Nissan Dualis 2008 Review

Not so much
>> In-gear acceleration
>> Loose gear knob
>> Whistling mirrors

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.5/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.5/5.0
Safety: 3.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.5/5.0
X-factor: 3.5/5.0

About our ratings

This project commenced from 2003 and was, from the start, heavily reliant on computing power (computational fluid dynamics) for aspects of design and engineering that had traditionally been handled by manpower and hand-built prototypes.

But first, the hard part was convincing Nissan in Japan that the European design team could produce this sort of neither-fish-nor-fowl car that people would buy. The Japanese management were not easily convinced that a vehicle -- half car, half SUV -- would appeal to the market.

With hindsight, it's hard to understand the reluctance of management to go ahead with the project -- especially given Nissan in the US had embarked on a similar project in a slightly larger package, now launched in the North American market as the Nissan Rogue. Maybe that in itself was the stumbling block, two essentially similar vehicles being developed by the same company for different markets.

Whatever the reasoning, there was the precedent of the original Toyota RAV4, which encapsulated much of the same philosophy Nissan in Europe was proposing for the new car.

Given the green light, the European designers set about developing a vehicle that would feature the presentation and style of a compact SUV, but offer the onroad dynamics and fuel economy of a small car.

Built in Nissan's British plant at Sunderland, the Dualis/Qashqai has been on sale in Europe for nine months and has already sold over 100,000 units. It has a three-month waiting list in most countries, but a full 12-month order bank in Russia, which receives the Qashqai in the same 2.0-litre MR20DE-engined specification as we in Australia do.

In bringing the Dualis to market, Nissan has driven the car over 1.2 million kilometres of roads, subjected the car to 'monsoon' validation testing and crashed the car at speeds up to 80km/h without cabin intrusion -- comparing favourably with the 56km/h frontal barrier test that is the standard for NCAP.

In Australia, Nissan expects the majority of Dualis buyers to be aged between 30-49 years, with perhaps as few as 30 per cent of buyers being women. The company also expects to conquest sales from both the small car and compact SUV segments, with the high-spec Ti grade to account for approximately 60 per cent of all Dualis sales in Australia.

Unlike other markets, Australia will not see diesel, 1.5-litre petrol or 4x2 variants sold to consumers. Demand for the diesel models in foreign markets is beyond Nissan's ability to supply, without adding further demand from Australia.

Nissan Australia management has also expressed the concern that the diesel Dualis may be a comparatively slow seller in this market. [Ed: if your previous responses on the demand for diesels in small Nissans is anything to go by, Nissan Australian management is wrong.]

Pricing for the Dualis starts from $28,990 for the base ST model with the standard six-speed manual transmission. The CVT option adds a $2000 premium to the price, across the range, so the standard ST with CVT is priced at $30,990.

Standard equipment for all Dualis models comprises: dual front airbags; active front headrests; air-conditioning; reach and rake-adjustable steering column; 60/40 split-fold rear seat; a 14-litre refrigerated glovebox; cruise control; a full-size spare; two-stage indicators; seatbelt pre-tensioners and ABS/EBD with brake assist.

The base model features 16-inch steel wheels and full wheel covers; a four-speaker CD audio system; electric mirrors and windows; remote central locking; front cupholders and height-adjustable driver's seat.

Step up to the ST option pack and you add $2000 to the base Dualis. The pack comprises: 16-inch alloy wheels; side and curtain airbags; and dynamic safety aids such as VDC (stability program) Enhanced Understeer Control and Active Brake Limited Slip.

The canny among you will note the price of a manual Dualis ST with the option pack is the same as the CVT-equipped Dualis ST without. In a sense, there's a choice being offered there. Take the alloys and the extra safety features (airbags, stability control program, etc.) -- or take the convenience of the CVT.

Nevertheless, Nissan freely admits that 60 per cent of Dualis sales are likely to be the more expensive Ti model, priced from $33,990 for the manual -- and another $2000 for the CVT variant, $35,990.

The Ti is one with the lot, featuring front fog lights; rear centre armrest with cupholders; leather trim; heated front seats; leather-bound steering-wheel with remote controls for the audio, cruise control, Bluetooth phone connection and trip computer; aluminium trim highlights; a six-stack CD audio system with six-speakers; rain-sensing windscreen wipers; auto-on/off headlights; sliding centre console armrest and a storage tray under the front seats.

MECHANICAL
The Dualis has a lot in common with the latest X-TRAIL, but the crossover is approximately 100kg lighter and a bit smaller overall. The ride height and wheelbase are the same for both vehicles, but the Dualis's overall length is shorter and its overall height doesn't compare with the X-TRAIL's.

One specification of engine is fitted to Australian-delivered Dualis variants: a transversely-mounted 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder of all-alloy construction and featuring a 16-valve head.

The engine, coded MR20DE, develops 102kW of power at 5200rpm and 198Nm of torque, from 4400rpm. Nissan claims the engine will produce 90 per cent of the peak torque from as low as 2000rpm.

Fuel consumption figures (in combined cycle testing) are 8.4L/100km for the manual version and 8.5L/100km for the CVT version.

Torque is transmitted to the 'all mode 4x4' system by either the standard six-speed manual transmission or the optional CVT, which features six manually selectable steps.

Ratios for the manual box's first four gears are underdriven, and fifth and sixth are overdrive gears. The CVT's ratios range from 2.349:1 (low) to 0.394:1 (high), with a final drive ratio of 6.466:1 -- as opposed to 4.687:1 for the manual version.

The centre coupling employs electronically controlled multi-plate clutches to divert torque to the rear wheels on demand (in 'Auto 4x4' mode) or constantly (in 'Lock' mode).

Suspension comprises a multi-link system for the IRS and a MacPherson strut configuration at the front. Power assisted steering is the conventional rack and pinion type.

The tare mass (dry weight) ranges from 1429kg for the ST manual to 1477kg for the Ti CVT. Add approximately 22kg to the weight of the manual to establish the CVT variant's weight.

On the subject of weights, Nissan advises that the 4WD drivetrain components (the electronically controlled couplings, driveshaft, rear diff and rear axle shafts) contribute 75kg of the Dualis's all-up weight.

Towing capacities are 1400kg for the manual Dualis or 1200kg for the CVT models. A propensity for the CVT's oil to overheat under higher loads limits the self-shifting models' towing capacity accordingly.

For even light-duty offroad work, the Dualis is limited by the 19 degree approach angle, although the departure angle of 30 degrees and the rampover angle of 20 degrees are reasonable for a vehicle of this type. Wading depth is 450mm.

Unlike some cars, photos of the Dualis do it justice. It's attractive in the flesh just as it is in pictures. The neat styling is genuinely European, in a slightly conservative way.

The styling is deceptive, with the car looking larger than small cars, but with much the same footprint.

Being shorter overall than the X-TRAIL, but with the same wheelbase, the Dualis is lacking something in respect of rear overhang. Despite this, the luggage capacity is 1443 litres with the 60/40 split-fold rear seats lowered. In the raised position, the luggage capacity is just 352 litres -- there's not that much storage space in the truncated tail of the Dualis. With the IRS, the luggage compartment floor also sits quite high.

Headroom in the Dualis is surprisingly good, given the car's small car-packaging aspirations. Rear-seat legroom is plenty for kids and teens -- and will be more than adequate for all bar the tallest adults.

The rear of the Dualis is slightly 'pinched', which we presume helps aerodynamics, but leads to thick and stubby C/D pillars, which could compromise vision to the three-quarter rear, but we didn't experience any hassles while parking the car.

For similar reasons, the rear window is small and oval-shaped, with the rear parcel shelf set very high. The parcel shelf placement maximises the available luggage capacity with the rear seats upright, but the rear window is a concern. A small child could be easily lost from the field of view under the window.

The recessed handle for pulling the tailgate down has a grip oriented the wrong way. Users have to grip it with the palm of the hand facing away from the car, which might pose a problem for those with strain injuries to the wrist.

With the high ground clearance of the Dualis and the tailgate lifting high as well, the wrist is strained in two directions pulling the tailgate back down using this grip. At least it's on the correct (right) side of the tailgate.

Up front the seats proved to be comfortable and held occupants quite well. Nissan engineers had set themselves the priority of developing seats that offer a high level of comfort/support -- in the side bolstering in particular -- without significant detriment to ingress or egress.

Instruments and controls were generally easy to read and use -- even the rotary dial for the 4WD switch -- but the VDC button is tucked out of the way on the right of the steering column near the instrument lighting dimmer and not quickly accessible. There's an element of afterthought in the button's placement, possibly it would make more sense in an LHD configuration, with the button closer to the centre fascia, where the driver will focus attention much of the time. Even so, it could be placed better.

Similarly, the handbrake lever is closer to the front seat passenger and cupholders are closer to the driver, a typical issue with conversion from LHD to RHD layout.

Still, we're luckier with the Dualis than the Brits are. At least the location of the indicator stalk for our car is shared with the Japanese-spec Dualis, on the right side of the steering column.

By being a European Union-spec vehicle, even though the steering wheel is on the ride side of the cabin and the car is built in the same factory as Australian and Japanese cars, the British-spec vehicles have the indicator stalk on the left of the steering column.

To get there, it must make do without the side curtain airbags and all the tricky dynamic safety aids such as VDC (a stability program by a different acronym) and Nissan's Enhanced Understeer Control and Active Brake Limited Slip).

It does, however, provide dual front airbags; active headrests for the front seats; seatbelt pre-tensioners and ABS/EBD with Brake Assist.

For the money spent on the entry-level Dualis, you could buy a small car that has a stability program and side curtain airbags, if you don't mind not having the high ride or four-wheel drive.

Based on Nissan's forecasts though, it's very unlikely they'll sell many units of the Dualis ST and, in fact, the added safety of the ST Option Pack models provides sales leverage to talk a buyer into the more expensive model.

In respect of primary safety, we found the Dualis's steering and brakes to be up to the job. Traction control, ABS and stability program aids were fairly unobtrusive and the stability program can be disabled for offroad work. We didn't really have an opportunity to test this out for ourselves.

We would reiterate remarks above, concerning rear visibility and small children below the windowline of the Dualis, at the rear of the car.

COMPETITORS
Nissan doesn't see any direct competitors for the Dualis, but in spite of its 'foot-in-each camp' crossover status, we actually felt the Dualis was less car-like than the current Subaru Forester. The Forester starts out priced higher than the Dualis and is due for replacement in coming months, so its Dualis-rivalling status is in a state of flux.

If you can do a deal with your Subaru dealer on a soon to be superseded Forester, pricing could bring it within cooee of the Nissan's.

One other car that is nominally a compact SUV, but is a crossover without the benefit of four-wheel drive is the Hyundai Tucson City. Front-wheel drive only, the Hyundai has the high driving position that is all that many people want from an SUV. To that extent, the Tucson City could be a more affordable option for Dualis buyers.

Although the Dualis is on a par or betters some small cars in terms of fuel economy, we can't imagine many buyers cross-shopping a small car against the Nissan.

The best small cars offer better straightline performance and better dynamics -- although the Dualis's cornering and general dynamics are of a pretty high standard for a compact SUV. Also, small cars are generally cheaper than the Dualis, for any given specification.

ON THE ROAD
The best way to summarise the Dualis is to put it this way: it's a vehicle with limited compact SUV offroad competence and presence, light car performance and luggage capacity, small car fuel economy and on-road dynamics.

We would probably prefer that it had light car fuel economy and small car performance, but with compact SUV weight, that was never going to happen.

In the car's defence, we were recording an average fuel consumption of approximately 8.5L/100km for the manual, but that was mostly on open roads and with very little stop/start driving.

It's a respectable figure, but given the more benign driving environment during the launch, it's not leading edge economy.

The Dualis impresses with its onroad dynamics. While the driver is certainly aware of the car's stature, it never feels roly-poly in the bends. The roadholding at open-road speeds placed it fair and square in the middle of the small car segment -- not as good as the best cars in that segment, but surprisingly good for a car with a higher centre of gravity than most.

Handling was consistent and the steering offered enough feel. With a turning circle of 10.6m, the Dualis is only marginally behind Nissan's own Tiida small car (10.4m). Certainly, the Dualis feels quite manoeuvrable in tight parking situations.

The Dualis rides comfortably and Nissan's engineers have done well striking a balance between the ride and handling.

We did briefly take the Dualis along a sandy track during the course of the launch. Whilst the Dualis coped with the sand up to a point, we obviously wouldn't take it as far as drivers in LandCruisers and Patrols were doing.

In sand that was about as deep as the lowest point of the wheel rim, the Dualis was struggling in 2WD (on road tyres, too, remember), but managed to plough on a bit further through the sand once Auto mode was selected. This sort of sand is not deep by 4WD standards and that also needs to be born in mind.

Auto mode worked seamlessly and was quick to snag rear-wheel-drive traction as soon as the going began to be a bit tough. While we didn't really have the opportunity to compare the benefits of the locked mode, we do not doubt that that would further enhance the Dualis's offroad grip to a significant degree.

Once again, however, that would be within the relatively limited confines of soft-road travel. One issue that was relatively apparent in the sand was that the Dualis' engine lacks torque for dragging the vehicle across this sort of terrain.

Nissan does have a diesel variant available in Europe and that engine develops 300Nm of torque. As it is, with the 2.0-litre petrol engine the torque available at or above the torque peak (4400rpm) is not an irresistible surge for in-gear acceleration (as in when overtaking).

It is a quiet and refined engine, however. When it's working harder, it's not exactly ice-cream for the ears, but it is willing to rev without any 'fingernails across a blackboard' moments.

There's enough torque across a broad range to allow drivers the convenience of just lazily driving off from a standing start, but the engine will also happily rev to higher speeds without the driver getting bored. The engine itself is pretty fit, but it's lugging around a fair amount of weight for an engine displacing just two litres.

Nissan claims the X-TRAIL's 2.5-litre engine won't fit in the Dualis's engine bay, since the larger engine is too wide (in an East/West orientation) and too high, leaving insufficient room under the bonnet for pedestrian safety.

In general, the 2.0-litre engine combines well with both the six-speed manual and the CVT. The manual box offers a shifter that is light and easy to use, but sounds just a tad clunky and cheap. On two separate occasions, the gear knob actually came off in the driver's hand, during down-changes.

Nissan has tweaked the CVT, which adjusts engine speed upwards as the car accelerates, to overcome the perception that the car is slow. The kickdown détente for the CVT works well mostly (more here) and the sequential shift facility proved quite responsive and useable.

Whilst the CVT provides six programmed steps for manual selection, the engine braking when the CVT transmission is in auto mode continuously varies the ratios without recourse to the programmed steps, always providing optimum engine braking on the overrun. This is handled by software.

As an environment, the Dualis is a quiet and relaxing place to be, but at times, even on high-friction bitumen and in a straight line, there was noticeably more drivetrain NVH accelerating in Auto 4x4 mode than in 2WD mode. In those circumstances, there should be no significant need for the rear wheels to be driven anyway, so the added drivetrain noise is hard to explain.

On the subject of noise, whistling from the external mirrors was noticeable at higher speeds and the rear seat rattled and thumped over bad corrugations.

On balance, the Dualis meets its targets. It makes for a competent small car, although pricing is steep. On the other hand, it's a budget-price SUV for those who aren't too concerned about going offroad in rugged terrain.

Beyond the pricing issue, it's a comfortable, composed, practical -- and stylish -- car that is one of the better 'daily drivers' available.

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