Compare the2022 Hyundai Tucson Plug-In HybridVS 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Limited has standard Reverse Collision-Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid has a standard Blue Link, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a GPS response system, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid and the Outlander PHEV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the general design of front seat head restraints for their ability to protect front seat occupants from whiplash injuries. The IIHS also performs a dynamic test on those seats with “good” or “acceptable” geometry. In these ratings, the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid with leather seats is safer than the Outlander PHEV:

(Lower numerical results are better in all tests.)

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 73 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Outlander PHEV is not even a standard “Top Pick.”

The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s 7 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Outlander PHEV runs out after 100,000 miles.

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mitsubishi doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Outlander PHEV.

There are almost 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Mitsubishi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Outlander PHEV’s camshafts. If the Outlander PHEV’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid second among compact SUVs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Outlander PHEV isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 15 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is ranked 13th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 14 places higher in reliability than Mitsubishi.

The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 40 more horsepower (261 vs. 221) than the Outlander PHEV’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid running on electricity gets better mileage than the Outlander PHEV running on electricity (87 city/74 hwy vs. 77 city/71 hwy MPGe).

On the EPA test cycle the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the Outlander PHEV running its gasoline engine (35 city/35 hwy vs. 26 city/26 hwy).

The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s maximum driving range in pure electric mode is 31 miles, 29% further than the Outlander PHEV’s 24-mile range.

For better stopping power the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Outlander PHEV:

For better traction, the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid has larger tires than the Outlander PHEV (235/55R19 vs. 225/55R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid has standard 19-inch wheels. Only 18-inch wheels are available on the Outlander PHEV.

The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Outlander PHEV’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s wheelbase is 3.4 inches longer than on the Outlander PHEV (108.5 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid is 3 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear than on the Outlander PHEV.

The front grille of the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid has 6.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Outlander PHEV (108.2 vs. 102.1).

The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid has .5 inches more front legroom, 1.9 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 1.6 inches more rear legroom and 2 inches more rear hip room than the Outlander PHEV.

The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume than the Outlander PHEV with its rear seat up (31.9 vs. 30.4 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Outlander PHEV’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

When two different drivers share the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Limited, the memory seats make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer memory seats.

The power windows standard on both the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid and the Outlander PHEV have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Outlander PHEV prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Outlander PHEV only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Outlander PHEV’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid has standard extendable sun visors. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Both the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid and the Outlander PHEV have standard heated front seats. The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Limited also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Outlander PHEV.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

To direct the driver from any location to a given street address, a GPS navigation system is standard on the Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Limited. The Tucson Plug-In Hybrid’s navigation system also has a real-time traffic update feature that offers alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer a navigation system.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Outlander PHEV doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Hyundai Tucson outsold the Mitsubishi Outlander by almost six to one during the 2021 model year.