Nissan Dualis+2 Ti 2011 Review

Little stays still in the automotive arena. Still the darling of many new car buyers, the softroader, has recently spawned a sub-genre – the compact crossover.

Basically a size down from what is claimed by its maker to be the first softroader, Toyota's RAV4 (and other top-sellers such as Honda's CR-V and Hyundai's ix35), the newcomers are more car-like than ever and usually offer the choice of two-wheel drive or (part-time) all-wheel drive.

Nissan is in the box seat as this segment grows via its sub-X-TRAIL, the Dualis. Originally introduced in early 2008 as a smaller, lower-slung crossover that borrowed some driveline componentry from the first generation X-TRAIL, the Dualis was no more unwieldy in the parking lot than a regular small hatchback. And, of course, it offered buyers the choice of having, or not having, all-wheel drive.

At first sales were a little slow off the mark, but after a redesign and overall better product offer buyers are now flocking to the neat little crossover... To the point that, in the first two months of 2011, it was closing in on the X-TRAIL which currently defers only to Subaru's Forester, Holden's Captiva and Toyota's RAV4 in the compact SUV segment.

And now there's an additional Dualis – the Dualis+2.

With seven seats, a longer wheelbase and body (up 135mm and 211mm respectively), plus a slight jacking-up of overall height, the Dualis+2 delivers a bit more of (almost) everything yet only imposes a mild $2500 price premium over the regular Dualis.

In many ways it's a win-win entry into the space.

Although Nissan says there's around 100kg of extra weight, the actual specifications indicate it's barely any heavier than a regular Dualis – all partly confirmed by the closeness of the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures.

Comparing the Dualis+2 Ti AWD CVT tested here (CVT transmission is standard in all +2 models) with the current, CVT-optioned AWD Dualis II Ti, the specifications show there's a mere 5kg weight difference (1566kg compared with 1551kg). Tending to support this is the combined fuel consumption for the +2, quoted at 8.6L/100km compared to the smaller version's 8.4L/100km, while the CO2 figures are 203g/km and 199g/km respectively.

That's the figures. On-road reality tends to suggest something a little different, but we'll come back to that later.

Maybe surprisingly, it takes a keen eye to pick the Dualis differences. The regular version received a facelift in 2010 that carried over into the +2 so the visual clues are limited to detail and proportions of the side windows, the tailgate and the 135mm longer rear doors. The +2 might stand a bit taller (by 39mm) but it's virtually impossible to pick.

The easiest method of quickly determining the seven-passenger Dualis from the five-passenger version is the +2's unique Murano-style tailgate complete with an upraised centre section in the (deeper) back window, and the reprofiled rear bumper.

Despite the visual similarities, Nissan says there Dualis+2's body panels are different from the A-pillar back including even the front door frames.

Nissan has been able to shoehorn in that extra row of seats, which means a lot to those with small children and maybe others too -- because it makes the load area much bigger when they are folded out of the way. With a decent 550 litres (140 litres better than the regular Dualis) behind the centre seat with the third row folded, and as much as 1520 litres all seats down, the +2 presents a pretty big cargo space considering its size.

All seats, including the three-way split middle row, fold flat to form an entirely useful load area.

Loading the +2 is slightly easier too, with the tailgate opening increased from 962mm in the five-seater to 1186mm. Another plus is the reduced load height -- 770mm, 13mm lower than the regular Dualis.

The Dualis+2 might be smaller than an X-TRAIL but it still delivers the practicality expected by SUV buyers.

In terms of adult accommodation the Dualis+2 delivers more or less what you'd expect. The front seats (nicely trimmed with black leather and white piping in the Ti test car) come with adequate head and legroom even for taller passengers, while the back seat offers adequate if not sensational legroom. Pity Nissan couldn't apply the same dimensional rules that make its Tiida so sensationally spacious...

The legroom can be adjusted (affecting rear load space) by sliding the centre-row seats backwards or forwards. Adults can pretty much forget about the +2's third-row accommodation, however -- Nissan says the rearmost seats are designed for occupants less than 1.6 metres tall.

Dualis+2 Ti provides an attractive, well thought out interior. Even if it lacks the funkiness often associated with those aspiring to attract a younger demographic, the interior is nicely detailed and logically laid out, revealing the odd touch of class such as the massive glass roof, dual-zone climate control, leather-trimmed steering wheel and standard (across the Dualis range) Bluetooth connectivity. Nissan generally has interior presentation well sewn up and the Dualis+2 is no exception.

Standard Ti equipment also includes stability and traction control, Nissan's Active Brake Limited Slip Differential (ABLS), six airbags, rain-sensing wipers, 18-inch alloy wheels (with a space-saver spare), six-CD six-speaker audio, leather seats, cruise control, keyless start and entry and auto headlights.

On the road, the stretched Dualis shows evidence of its larger dimensions – in positive and negative ways.

On the plus side there's the subtle improvement that usually comes with a longer wheelbase. At 2765mm, the +2 is actually longer in this respect than the X-TRAIL and even Holden's Captiva (although it's a bit shorter overall than both), so the suspension takes better care of dips and bumps. The regular Dualis already rides pretty well, so the +2 can't help but make a positive impression on driver and passengers.

It steers well, too, helped along by suspension and steering revisions made to cope with the extra mass. The speed-sensitive rack and pinion system is nicely weighted to provide road feel without making a chore out of parking and goes from lock to lock in a handy 3.25 turns.

As with just about all on-demand all-wheel drive systems these days, the Dualis+2 segues from front-drive to all-wheel drive without fuss and generally without signalling anything to the driver.

The system offers front-drive mode only, or auto and lock modes. On auto, the car decides itself when any assistance is needed from the rear wheels while in lock mode it delivers power equally to all four wheels. Like the regular Dualis the +2, in either ST or Ti form, can also be had in front-drive form only.

On the Dualis+2's negative side is the overriding impression that the weight penalty is more akin to Nissan's around-100kg statement than the more optimistic figures provided in the data.

Although the engine is the same quiet and efficient all-alloy 2.0-litre used in the regular five-seater, producing a handy 102kW and an impressive-for-size 198Nm of torque (90 per cent of which is claimed to be produced by 2000rpm), it feels a little stretched pulling the Dualis+2 Ti along. This is particularly the case ascending long slopes on the highway when the CVT lifts engine rpm noticeably and, at times, almost irritatingly.

Attempting to accelerate with a degree of enthusiasm off the mark brings the same eagerness to rev, but without any particularly impressive result.

On the credit side, the combined fuel consumption figure for the Ti version is reasonable at 8.6L/100km. Dualis asks only for 91 RON fuel.

One wonders what Nissan would think about introducing a turbodiesel Dualis using the efficient 127kW/360Nm 2.0-litre engine available in the X-TRAIL. It would get our vote.

As it stands, the Nissan Dualis+2 still offers a tempting deal in the small crossover category.

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