Mitsubishi declares that it rejects claims that it's MPG figures are misleading....

TMW THOUGHTS - We are all aware that the manufacturers do not give us correct numbers, this has been ongoing for decades, and we have just accepted it, and it is fun trying to get as high as you can, personally, I had a car that no matter how i drove it, it was so far wide of claimed, that after a few phone calls stating my case, the car was taken back.

I believe that there should be a set up like MIRA, where cars can be driven at their ideal speeds, for Urban and extra urban, and then you get a combined from that, the cars are driven on roads, properly, not in laboratories, not utilising various techniques to stretch out the MPG, just proper driving, by people not associated with the company.

That way, you get an independant report, with the numbers which were gained in a proper way, and I know that the manufacturers would all be up in arms, over it, as they would not be anywhere near the manipulated numbers, but at least the consumer can at long last get a proper figure, that they can achieve, and not some of these fairy tale numbers.

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A report published by WHICH? suggesting official MPG figures are ‘economical with the truth’ is rejected by Mitsubishi Motors UK. To measure a car’s official fuel consumption, manufacturers are required to use the New European Drive Cycle (NEDC) and to display the results from this test on all technical and marketing materials. 

Car makers agree that the current test is out dated. It was created in the 1970’s and takes no account of current plug-in hybrid technologies, but manufacturers are required by law to put every new model through it and to publish the results. 

Most manufacturers, including Mitsubishi Motors, make clear that the figures are for comparison purposes and are not intended to reflect what customers might actually achieve, as this will depend on many factors including driving style.

The official NEDC figure for the Outlander PHEV is 148 mpg. However, with average UK daily commuting distances the vehicle can achieve considerably more than this. Longer journeys may reduce this figure but the Outlander PHEV will still return impressive economy. 

Even the 67.3 MPG suggested by WHICH? is good for a large 4x4 SUV like Outlander.

Lance Bradley, Managing Director, said: ‘The current test regime for emissions and fuel consumption is outdated and does the industry no favours but the suggestion that we in some way are misleading car buyers is well wide of the mark and irresponsible.’

Mitsubishi Motors UK has always made real life MPG very clear in its advertising and printed material. At the Outlander PHEV’s launch several top motoring magazines all reported on the ‘refreshing honesty’ with which the company had presented its real life MPG expectations.