THE DUALIS REMAINS a relatively uncommon sight on Australian roads. This fact is at odds with its outstanding success in Europe, where it has sold by the hundreds of thousands.

Originally launched as an AWD only in Australia, Nissan has recently released the cheaper FWD Dualis, simultaneously slashing prices across the Dualis AWD range.

Available in the same ST and Ti trim levels as its AWD cousin, Nissan is looking to attract ‘evolving’ hatchback buyers to the Dualis. The FWD model now brings the entry level down a peg or two.

According to Nissan, the Dualis is a genuine alternative to the run-of-the-mill small hatchback. One that combines the high-riding benefits of an SUV with the economy, manoeuvrability and convenience of a hatch.

STYLING

Designed by Nissan’s European design centre, the Dualis may have borrowed its chassis from the more sophisticated X-Trail, but in styling the two are poles apart.

Where the X-Trail is square, chunky and more-masculine, the Dualis is comparatively lithe and petite, its exterior metal wrapped tightly around the cabin and mechanicals. You can line the two up together for a quick lesson in US v European design philosophy.

The roofline is low and sedan-like, and overhangs front and rear are short. The lines of the compact exterior leave no doubt that, in-spite of its high-riding stance, the Dualis is designed for the cut and thrust of peak-hour traffic and parallel parks.

There is even a hint of the Dualis’s big brother - the Murano - evident in the steeply-raked third side window and in the rear-view through the oblong shaped rear window.

Both the ST and Ti Dualis are fitted with 16-inch alloy wheels as standard.

THE INTERIOR

It’s from the inside, from behind the wheel, where the real strengths of the Dualis begin to emerge.

Over and above any hatch, the Dualis offers its occupants an SUV-sized ride height. There is a lot of appeal in that commanding view of the road.

The plush leather front seats of the test vehicle also drew more than a few compliments from passengers for their comfort and lumbar support.

The dash and centre stack are typically European, with black dominating throughout. The quality of the materials used is good - at least comparable to Japanese-built vehicles. The Dualis is manufactured at Sunderland in the UK, and the quality of construction is certainly up-to-par.

Storage space is an improvement over that expected from a standard hatch, with a cooled 14-litre glove box, two front cup-holders and a deep 3.5-litre centre console box.

Front and rear door pockets have integrated bottle holders that can take a 500ml bottle; there is also provision for an A4-sized map or folder.

The rear seats offer a 60/40 split configuration, and when in place there is a 410-litre boot capacity.

Fold the rear seats down and the cargo carrying capacity of the Dualis is increased to 1513 litres. That’s a useful space few small hatches can match.

EQUIPMENT AND FEATURES

The Dualis ST comes standard with air-conditioning, a steering wheel that is adjustable for rake and reach, power windows and mirrors, a single CD-tuner with four speakers and remote central locking.

In addition to the features found in the Dualis ST, the Ti (as tested) adds a regular smorgasbord of extras.

Leather-trimmed seats, steering wheel and centre console box adds a touch of class, while aluminium trim accents further differentiate the Ti from the ST.

Other Ti luxuries include heated front seats, a six-stack auto-changer CD player with six speakers, interior reading lamps, Bluetooth compatibility, steering wheel mounted controls for audio, drive computer, light-sensitive auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, and a rear centre armrest with integrated cup-holders.

There is even a storage drawer located under the front passenger seat.

Active safety equipment standard on both the ST and Ti includes Anti-lock Brakes (ABS) with Brake Assist (BA), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), and Nissan’s VDC electronic stability program.
Passive safety equipment starts with six airbags standard on all models. As well as dual-stage driver and front passenger airbags, there are thorax side airbags mounted in the front seats and full-length curtain airbags on both sides providing extra protection in the event of a side impact.

Active headrests are also included on the front seats, minimising the likelihood of neck injury in the case of rear impact.

With all of those safety features as standard, it should come as no surprise that both Dualis models have been awarded a 5-Star ANCAP rating.

Importantly in Australia, the Dualis range includes a full-sized spare wheel, although it does reduce the available luggage space.

MECHANICAL PACKAGE

The Dualis is powered by the Nissan designed MR20 petrol 2.0-litre four-cylinder all-aluminium engine that develops 102kW at 5200rpm and 198Nm at 4400rpm.

According to Nissan, 90 percent of that 198Nm is available from just 2000rpm but we were hard pressed to notice it.

The 2.0-litre petrol engine is available with either the slick shifting six-speed manual transmission (as tested) or a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with six manually selectable ‘gear ratios’.
Officially the Dualis 2WD manual uses 8.2-l/100km on the combined test cycle, with the CVT equipped car using 8.3-l/100km, both an improvement of 0.2 l/100km over their respective AWD equivalent.

The 2WD Dualis manual emits 196g/km of carbon dioxide compared to 204g/km for the AWD Dualis manual.

Source: The Motor Report