2008 Nissan Dualis review
March 7, 2008 by Alborz Fallah
The English designers, then, must take some of the blame for poor rear vision. As on many modern designs (including the X-Trail) the rear window is shrinking to something not much bigger than that of a 1950s FC Holden.
The reason is body strength requirements imposed by modern crash testing – a strong body needs thick pillars. But the price is a small vehicle that is harder to reverse and park than a car of its size should be. Sonar parking assist is optional on Dualis and, of course, your friendly aftermarket or electronics store will sell you a reversing camera – but it’s a pity you need one.
Luggage space is not great – no more than you’d find in a Golf or Corolla sized hatch, thanks in part to a high boot floor made necessary by a full size spare. Nissan quotes 410 litres, which to my eyeball seemed a little generous although, of course, the rear seats fold down. Rear seat accommodation is fairly snug, little bigger than a small/medium hatchback’s.
Ride is much firmer than the distinctly pillowy progress of the X-Trail. There’s a tight screwed-down feel to the Dualis with very little pitching and floating but occasionally some impact harshness and bump-thump, as you find in a hot hatch.
mmmmm…. what about sx4 hatch?suzuki started this segment.
Indeed they did Rocket_V6, doesnt look as good as the sx4 either, which I have to say looks bland at best. However, isnt the Dualis just another Murano with a new face?, smaller interior/exterior and a 4 cylinder engine instead of 6? $36,000 Starting price way to steep however, it does have reasonable standard equipment levels, espescially in the field of safety. Correct me if i\’m wrong, but why no FM Radio?
I hate the latest Nissan Dualis ads lately on TV, seems to be a bunch of UNI non creative students trying to impress art teachers, which in reality probably suits the image of Nissan, I’m amazed people buy such ugly wheels for commuting….the front of this particular SUV looks like a KIA on drugs….
2.5 Diesel from the navara would boost sales and be better to drive. 125kw & 400Nm
Yer it really could do with a 4 cylinder diesel motor, and possibly a sporty V6 model. I’d say it’s about time it got a revamped exterior to. What’s that? it only just came out? oh… And sorry starting price is $28,000 not $36,000. Still too expensive though for it’s size and engine.
Good review and good vehicle.
BUT wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy over the odds pricewise, will be coming down to a more realistic level one would imagain.
It should be Suzuki SX4 money, and now Toyota have one doming out soon.
Cheers
F-0
Yes! It looks like it has Kia styling!
Am I rigth in thinking you are talking about the Toyota Urban-Crusier Frugal One? If so, the Dualis, which is by no means a good looking car, easily out styles the incredibly ugly Toyota. In anycase, it does need more engine variety, as I pointed out in an earlier post…
I agree with that person who hates the Nissan Dualis TV commercials. GRRR :(
Why is anybody comparing this with the minimalist SX4? It’s at least one size and one class further up the market.
Funnily enough Captain, The SX4 Actually has more Power and features than the Dualis unless you want to up the price on the Dualis to to 40,000.
Shame on Nissan for putting the 2.0L Petrol in the Dualis when It should have a 2.4 or 5…
Essentially, the Suzuki has the same capabilities and features as the Dualis except the the Nissan is bigger.
I would rather be seen in a Suzuki, driving a underpowered Dualis just don’t cut my daisy, the SX4 2.0L engine pumps out 105 Kw with less body wieght and looks much better, more practical, handles better, is in the WRC, makes more sense to own the SX4, money well spent don’t ya think…..
Bucket/FORD
It’s easier to put a bigger engine in a smaller car to try and con the market into thinking it’s something it’s not. Good example was the old 2.4 Lancer. Features and capabilities are one thing – refinement, space, comfort and driving feel are another.
Not sure what relevance being in the WRC has – both Suzukis blew up in the last event, and try to buy a car that even vaguely resembles its WRC equivalent (unless it’s a Subaru).
OK Captain Mainwiring, if your suggesting the SX4 is less refined and fooling the public with how many cc’s are included in the SX4 range, I think you may need a new set of marbles. Nissan Dualis has insufficient engine power to move a 2 tonne vehicle mass, just load up the Dualis for the weekend and find out how much pulling power it has under the plastic filled bonnet, do some maths or learn ratios, Dualis = people mover only without luggage, pure and simple..
Talking about Suzuki SX4 rally team, they may of retired in mexico but everyone in the field can’t speak highly enough about progress so far, 6th in manufactures standings, 12th in drivers standings, which is in front of major manufacturers including Mitsubitshi, give them time dude. SX4 being in World rallies will catapult Suzuki on a world stage which they deserve, can a DUDLIS be featured in any shape or form, well no thats my point end of story.
Makes you wonder how the company who brought us the GT-R can also design a boring car such as this.
This car has a long way to go in terms of performance and specifications before it will ewven be considered as an alternative to it’s more established rivals.
Hey Ford, it’s not hard to be ahead of Mitsubishi in the WRC when Mitsubishi’s not even in it.
In case you thought I’m flying a kite for the Dualis I’m not, it’s a boring thing designed for a boring clientele. If that makes you feel better about the SX4 I’m happy for you, but neither of these things would be my choice.
To put things in perspective, the SX4 is the second best Suzuki there is, but it’s not as good relative to its peers as the fabulous Swift.
Now shall we talk about the Liana. Or the horrendous looking SX4 sedan.
Around 200 suckers bought one of these in February.
Buyer Beware :)
Captain,
The problem with your argument it; the SX4 By comparisons to other cars in the same segement doesnt have a big engine.
The SX4 Competes with the Focus, Astra, Corolla etc in terms of size and engine capacity, hell- my LS Focus has a 2.0L Engine pumping out 107Kw and 185NM and it’s a 2006 Model.
Now take the Nissan Dualis who has to compete against the Outlander and many other Quasi-soft roaders which include the XTrail…a 2.0L Engine just doesnt cut the Mustard. The only thing going for that Car to aid its performance is the 6 Spd CVT Transmission. The car is governed by the rules of power to weight ratio.
Suzuki sells far more cars worldwide than most would believe.
They’ve had some flops like all manufacturers, but the Swift is a winner, my daughter has a nice little Swift S.
I’d rather the SX4 than this crappy Nissan offering, but neither meets my needs.
Rav6 has it all over this vehicle.
i love the urban cruiser and want one the dualis should be replaced with nissan rougue but still rav4s have no style except for the facelifted jap modedl
Well to disagree with most, I totally rate both the Dualis and the sx4. I think there is a real market for these quirkey little SUV’s, soft off roaders, cross over vechiles or call them what you like. I dont currently drive one but have owned one in the passed all though i am embarased to admit it was a 03 rav 4.What i did like about this car was the secure feeling it gave sitting up a bit higher in the traffic and the improved vision that goes with it,everywhere but behind that is. Also, with the higher hip hight, entree in and out is improved. On the down side, the 2.0l ravwas no rocket but she sucked the juice like there was no tomorow. I think Nissan have made the same mistake, a bigger say 2.4 or diesel would have worked better. The sx4 i think is better matched with the 2.0l.
I just read my last posting. Gueeeez….My spelling sucks!
Thats why i like cars. You dont need to spell eveything out. Just ABS or LCD or TCC or EBD usually explains all.
FORD “Nissan Dualis has insufficient engine power to move a 2 tonne vehicle mass”. Just goes to show how much you know about it FORD. Its kerb weight from what I could find varies a bit but around 1386Kg. You were 31% too high.
The majority of you have it all wrong, its about the size of a golf ITS NOT A BIG HUNGRY 4WD. Look at the stats dummies, its 4.31m long.
Yep it needs the Euro diesels 2.0 D – stats 110Kw 320Nm 0-100 in 10.9 (not fast).
I also found “to cap it all a team of drivers piloting a standard 1.5 diesel from Lands End to John O Groats achieved and overall consumption of 67.35 over the 867 mile run on a tank of fuel with 7 litres remaining”. Yes we have a 1.5 oil burner version in 2WD only guise. Its a good vehicle.
While I’m ranting,
Robert (Wilson) why question the British built side of it, Sunderland built cars have a great repretation in Nissan. Indeed many years back (1980’s) the Nissan Sunny (I think) was built here, to prove how good it was they took it to Japan dismantled it to find it was better built than the home crafted car.
Theres a waiting list for these and Nissan is setting up another production line on top of the current two 24hr lines to meet demand. 800 cars per day is current production. It can’t be crap boys if the demand is that high. Take the blinkers off.
i would buy a sx4 with rally kit, if theres any.
tha ad alone is enough for me to shooo away from dualis. the crappiest ad for a car,its an embarassment to automobile industry.
Is that the half half advert? Try the uk qashqai advert.
Speaking of ads it is rather ironic that the X-Trail ad adjusts that it is not for pretenders, essentially the Dualis is a pretender, Nissan are basically poking fun at themselves.
No Name, here is you specs from Nissans site, Tare mass (kg) 1430, see the last one Gross Vehicle Mass maximum load, anything over 1700Kg, Dualis would struggle with just passengers inside the cabin, I know because I’ve owned such cars and Know how they behave, hence will use much more fuel when loaded, accelerated wear and tear, basically this is aimed at single girls, not a heavy duty machine we need in todays society…If Nissan is going to build such a car for city driving only, why bother if the thing doesn’t function properly….
Nissan has gone down the wrong path the last five or six years, they use to build cars people respect and want, whats going on in that factory…
Dimensions / Weights
Overall length (mm) 4315
Overall width excluding mirrors (mm) 1780
Overall height (mm) 1615
Wheelbase (mm) 2630
Track front / rear (mm) 1540/1550
Min. turning circle kerb to kerb (m) 10.6
Tare mass (kg) 1430
GROSS VEHICLE MASS (GVM)(kg)∞ 1960
The Xtrail motor should fit straight into this vehicle and nissan if you are fair dinkum about selling some should do this pronto. Australians don’t like underpowered cars anymore.
FORD – my stats were from the Nissan UK brochure so they are not wrong, the weight depends on the model, generally the the more expensive models weight more.
I don;t really agree with you on the performance bit mate, remember its the the same size and roughly the weight of a Golf which has reasonable performance with a 2.0lite engine.
I think you’re thinking this is a balls out 4WD and not a small family car. Nissan produce this car as a competitor to the Golf/Focus/Astra not the RAV 4, Kluger.
Not any people drive cars with hem fully laden all the time, most of its daily routine would be doing the commute and the school run with 2 small children and a packed lunch. Yes once a year it might do the holiday trip to camp fully laden, I’m sure mst wil put up with an hour or two of less performance. If you want a performer I suggest you look elsewhere at a V6 that uses 14litres/100. more than double the fuel.
No name, these figures are correct 1480kg = base model, check Nissan Australia site for yourself, the ST, ST optioned and Ti models don’t differ much in weight and dimension specs..
I meant 1430Kg for the base model…Cheers
I’m not disputing your weight, but thats weigh short of your original 2 tonnes. We’ll agreed to differ partly. Seems these days the smaller diesels up to 2.0litre offer much better performance than the petrol equivalent.
I don’t get why people are even debating this car. It’s obviously a hatch designed to “look” like an SUV, nothing more. In my opinion it’s an underpowered ugly looking thing. But I’ve never liked smaller cars all that much. I also think it will still sell well as there are a lot of uneducated (young?) car buyers out there that would look at that god awful Dualis ad and actually think “this car looks cool, I want one”.
The dualis looks like an ok car.. i mean i’d buy it for my wife, not for me though.
Hey FORD. just re-read the article the wieght figure was quoted as 1429kg, maay apologies mate. This thing is about the same size as the forthcoming Ford Kuga, That will have a 2.0litre engine, but I bet you wouldn’t have a problem with that one. I did notice you didn’t have a lot the say about the Kuga in the comments. You can’t really knock this when the Kuga’s performance will be very similar!!
If u want straight line performance buy a RAV6 with 200 killer wasps(lame add) but expect it to have the dynamics of your billy cart when your dad fitted a lawnmower engine to it!
Remember learning to drive in a TD cortina station wagon with the optional 4.1 litre engine. Nearly killed both of us first time through some bends.
This car is very close to what I’ve been looking for for quite some time (long before I saw the stupid tv add). Its almost exactly what I’m after; something just a bit bigger than a hatch, with a fuel efficient engine. I don’t need to do any towing or much people moving, but I want the elevated sitting position that 4wd’s offer. A 2.0L diesel would have been nice… but oh well.
I’m gona wait till the price drops a little then i might go test drive one.
The add is rubbish, but the car itself looks good and seems to drive well for what it is, which is a SUV, and a pretty fuel efficient one at that.
I have noticed it’s getting heavily promoted. Sales numbers are below expectations by about 150-200 a month, and the same goes for X-Trail. Combine both X-Trail and Dualis sales together and they’re achieving the same numbers as the previous gen X-Trail, which probably wouldn’t be pleasing Nissan. It would appear that this is cannabilising X-Trail sales.
After just unfortunately looking at the Kia crapnival, the more I see Nissan Dualis copied the front end of this partictular vehicle, thats terrible because I will now be confused Kia or Nissan when I pass one up the street..
Yukkkk Nissan lift your game…….
Hi Ian,
I was wondering if you could reveal your source for ’sales numbers’??? Is there like some website or something? I’ve wondered for a while if a few certain vehicles are living up to sales expectations?
Or do you work for a nissan dealership or something?
Thanks alot.
Nameless,
No, I don’t work for a Nissan dealership, but I do follow Nissan quite closely as me and the family have owned a few of them over the years and I’ve developed somewhat of an affection for the brand.
To answer your questions, I actually source sales results from CarPoint and Go-Auto, which both give a pretty good summary of sales results for the major players in each market segment on a monthly basis. As for sales targets, as you probably know, alot of car companies identify sales targets for new models to the press when they are released – CarPoint, Go-Auto or Wheels I find are good sources for this info.
The success of Dualis in Europe is hampering supplies here in Aus, but it doesn’t seem to matter at the moment as it has failed to fire based on January and February sales numbers.
Cheers Ian
I went and had a look at one of these today and got to sit in it and stand next to it etc. I will take it test driving latter. So far I have looked at the SX-4, and the Grand Vitara from Suzuki, as well as the Dualis. I am 6′2″ and my partner is 4′9″. For me the fact that both vehicles have got vertical lift in the drivers set has been quite important. The Dualis has both tilt and telescope on the steering column. This is very important to me too. As we are about to start a family safety also is important. I want a AWD vehicle that is small enough that my partner doesn’t feel swamped and large enough that I don’t feel that I am in a matchbox car. The Dualis seems to have better fuel economy than the SX-4 (and definately better than the GV).
Overall I like it better and it will probably be what I go with. Even though it is going to be about $12k more.
I was very keen on the idea of this vehicle, but its evident that Nissan have made a mistake. The Dualis is just a bit to big (both in dimensions and weight) for it 2.0 ltr engine. A 2.0ltr t-diesel would have been great! It should have either had the same engine as the x-trail… OR, and probably the better option, it should have been a little smaller, say the same size as the last generation Rave 4 (01-06 model). Instead we\’re left with am underpowered 4wd!
Nissan Australia should have sourced Dualis from Japan where they could have priced it more competitively – it would do better with retail prices starting at $25K. At current retail prices, it’s overpriced and too close or similar to X-Trail retail prices. X-Trail sales numbers are still down, and it would appear that Dualis is playing a part in lower than expected X-Trail sales.
guys i work for a Nissan Dealership in Sydney and I have driven these cars around a for quite a fair while.
IMHO and I will try and not sell you this car over the net, the Nissan Dualis is almost like an SUV version of the Pulsar but its a mini X-Trail. The purpose of this is to be used for its versatility on the road and off the road which you can switch it to an AWD and also designed to be more much more compact then the X-trail.
And for those who are asking about the diesal engine for the dualis, Nissan Australia are in talks with Nissan corp about having them released here in Australia as a 1.6 common rail turbo diesal engine which will consume at 5.2l/100km but atm there is a 9 month waiting period for these cars in europe as they are in hot demand.
But the question is, is it really worth the 40k it is priced at? simple answer… NO it isnt. I would never pay $40k for a 2.0L 4WD if it does not have that pulling power that a 4WD should have plus it is not capable of handling rough off road terrain like going in the out back. Plus the car is too small and i still will prefer an Impreza RS over the Dualis. The acceleration on the Dualis is heavy like the old RAV 4 but the dualis drives much better then the old and current model RAV 4.
Atm they the Dualis arent selling well and we all at the dealership have been really baffled that we thought these we go like hot cakes but the price seems to be scaring the customers away and i have spoken to my manager about the price of these Dualis. and same goes with the X-Trail as Nissan has increased the sale price of the T32 X-Trail by $5000 from the last models which is the reason they arent selling.
They only few good things about the Dualis is the interior in the top of the range model as they are really comfortable plus the Fuel Consumption which would last you around 600km.
I love mine and would recommend the Dualis to anyone who wants a ‘not too big but not too small car for driving in the city’. I have th CVT auto and the ti version. The ti version had the benfits of leather seats and bluetooth handsfree etc that I wanted. Yeah, its probably not for those wanting a lot more power or wanting to go off-raod all the time. But for a city slicker like me, its perfect…
tested one yesterday… and decided to stick with my dodge caliber
This car is everything i want in my car.
- practical as a everyday car
- Low fuel compsumption
- great looks for a young bloke (22yo)
- great interior
- plenty of space for my mates
- plenty of space for my luggage (fishing equipment, hunting eqiupment)
- reliable brand, NISSAN>SUZIKI in my books.
:)
i just saw nissan advertised the base model at $25990 manual + 1000 dollars worth of petrol voucher
which means the price has dropped $4000 all together.
I still havent seen much on the WA roads yet. (had spotted heaps of new micra on the road but not the dualis).
I just brought one for the wife, Got the ST with all the options possible like CVT Auto Side Airbags, ABLS, TCS, VDC EUC etc etc, plus a couple extras like tow bar, roof racks, nuge bar for 27,000 new.
They are not selling well, can pick up a bargin if willing to haggle hard.
It is a little Buzz box for picking the kids up and going shopping without being to small in the passanger area and the big one I feel safer in it than a few others I looked at.
I am impressed with the ride and the handling is spot on, my only two grips are boot space, but all it needs to carry is the weeking shopping and kids sport bags which the boot is plenty big enough for, and a bit more get up and go would be nice, but its quicker of the mark than my 4wd.
The Dualis a real nice little town car, and I admit I enjoy driving the thing, this is a very under rated little car
I honestly don’t understand why people compare the specs of Dualis with off-roader such as X-trail in the market. It is just not fair because Dualis neither belongs to the big offroader segment, nor the small car segment. Dualis is at the niche market. That means it is for a group of people who don’t go offroad all the time, but requires an elevated driving position and larger space. And they never prefer SUVs because it just costs too much on fuel. Thats the main reason to have a product like Dualis for city drivers.
And for those people who says Suzuki is 10 times better than Nissan, just go home and do some more research on net.
Nissan, Honda and Toyota are the three main japanese car manufacturers in the domestic japanese market. Local car sales of Nissan is more or pretty much similar to Toyotas in Japan. Suzuki probably ranks at the bottom in terms of car sales. And Nissan makes cars in all segments while suzuki mainly makes small and 4WDs. In terms of company size and technology, Suzuki is no way better than Nissan.
Wasn’t the SX4 designed in collaboration with Fiat (Fiat Sedici)? I think it’s strange that people would prefer that over a Nissan when in Italy (Fiats fortress) the SX4 wasn’t really all that successful. But lets face it, it’s selling crazy amounts all over the world. I hate to say it but if you want to know what a good city car is, buy what the Europeans buy. If you want a great off roader buy a Land Cruiser, Patrol, Pajero, Wrangler, H1, Defender, etc. and actually pay the price difference for something you’ll use. It’s just trying to fill the gap the HRV left open, with a better 4WD system.
I have just ordered a Dualis Ti CVT auto and I think it will be a great car. I must admit that the usual full retail price of close to 39k is too much for this car but at the moment there are great deals around. I only paid $32k drive away with all the extras I wanted. At this price it represents great value because to get a similar specified larger 4wd you would need to spend upwards of 40k for a RAV4, CRV or X-Trail etc. My car will only see the odd dirt road or grassy hill etc. My wife likes the extra height and security of a 4wd. On the test drive it handled very well with sharp turn in and it sat really flat through corners – surprising considering the ride height. The car also has solid, quality feel to it. My only gripe is that it is not available yet as a diesel – the extra tractability and torque would have been appreciated. All up (at current prices) it seems like a bargain luxury city/country run about.
Just interested in how many of you guys have driven all these cars you are comparing, I test drove most of them & found the Dualis the best. I picked it up last week Auto CVT Ti, tint windows front rear sensors etc $34,000 drive away. It may be a bit early to judge but I live in Brisbane & have found it great in the city eg.parking fuel economy, great to throw in & out of corners. I also own 62 acres rural land (not flat) & it handled great in 4×4 lock. I would advise anyone looking for an SUV to buy this car.
I’ve had the ST option 6 speed manual since Oct 08, and have nothing but good things to say about this car. If you want to compare it to a large 4wd then you’ve missed the point – this car fills the yawning gap of small wagons in the Oz market.
We were looking for a compact wagon with a bigger than average boot and top notch safety – in europe there are a stack of vehicles in this segment as fuel economy is more highly prized for family cars, but over here it boiled down to the tired Astra estate, waiting for the new Hyundai i30CW, or getting the Dualis. We got a driveaway deal of $27k, and love this car. It’s responsive, economical, has the extra space we wanted over our old corrola. I have no problem with the smooth 2.0ltr engine which pulls just fine around town and on the freeway including Sydneys steep hills. By the way, build quality is superb!
Highly recommend this car to anyone looking for an economical compact wagon, and at current prices it’s now great value.
I don’t understand why everyone has to pretend to be so knowledgeable when you just are negative and pretentious. You only echo the ultra-conservative (backward) comment of the pipeman…I mean who can still be surprised by ‘americanism’ when all australia breathes is foreign???…what is on TV? why people consume american conceived fast food? etc etc etc…wake up and stop being so goddam backward and negative.
Nissan Dualis is just as good as the car you are conditioned to believe is ‘IT’.
I also want to know how many of you have driven this car before commenting on its performance. I have a dualis St model and i am pretty happy with its performance. It’s a family car, off roader, economic AWD.I am really satisfied with its performance even in bush roads. It won’t even tilt its body when you take a curve at > 90 Km/H.its stable and safe. It cost me $32000 drive away. I am getting 8.5L/100Km.Its features are really worth for a less price of$32000 comparing to other SUV’s in this range can not compare RAV4 & 6,Subaru forester etc with this small good looking vehicle. Compare that with x trail or Murano.2 lt engine will give sufficient power and fuel economy. If you need a 4 WD or more powered vehicle to take your heavy and ugly caravan don’t go for Dualis, better go for Land Cruiser or Nissan patrol. Then you won’t feel any complaints regarding efficiency. Keep in mind Nissan made this Vehicle only after market surveys and studies. I strongly recommend people to have a nice car like Dualis.
I’ve been searching years for a car like this – a genuine (occasional) off-roader, automatic, that isn’t the size of a tank, after all, I’m generally the only one in it!! Rav 4s & auto Subi’s don’t cut it because they’re not a genuine 4wd, and the current models are getting so BIG. Only the Suzuki GV & (surprise surprise) the Mercedes CDIs compare with the Dualis auto, on & OFF-road, AND it has much better fuel economy. May not suit all the armchair critics that only seem to want bigger/heavier/faster, but this fills the mid-size on/off road niche perfectly that has been abandoned by all the other manufacturers.
2WD released today, c/mon C/A get with the program!
Around $2k less than the AWD version, still WAYYYYYY to much, should be well under $20k for 2wd and the AWD mirror the price of the Suzuki SX4.
Will continue to sell in tiny numbers….
Thanks
I just bought a Dualis AWD. I love it! I have a recent back/leg problem so was looking for comfort as my only priority. I sat in so many cars large and small, not caring about make, model, power, 4WD, fuel consumption, or anything that most people think of when car shopping, none of it was important to me and still isn’t. The Dualis (and Tiida) gets my vote for a comfortable affordable car.