Some electrically powered cars – Tesla’s Model S and the BMW i3, for example – really go to town when it comes to interiors. They want you to know you’re in something quite different from the norm.
The Outlander PHEV, meanwhile, goes the other way entirely. Mitsubishi wants this to feel just like any other Outlander, with the electric element of it no more than a different powertrain – a third option after petrol or diesel. And therefore the PHEV’s interior is for the most part entirely unremarkable.
You get the same overall layout as in the regular Outlander – which means it won’t have you scribbling postcards home about any of the perceived material quality or stylishness.
It’s a functional, workaday interior of the old-fashioned Japanese kind, doubtless screwed together efficiently from components that pass quality control 999,999 times out of a million, but lacking in flair, panache and surprise and delight.
The front seats are a touch flat, but all our testers found them comfortable, while the rear accommodation is good. Cup/bottle holders remain in the boot, but in this case there’s no option for a third row of two chairs to join them.
