2021 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV Australia details revealed

This new SUV combines the best parts of petrol and electric cars to allow for zero emissions driving and stress-free road trips.

Mitsubishi is launching its new environmental warrior.

The Japanese brand has announced its Eclipse Cross plug-in hybrid SUV has landed Down Under, joining its larger Outlander petrol-electric sibling.

The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) blends a 2.4-litre petrol engine with a pair of electric motors on each axle and a 13.8kW battery.

The Eclipse Cross PHEV can drive up to 55km on pure electric power.

The petrol engine makes 94kW and 199Nm and the electric motors chip in 60kW/137Nm at the front and 70kW/195Nm at the rear.

This combination allows for up to 55km of EV range.

The battery can be charged in seven hours via a regular power point or 3.5 hours when hooked up to an AC home charger. A super fast DC charger can fill the battery to 80 per cent in about 25 minutes.

A petrol engine means you’ll never have range anxiety.

Regenerative brakes and the petrol engine can recharge the battery on the move, although the latter will drive up fuel use.

Mitsubishi is launching the Eclipse Cross PHEV in three grades: ES, Aspire and Exceed.

Prices start at $46,490 for the base ES, which is about $16,000 more than the regular petrol-powered ES version. The larger Outlander PHEV is priced at $51,990 drive-away.

The ES comes with goodies such as 18-inch alloy wheels, steering wheel mounted paddle shifters and an eight-inch touchscreen that is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The small battery can be recharged in a relatively short time.

Active safety is fairly basic – auto emergency braking and lane departure warning are standard.

Stepping up to the Aspire grade priced at $49,990 you get a range of luxury items and boosted safety.

There is faux leather and suede trimmed upholstery, heated front seats, an electronically adjustable driver’s seat and an upgraded eight speaker stereo.

Top spec models are well equipped.

Mitsubishi also adds vital safety equipment such as blind-spot warning, lane-change assist, rear cross-traffic alert and front parking sensors.

The top-spec Exceed will set back owners $53,990 and adds leather seat trim, a sunroof, heated steering wheel, satnav, head-up display and a number of styling tweaks.

Mitsubishi has also added the potential for the Eclipse Cross PHEV to send energy back to the grid or to power your house when the technology becomes legal in Australia in the near future. The battery in the Eclipse Cross PHEV is about the same size as a Tesla Powerwall home battery.

Mitsubishi covers its vehicles with a 10 year warranty/200,000km, but you need to get it serviced at a Mitsubishi dealer or it reverts to a five-year guarantee. All services over the 10 years are capped.

The brand backs the electric driveline and battery for eight-years/160,000km.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV officially goes on sale next month.