Subaru Forester vs Nissan Dualis Comparison Review
27 May, 2008
30 Comments 
On the road the dynamic gap isn’t so large. Both cars have very good handling for their size, and slap understeer in the face quite well.
There’s a little bit of roll, but the ride in both is on the firmer side, showing their off-road aspirations. In truth it’s more than acceptable, and apart from the odd bit of bump thump, there’s little to complain about. Body control could be better on both though, with rebound damping a little soft. Let’s call it even.
Wielding the cars about reveals more about the feel. The steering in the Forester is light, yet communicates pretty well. There’s no slack around the straight-ahead and parking it is a breeze. The Dualis however is inconsistent in weight, but heavier and feels meatier. It has complete dead zone a degree or two off centre, meaning absolutely nothing, and then all of a sudden, you get response. Strange. It’s also much like a Renault in feel, being very light at parking speeds, but then a lot heavier once your speed rises, but true feedback has disappeared.
Braking goes to the Dualis though. There’s plenty of initial grab, but it’s not overdone, and the feel is excellent. It keeps strong even after several hard stops, and never fails to satisfy. The Forester’s brakes are typical of the older generation. They work fine, but feel like they could do with a little more bite. Still, on road or off you know exactly what stopping distance to take.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, you’ll also notice that visibility is shocking in the rear three quarter view of the Dualis. A tiny triangular window is your only view, potentially blocking cars and motorbikes. The slanting roof contributes to this, and it might be a design feature, but it’s potentially dangerous. The Forester however, has brilliant visibilty all round, with a light and airy cabin, and a reasonably tall daylight opening.
NVH levels are very good in both cars, too. The Dualis with its CVT auto calls on a little engine noise while accelerating, but cruising is quiet and refined. The Forester also shifts from gear to gear creamily with just a four-speed auto, but on full throttle, the engine makes its presence felt. Thankfully both motors are smooth and linear in power. But the Dualis does pip the Forester in fuel economy, something which some buyers will take into consideration.
Location: Home / Comparisons, Subaru, Nissan, Behind the Wheel / ...
Rate Post: 
(6 votes, average: 4.17 out of 5)
Loading ...
-
Print it:
May 27th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
I think it was Chandler who said “So how many cameras are actually on you” not Ross.
(Report)
May 27th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
in my opinion the dualis wins mainky beacuse of the fact that teh glovebx area is not a war zone and it soent have ugly soor handles at that price i would rather a top spec impreza which looks way better
(Report)
May 27th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Forester all the way! Dualis SUCKS compared to the forester :D
(Report)
May 27th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Myke, you are correct, it was Chandler.
I don’t think this was really a fair comparo. The Forester is better compared to the X-trail.
I would however like to see the Dualis compared with the Dodge Caliber.
(Report)
May 27th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
dam the Subaru kill the Nissan in the looks department
(Report)
May 27th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Subaru has thankfully improved the looks of the Forester in this model. Those big boxer fours are thirsty though for what they are.
(Report)
May 27th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Excellent comparision review is given.Nice informative article.
(Report)
May 27th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Yep agree with Kenzo - Good stuff. However the Dualis IMO is not a direct competitor for the Forrester. The Subie has a well known history of good off road capability, the Dualis howver is nissans modern entrepretation of a family saloon that happens to have 4wd as a benefit. 2wd versions are available in some countries.
seems small autos or not the best for proper off-roading, stick to a real car with gears.
(Report)
May 28th, 2008 at 7:20 am
Top marks for taking them off road.
I’ll be waiting for the turbo diesel forester. It can’t come soon enough. The proviso is if Subaru don’t keep the dual range transfer case then i’ll go elsewhere.
(Report)
May 28th, 2008 at 7:27 am
O. Have another look at your post. Your spelling and grammar is certainly not getting any better. Have you been goofing off school?
(Report)
May 28th, 2008 at 8:39 am
See the Tiguan article - leaves both of these for dead. Yes, more money, but you can spend an extra 10 on the Forester to get the flasher models.
(Report)
May 28th, 2008 at 8:45 am
Its a shame that in the market that the Subaru Forester goes up against the Nissan X-Trail and not the Dualis…People need to get the right cars before they do reviews
(Report)
May 28th, 2008 at 11:46 am
“The Forester also shifts from gear to gear creamily…”
Sounds Delicious…
I am partial to the Forrester since Im already a Subie owner. But from the pics, the Dash in the Dualis is heaps better than the Forrester.
(Report)
May 28th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Why anyone would buy the Dualis instead of the Forester is beyond me.
(Report)
May 29th, 2008 at 11:19 am
The forester is a much better car by miles!!
but I agree the correct comparison is with the x-trail
,but I still think the forester would win, with its better safety/refinement and better awd system and higher ground clearence for off road use..
(Report)
May 29th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
This is rediculeous! How can you compare these two cars. Its pretty obvious,from engine size to price everything is way different on them. Forester should be compared with CRV or X-trail!!
(Report)
May 30th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
I have to agree with “Subie fan 4m Perth”. this review is wrong right from the start. I have ever owned three subaru cars, two foresters and one liberty. I have never even thought of … what was the car’s name again ? -oh, “Dualis”, never heard about it. “Forester should be compared with CRV or X-trail!!”, and its better than CRV or X-trail, in my view.
(Report)
May 30th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
yea, I think to compare these two cars is a little off. Not to mention the base dualis is cheaper so when you upgrade to add more airbags, you can’t really say that safety was the main reason.
The Tuscon might be a better comparison don’t you think? Though we all know the winner…
(Report)
May 30th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Though id take the Subaru over the Nissan the Dualis has the better looking interior specially the seats (and dash) but there looks like there is more rear leg room in the forester too (as says so in article).
(Report)
May 30th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
…………………….Subaru Forester!
(That answers the rest of Milbob’s sentence).
(Report)
May 30th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
There is also more useable boot space in the Subby! The Subby is the overall winner in my opinion! Boot space is very important, when it comes to buying a car! (To me).
(Report)
May 31st, 2008 at 3:01 pm
“Soft-roaders have really boomed in the past few years, and Subaru claims it started the revolution with the original Forester.”
No I am not TP, but Subaru was three years behind the Rav4 in the soft roader segment. I would never consider the Leone a soft roader…
(Report)
May 31st, 2008 at 4:09 pm
yeah the forester is not in the same class as the dualis, the dualis should be compared with the sx4 4×4 as they are both “hatches” crossed with and suv. and the forester… well it looks a lot better than the previous wagon looking things :)
(Report)
May 31st, 2008 at 7:04 pm
^But do you know the size difference between the Dualis to the SX4? Big difference!
(Report)
June 1st, 2008 at 2:07 pm
I have the new Forester X. In white, haha.
It’s a good car, not terribly quick, but safe, roomy, comfy, and looks kinda cool.
They’re right, the power from the auto isn’t really impressive. But the semi-auto does help, makes it a bit more fun. I havent taken mine off road yet, Im not the off-roading type.
Yeah, Forester all the way. The Dualis is hideous!
(Report)
June 1st, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Oh, anyone looking at buying one of these, gimme a yell, I had the first registered Forester X in W.A :D Ive had it for…I think 2 months? Maybe more, I forget.
(Report)
June 18th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I don\’t think I\’d buy either. Was a Subaru enthusiast for 20 yrs, but my current MYO6 Forester has turned me off. The throttle on the manual car had a mind of its own and the dealers/Subaru Aust\’s solution was to swap the car for an auto; which drops down a gear or 2 at the slightest rise. The suspension is too firm and the seats uncomfortable after the first hour.
We travel outback quite a bit. Can\’t someone build a good medium size wagon with low range, manual trans. and preferably a diesel?
(Report)
July 21st, 2008 at 5:09 pm
I think it is a suitable comparision given that for the same equipment the cars cost the same. What makes it unfair is that the Dualis is overpriced in comparison. If you compare it to the SX4 it costs about 5k more for the same equipment - so all you get is a little extra size. I like the Dualis but to be at all competetive it needs to have the airbags, esp etc. on the base model - then it slots in between the Forester and SX4 where it belongs.
(Report)
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Was all set to buy a New Forester which was only just ahead of my second preference an X-TRAIL . Had test drives of both back to back and was sold on the smoothness of the CVT in the Nissan. I actually prefer the new shape of the Forester but the interior trim ,dash and 4 speed auto is a bit disapointing.
(Report)
August 2nd, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Test drove the Forrester X today and must say I was a little disappointed with the drive. The manual gearbox wasn’t very good, the gears changes were notchy. Also, the engine felt unrefined and rough, and pretty gutless all up. Is this normal on these cars, or just the one we drove?
The car handled well, and the ride was nice and non SUV like.
Looking at the manual Forrie, Outlander VR and manual Diesel X-Trail. Based on the test drives we’ve had of all the three cars, the X-Trail is probably the best.
Cheers,
Chris.
(Report)