Yahoo Autos Fuel Economy and Driving Range
Fuel Economy and Driving Range Rating:
The Outlander lineup isn’t the most fuel efficient in this segment, but it does have the only plug-in hybrid, which can run solely on electricity. While the PHEV has a unique powertrain, its EPA estimates and real-world fuel economy are unimpressive. This also applies to the four- and six-cylinder versions.
Since we haven’t tested the four-cylinder on our fuel loop, we did not include it in these charts. But even with all-wheel drive, the four-cylinder Outlander, at 24 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, has equal or better overall EPA ratings than either its V-6 or hybrid siblings.
Fuel Economy Ratings Compared
Electric-Only Range
Because the Outlander PHEV is unique to this class, it has no competitors with an electric-only range. Its 12.0-kWh battery gives it 22 miles of combined city/highway range according to the EPA, but the gas engine provides backup when the juice runs out. In our real-world highway testing, the Outlander delivered an impressive 26 miles of electric-only range; electric vehicles usually don’t do well in this test due to the effects of aerodynamic drag and a lack of opportunities for regenerative braking.
We’ve devised our own fuel-economy test in an attempt to replicate how most people drive on the highway. Our procedure entails a 200-mile out-and-back loop on Michigan’s I-94 highway. We maintain a GPS-verified 75 mph and use the cruise control as much as possible to mimic the way many drivers behave during long trips.
While the Toyota RAV4 we tested missed its EPA highway estimate by 3 mpg, the Outlander GT underperformed by 4 mpg and had the lowest observed highway figure in this set. The PHEV was 2 mpg shy of its government rating, but hybrids are optimized for city fuel savings rather than for highway use. Still, several competitors saw upwards of 30 mpg in our testing. The PHEV did exceed its EPA highway electric range of 21 miles by five miles.
Test Results: Electric-Only Highway Range
Test Results: Highway Fuel Economy
The PHEV and the GT had the shortest and second-shortest highway range, respectively, among this set. Considering that the GT has a class-average 15.8-gallon fuel tank, its abbreviated range is less excusable than the PHEV’s, since the plug-in only can only hold 11.3 gallons of fuel.
Test Results: Highway Range
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