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By
EWAN KENNEDY
28 January 2008
Nissan Australia is promoting its new Dualis as being a
crossover between a family hatchback and a compact 4WD, therefore having
a dual purpose nature. But there's a lot more to it than that; because
as well as covering two different vehicle types, the dual-purpose Dualis
also straddles two different car cultures. Combining European dynamics
and Japanese quality in a vehicle that seems assured of success in
Australia.
Dualis was the first vehicle to be designed at
Nissan’s new European design centre in London. Those sold in
Australia are built in the Nissan plant in Sunderland in the UK.
We have toured this plant in the past and are impressed with the
way it produces quality vehicles.
Though it shares quite a number of out-of-sight
components with the Nissan X-Trail, the Dualis has quite a
different character. Styling, while not as radical as we might
have anticipated, is neat and compact. There's just enough of the
traditional Nissan 4WD and ute shape in the front grille to give
the Dualis a semi-tough look. And the rear end is sleek without
being as over-the-top as that of big brother Nissan Murano.
The slightly squarer rear end gives Dualis more
practicality than Murano and the Dualis can carry quite bulky
loads. Thus making it an excellent passenger wagon for the family
looking for something more than a mere hatchback.
Dualis’ shape has another advantage in that it’s
surprisingly aerodynamic, with a drag coefficient of just 0.34,
making it almost car like in its ability to slip through the air
with a maximum of fuel efficiency and quiet running. Some of the
low drag has been obtained by substantially tailoring the
underbody for minimum resistance.
Dualis as it comes to Australia is powered by a
2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine with 102 kW and 198 Nm.
Transmissions are either a modern six-speed manual
or a CVT automatic, the latter with pre-selected ratios that can
be operated manually should the driver so wish.
Though not aimed at the purist 4WD buyer, Dualis has Nissan's
sophisticated All-mode transmission so has good traction on
slippery surfaces. It doesn’t get some of the off-road features
that are seen in the X-Trail, such as hill ascent and descent
assistance, but Dualis is not that sort of vehicle.
Nissan Dualis is available with two-wheel drive,
as well as with a turbo-diesel engine, in other markets. However
only the four-wheel drive version with petrol power will come to
Australia in the foreseeable future.
Dualis features higher than average ground
clearance for a hatchback (188 mm), but the clearance isn’t as
great as for a ‘real’ 4WD. The family that takes its car to
the beach or uses it to explore forest trails should find there's
more than enough ability for their mild off-road needs.
Equipment levels are high with the $28,990 Nissan
Dualis ST having air conditioning, power windows and door mirrors,
cruise control and a large glovebox that can be cooled to look
after your drink. Major safety features are front, side and
curtain airbags, ABS brakes with brake assist and electronic
brakeforce distribution and stability control.
The upmarket $33,990 Dualis TI also has leather
seats, with heating on the fronts; a leather wrapped steering
wheel with inbuilt audio controls; a trip computer; a CD stacker;
automatic lights and wipers, and Bluetooth compatibility for
mobile phones.
These prices are for cars with the six-speed
manual gearbox. Automatic transmission adds $2000. On-road costs
have to be factored in.
There’s good interior space in all seats and a
reasonably large, practically-shaped rear storage area. The rear
seats have a 60/40 split and as mentioned the luggage area is
pretty good for a vehicle of this type.
Ride comfort is pretty well sorted out, though the
suspension is firm in the European manner and those who like a
really soft, cruisy feel may not like it. That firmness is more
than balanced out by the very good handling. Dualis is almost
car-like in the way it reacts and feels and we were able to push
it hard through winding sections with confidence during our
extended drive program in the southern areas of Western Australia
at the time of the Australian launch.
A lot of work has gone into seat comfort and we
found the fronts to have a nice blend of support and comfort, with
bolsters that don’t hamper climbing in and out of the vehicle.
Some coarse-chip road surfaces caused more
interior noise than we like, but that’s not unusual in European
cars.
Nissan Australia hopes the Dualis will attract
buyers from two buyer groups: those looking for hatchbacks, as
well as soft-roader buyers. It certainly has the looks and the
mechanical makeup to be able to grab customers from both.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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