Mitsubishi’s new Outlander PHEV Reflex commercial vehicle has gone on sale in the UK with prices starting at £24,298 plus VAT.
Based on the same plug-in hybrid underpinnings as the passenger car, the Reflex Commercial uses a 2.4-litre petrol engine and two electric motors - one on each axle. Combined with a 13.8 kWh lithium-ion battery, the whole system allows an all-electric range of 28 miles and an official fuel economy of 139.7 mpg.
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At the same time, the four-wheel-drive SUV will get from 0-62 mph in 10.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 106 mph. More importantly, though, its low 40 g/km CO2 emissions make it exempt from the London Congestion Charge, and the hybrid technology makes it eligible for the government’s Plug-In Van Grant. That saving of £7,642 makes the £24,298 plus VAT asking price possible.
For that money, Mitsubishi says it is offering British businesses “the benefits of an ultra-low emissions vehicle for deliveries in urban areas and ULEV zones combined with the ability to cover longer distances non-stop when required”. More to the point, Mitsubishi is essentially offering a stripped-out version of the passenger car that has proved so successful.
With the rear windows blanked out and the rear seats removed, the Reflex Commercial offers a load space that measures 1.65 m in length. There’s a metre between the wheel arches, and that volume can be packed with up to 500 kg of - well - whatever will fit.
Further forward, those occupying the two front seats get alloy wheels, a rear spoiler and rear parking sensors, as well as automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers and heated front seats. A DAB digital radio and keyless starter button feature, too, alongside a dual-zone climate control system that can be programmed to heat or cool the vehicle in advance of a journey, using the electrical power from the plug instead of engine or battery power.
The arrival of this latest commercial version of the Outlander PHEV comes five years since Mitsubishi began selling plug-in hybrid commercial vehicles, with the original Outlander PHEV Commercial hitting the roads of the UK in 2014. Since then, the Japanese company has sold more than 550 commercial examples of the Outlander PHEV Commercial here in the UK.
The company claims the car, which quickly became one of the top-selling plug-in vehicles on these shores, is experiencing “growing” popularity in commercial guises, as small business users and government agencies “experience the real-world benefits of a plug-in hybrid commercial vehicle”.
Gallery: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Reflex Commercial