Millennial Mom’s Review: This Barbie car is a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

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Mattel has worked hard to make Barbie more inclusive, and over the years, the company has had some hits and a few misses. The Barbie line now includes more diversity than ever, and doesn’t entirely revolve around one disproportionate blonde female. That said, despite the ongoing efforts, that Barbie does still exist, and when Barbie is mentioned, I still think of that one particular doll — but maybe the new Barbie movie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Reynolds, will change that.

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But you’re probably wondering why I’m writing about Barbie on Driving.ca.

What does Barbie have in common with cars?

First of all, both the film and the auto industry have faced shortages. Albeit, the auto industry’s ongoing chip shortage affects a few more people than the pink-paint shortage reportedly caused by the Barbie movie.

Second, Barbie has been known to drive some pretty awesome (sometimes remote-controlled) cars. She has a convertible, an off-road vehicle, and let’s not forget about her campers, boats, airplanes — you get the idea. She’s fancy. In the new movie, Barbie drives a pink, electric Chevrolet Corvette. And according to the British AutoTrader, the movie has generated renewed online interest in pink Corvettes, as well as pink convertibles overall. People, whether they’re fans or not, are genuinely interested in the “Barbie movie car” and seem to be in the market — all of a sudden — for similar ones.

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I’m not driving one of those this week.

However, in keeping up with the modern times and being more inclusive, it’s about time we throw in a mix of different vehicles for Barbie and her friends to enjoy. Not everyone’s lifestyle can afford a Corvette.

If I was Barbie, my movie poster would probably say “This Barbie is a working Millennial mom of three.” To elaborate, a Corvette won’t comfortably fit my family of five, and I’m not quite ready to jump into an all-electric vehicle. But I’ll tell you what I would like, and that’s something simple, fuel-efficient, and ready to haul my family to school, groceries, and hopefully their grandparents’ house.

One vehicle in particular comes to mind when I think of something that could be inclusive of many Barbies and her friends. It’s the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

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C’mon, Barbie, let’s go party drop the kids off at school.

2023 Mitsubishi Outlander Canadian pricing

Ringing in at almost $60,000 with the destination fee, this tested Outlander is not a cheap SUV. But there are several things to consider here. It’s a PHEV — any kind of electrical component in a vehicle will ultimately push the price up a bit. Also, consider how much money you’ll be able to save in fuel costs (I’ll get back to this in a bit). It’s also important to note that this three-row SUV is actually more affordable than many others in the segment, and quite a few aren’t even hybrid.

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Which Outlander is right for you?

If you’re not considering a PHEV or hybrid vehicle, the Mitsubishi Outlander is also available as a plain ol’ ICE SUV that starts at $32,698; and tops out at the GT Premium trims that costs $42,998. Even that top trim comes in below the average of what people are spending on new cars these days.

For a plug-in hybrid, you’ll have to add a bit more, but it’s worth it if you think you’ll be able to take advantage of those fuel savings. The base Outlander PHEV starts at $46,538. The GT trim starts at $56,348. Its $900 two-tone paint, $700 Premium package that includes massage front seats, and the $1,650 destination fee bring the tested vehicle to $59,598. To save a bit of money, I could live without the two-tone paint and massage seats.

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There’s most definitely a Mitsubishi Outlander for every kind of Barbie (and Ken).

Fuel economy, range, and charging time

I never buy a Barbie at full price — there are always sales! Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way at the gas station, so you’ll need to be a little more careful about spending.

That said, there is an opportunity for some huge savings at the gas pumps. If used efficiently, you could go quite some time without needing to fill up the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, especially if most of your driving routine is local. With up to 61 kilometres on just electrons, there’s likely more than enough to get you back and forth to school pick-ups and drop-offs during the week.

If you’ve got range anxiety, despite there being a regular gas tank attached to it as well, then plugging it into a Level 2 charger nightly will bring you back to full charge in about four to six hours. Assuming you haven’t run it down to completely empty, even a standard household outlet (120V) should bring it back to life overnight — the Mitsubishi website states 16 hours total.

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Driving’s David Booth recently did some extensive range testing with the Outlander PHEV, concluding the three-row “regularly exceeds its official rating” by a few kilometres when driving in the city. And just like other EVs, that number drops on the highway or in cold-weather testing.

I didn’t take full advantage of the PHEV aspect, but instead took the Outlander on a drive to Niagara Falls — without charging it before I left. Here’s where things get a little bit complicated. The PHEV has an average fuel consumption of 3.6 Le/100 km, meaning it’s averaging the electric and hybrid/gasoline components, which assumes you’re generally using both, switching back and forth, as needed. When you’ve run out of electrons, David mentioned the hybrid vehicle should average 7.4 L/100 km; however, my observed average was quite a bit higher, at 9.0 L/100 km. That’s pretty much right on track with the ICE version’s combined highway and city average of 8.9 L/100 km.

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What are the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV’s competitors?

Many brands have tried to mimic the Barbie brand, but very few stand the test of time. No matter how many other dolls have entered the toy industry, Barbie remains a household name, and there hasn’t been a specific brand that has managed to come close to replacing it. Here’s where the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is most like Barbie, in the sense that it doesn’t have a whole lot of relevant competition.

There are a few SUVs that are PHEVs, but not many three-rows — and even then, not very affordable ones. The popular Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot can be thrown in there, but neither have PHEV options — what’s worse is the Pilot has a $4,000 higher starting price than the Outlander PHEV. There are quite a few five-seater SUVs that are PHEVs, such as the Toyota RAV4 Prime, but that’s not what we’re looking for. The all-new Mazda CX-90 is a six-seater PHEV, and while it seems to be going for a more premium feel, it’s not the greatest family vehicle.

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The Kia Telluride is one of my favourite three-row SUVs, but it has a starting price of $50,195 — that’s just the base model. The top trim, X-Pro, costs $62,795 before destination fees and taxes, and has an average fuel consumption of 11.4 L/100 km. I think I know where my hard-earned money is being spent — on Barbies and plug-in Outlanders.

The one vehicle that is truly the Outlander PHEV’s competitor is the Kia Sorento PHEV. Much like the Outlander, the 2023 Sorento has several trims that range from ICEs starting at $34,995; to hybrids; to the plug-ins that range from $46,995 to $56,395. That’s pretty much on par with the Outlander PHEV’s Canadian pricing. Both SUVs have limited third-row room, but that’s to be expected of a three-row SUV.

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Is the Mitsubishi Outlander a good family vehicle?

Yes, the Mitsubishi Outlander is an amazing family vehicle, especially for a family of four or smaller. For a family of five or more, it’s pushing it a little (and if you’ve read anything I’ve written before, then you probably know I’m going to say a minivan is the answer to all your problems). Barbie would have more than enough space to drive her sisters — Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea — around town.

The Outlander is an awesome family vehicle, but that third row is seriously limited in space. In general, three-rows make great family vehicles when that third row doesn’t need to be accessed at all times. If Barbie’s parents were also in the car, bringing the head count to six, then at least one family member would get pushed to the back. Scroll through the image gallery below and you’ll notice there’s not much legroom in the third row.

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In fact, there’s zero legroom if the second-row seats are pushed back. Based on Barbie’s disproportionate body parts, we know she has long legs — if she’s driving, the second-row passenger will need to push their seat back, meaning the third row will have no space. If I’m in the driver’s seat, then the passenger behind me has lots of legroom and space to move forward, which will definitely leave a bit of space for someone in the third row.

However, if you have three little kids, it’s important to note three big car seats definitely won’t fit side-by-side as the middle seat is fairly smaller than the outer ones. One of my kids is in a booster and she got stuck sitting in the middle when we needed access to a bigger cargo space, and chances are, you will often need access to more cargo space — typical of a three-row SUV. If you scroll through the image gallery above, you’ll find a series of pictures that show different arrangements of trying to fit a Heys luggage set into the trunk. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t work very well unless the third row is folded flat. If I could ask for one minor upgrade in the Outlander, it would be a 50-50 split folding third row. It gives more options for bigger families, much like the second row’s 40-20-40 split.

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Is it good for road trips?

Barbie has lots of friends, and I imagine they often take road trips (you know, the ones that don’t require a whole camper). The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV GT would be great for a group of four adults — two Kens and two Barbies, or maybe four Barbies, or any combination of friends — for a bunch of reasons.

1. It’s a really smooth drive. It has a 2.4L I4 that works with two front-mounted motors and one in the rear, making 248 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque. There’s standard all-wheel-drive across the Outlander lineup.
2. It isn’t overly large like some full-size SUVs. It can fit into fairly tight spaces with the help of the back-up camera that includes a 360-degree bird’s-eye view. At one point, the back camera got very dirty, and while you can still easily use the rearview mirror, the surround view still gave a pretty clear view of the area.

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The infotainment setup is pretty easy to use via the nine-inch centre display screen that has physical buttons (thank you, Mitsubishi) right below it to quickly get you to different vehicle settings. All that’s left to do is wirelessly connect to Apple CarPlay and queue up “Barbie Girl” on repeat.

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Final thoughts

It’s really hard to not have some biased opinions about the Barbie movie, especially when it has such an iconic reputation — I just hope the movie lives up to all the promotional hype it’s been getting. On the other hand, you know when you watch a movie with no previous expectations, and then end up loving it? Well, that’s how I felt about the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. It may not replace my need for a minivan, but it would be a great SUV for a smaller family or an awesome second vehicle for any family.

It may not be a pink Corvette, but the Outlander has the means to satisfy any Barbie, whether she’s an astronaut, doctor, athlete, teacher, auto journalist, Millennial mom, working mom, stay-at-home mom, or “just another Ken.”

Check out the latest Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV model. Click here for more Millennial Mom’s Reviews.