DS. Terribly unreliable.
Sold DS for a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Fingers crossed....
Sold Outlander for a 2014 SD4 SE Tech because I’m mental

14th Jul 2021 6:38 am

pinhead

Member Since: 12 Nov 2013
Location: yorkshire
Posts: 108

As a tesla and freelander owner I have looked towards the outlander as a freelander replacement too but as yet not jumped so thank you for the review
If you are using the battery quite a bit can I recommend an energy tarrif with cheap overnight rates for this exact purpose
My wife's commute in the tesla is 100 miles a day so it's using quite a bit of electricity
I have switched to octopus energy GO tarrif and get 4 hours at 5p a kwh and that includes vat
The plus side of this is the day rate is also very competitive against most normal tarrifs in Yorkshire anyhow I have got my electric cost in the tesla down to about 1.5p a Mile in summer and 2p a mile in winter and have so far after 3 years still not had to pay any more per month than I did with my previous supplier that at the time was the best according to the comparison sites when I signed up and all I have done is try shift a little use like the dishwasher and washing machine on a timer to use cheap rate

Here is a referral link that gets us both some money on our account if you use it

http://share.octopus.energy/funny-star-834

Last edited by pinhead on 14th Jul 2021 7:32 am. Edited 1 time in total

14th Jul 2021 7:11 am

Chuckalicious

Member Since: 23 May 2014
Location: Midlothian
Posts: 1701

Thanks for the tip. I did some calculations based on my current tarrif and the OGO one and it'd only save about £50 a year assuming I only ever charged overnight as much of our usage cannot be moved to overnight. Plus the OL has a small battery so it's not as helpful as say a fu EV vehicle in charging costs. Learned to drive in 2011.
Bought a Micra - great little car
"Upgraded" to Kia Sportage - hated it
Proper upgrade to FL2 TD4 GS 60 reg Facelift - tailgate paint issues, fuel gauge rewire, transfer box failure at 36k miles, clutch at 60k
Reconditioned diff at 70k ish
Sold at 84k and now on a DS. Terribly unreliable.
Sold DS for a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Fingers crossed....
Sold Outlander for a 2014 SD4 SE Tech because I’m mental

14th Jul 2021 7:15 am

Deafender

Member Since: 09 Mar 2019
Location: Buckingham
Posts: 98

2009 Freelander 2 TD4 HSE Auto Zermatt Silver

Very interesting reading and a great review … the whole Hybrid/PHEV/All electric options are constantly on my mind at present due to a sudden change for me…

4 weeks ago I wasn’t bothered about it at all - My MY09 FL2 is ageing well having had an engine transplant 30k or so miles ago - it’s now at 145K miles and still economical, comfortable and quick enough for me when needed - but a once-in-a-lifetime job offer came at me unexpectedly and although a bit of a risk for me I’ve accepted it, complete with a 100 mile a day commute and other client-site travel- easily 25-30K miles per year.

So, I know already that it my FL2 will end up at around 170K miles after a year and that inevitably other bits will wear out and it will become less viable….however, we’ve had this FL2 for ten years and 125k miles of its present total, even with the engine transplant it owes us nothing. We had the same reservations about the Disco Sport without even owning one- so the plan is that my FL2 will become car two.

So what to use instead? I just don’t do depreciation and not buying new - especially with that mileage coming up - and the spectre of tax hikes to bully us all into electric is there too. So I am trying to balance the “risk” of a “wrong” choice against having a decent SUV for the commute.

The commute is good roads, I am averaging 45mph on the journey (they are a client of mine so I know it well) and I will be (mostly) travelling outside rush hours - so cruising rather than crawling - and the homework I’ve been doing tells me this is the least effective use of an EV for a start - the regenerative braking side is minimal on this route and range options for me are too limited on my budget. Something like the Lexus RX Hybrid is a 3.5 petrol, so it seems that the hybrid bit will be of less benefit than the norm in my case, plus a 3.5V6 doesn’t look likely to break 35mpg.

Sooooo, I have been left wondering why I wouldn’t just go and buy a another lower mileage Freelander… arguably it’s kicking the can down the road for a year or two, but the diesel fuel economy and SUV comfort are still winning me over… I will take a closer look at the Mitsubishi OT as well though…. Lexus RX450H - 500 mile a week commuter- I just couldn’t trust in a newer RRS or DS for that….
2009 Freelander 2 HSE... 155K miles, we’ve done 135k of those, has done brilliantly on the commute and staying firmly put as car two in the household
2002 Jaguar XK8 Coupe... fun, fast, ours for 12 years and owes us nothing - so staying with us too…

14th Jul 2021 7:25 am

Chuckalicious

Member Since: 23 May 2014
Location: Midlothian
Posts: 1701

To be honest I can't see the OL being that useful for you. I personally feel that so far it shines in the shorter journeys - school runs, short commutes etc, but has the ability to travel as far as you need it, when needed.

I believe the 2.4l petrol engine isn't the most efficient thing in the world, so I think you'd quickly lose any form of saving if you were hammering the engine all the time.

I would agree that for you an efficient diesel is the way to go.

Edit: if you had a free charger at your destination you could be onto a winner - you'd only use a small amount of engine driving each way. Learned to drive in 2011.
Bought a Micra - great little car
"Upgraded" to Kia Sportage - hated it
Proper upgrade to FL2 TD4 GS 60 reg Facelift - tailgate paint issues, fuel gauge rewire, transfer box failure at 36k miles, clutch at 60k
Reconditioned diff at 70k ish
Sold at 84k and now on a DS. Terribly unreliable.
Sold DS for a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Fingers crossed....
Sold Outlander for a 2014 SD4 SE Tech because I’m mental

14th Jul 2021 7:32 am

pinhead

Member Since: 12 Nov 2013
Location: yorkshire
Posts: 108

Deafender wrote:
Very interesting reading and a great review … the whole Hybrid/PHEV/All electric options are constantly on my mind at present due to a sudden change for me…

4 weeks ago I wasn’t bothered about it at all - My MY09 FL2 is ageing well having had an engine transplant 30k or so miles ago - it’s now at 145K miles and still economical, comfortable and quick enough for me when needed - but a once-in-a-lifetime job offer came at me unexpectedly and although a bit of a risk for me I’ve accepted it, complete with a 100 mile a day commute and other client-site travel- easily 25-30K miles per year.

So, I know already that it my FL2 will end up at around 170K miles after a year and that inevitably other bits will wear out and it will become less viable….however, we’ve had this FL2 for ten years and 125k miles of its present total, even with the engine transplant it owes us nothing. We had the same reservations about the Disco Sport without even owning one- so the plan is that my FL2 will become car two.

So what to use instead? I just don’t do depreciation and not buying new - especially with that mileage coming up - and the spectre of tax hikes to bully us all into electric is there too. So I am trying to balance the “risk” of a “wrong” choice against having a decent SUV for the commute.

The commute is good roads, I am averaging 45mph on the journey (they are a client of mine so I know it well) and I will be (mostly) travelling outside rush hours - so cruising rather than crawling - and the homework I’ve been doing tells me this is the least effective use of an EV for a start - the regenerative braking side is minimal on this route and range options for me are too limited on my budget. Something like the Lexus RX Hybrid is a 3.5 petrol, so it seems that the hybrid bit will be of less benefit than the norm in my case, plus a 3.5V6 doesn’t look likely to break 35mpg.

Sooooo, I have been left wondering why I wouldn’t just go and buy a another lower mileage Freelander… arguably it’s kicking the can down the road for a year or two, but the diesel fuel economy and SUV comfort are still winning me over… I will take a closer look at the Mitsubishi OT as well
though….

Don't worry about the need for re gen braking making it all more efficient that's just a bonus the most efficient way to drive is at a constant steady speed around 40 mph unlike an ice that is about 55mph
I would suggest with your use you find yourself a used model S with transferable free supercharging and switch your home electricity to octopus GO the saving in fuel over a freelander 2 in itself pay for the model S over a few years

There are other benefits of the electric drive train too
Little to no servicing as no oil to change etc and regen braking means discs and pads typically last well over 100k miles
No road tax
No congestion charges
Super relaxed drive autopilot is great on the motorway and duel carageways

Down sides
Sometimes it's less convenient for us this has happened about 3 times in 3 years so it's not a big thing
Charging infrastructure is still catching up so you have to plan a little and change your mindset a little

We do 24k miles a year in our tesla and hardly ever charge away from home as every single day you wake up with a full charge it's great

14th Jul 2021 7:43 am

Sidthecat

Member Since: 10 Sep 2017
Location: Sarf-East London-sur-Mer
Posts: 1632

2013 Freelander 2 SD4 HSE Auto Orkney Grey

Interesting read - I'm in that 'should we stick or change' situation with ULEZ rapidly approaching us in October. My problem is that we have no parking at home so no facility to charge - nearest points are at local retail park about 5 miles away
How we're all supposed to be going electric heaven only knows

14th Jul 2021 5:02 pm

Chuckalicious

Member Since: 23 May 2014
Location: Midlothian
Posts: 1701

And there's the issue. For everyone who does not have some form of secure parking, cannot charge their car. End of. It's not a solution for everyone. Yet, at least. Learned to drive in 2011.
Bought a Micra - great little car
"Upgraded" to Kia Sportage - hated it
Proper upgrade to FL2 TD4 GS 60 reg Facelift - tailgate paint issues, fuel gauge rewire, transfer box failure at 36k miles, clutch at 60k
Reconditioned diff at 70k ish
Sold at 84k and now on a DS. Terribly unreliable.
Sold DS for a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Fingers crossed....
Sold Outlander for a 2014 SD4 SE Tech because I’m mental

14th Jul 2021 5:18 pm

Sidthecat

Member Since: 10 Sep 2017
Location: Sarf-East London-sur-Mer
Posts: 1632

Perhaps rig a lead up from nearby lamp-post during the day when lights aren't on; who'd ever notice

14th Jul 2021 7:36 pm

Chuckalicious

Member Since: 23 May 2014
Location: Midlothian
Posts: 1701

Learned to drive in 2011.
Bought a Micra - great little car
"Upgraded" to Kia Sportage - hated it
Proper upgrade to FL2 TD4 GS 60 reg Facelift - tailgate paint issues, fuel gauge rewire, transfer box failure at 36k miles, clutch at 60k
Reconditioned diff at 70k ish
Sold at 84k and now on a DS. Terribly unreliable.
Sold DS for a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Fingers crossed....
Sold Outlander for a 2014 SD4 SE Tech because I’m mental

14th Jul 2021 7:37 pm

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