Drive Life
Filed Under Curt Hennig | Posted on March 29, 2008
It’s not every day a revolt affects how a car is designed
but that is how the Nissan Dualis was created.
When Nissan stylists were drawing up the company’s next-generation
soft-roader almost four years ago, green groups were calling for
four-wheel-drives to be banned from the streets of Paris.
Denis Baupin, the deputy mayor of Paris and a Green Party
councillor who tabled the resolution in the city council, said at
the time: “They’re polluters, they’re space-occupiers, they’re
dangerous for pedestrians and other road users. They’re a
caricature of a car.”
It turns out Baupin wasn’t successful with his proposed ban but he
subsequently wrote a book, All Cars, No Future, and last year put
10,000 free bicycles on the streets of the City of Light.
But his comments in 2004 had an impact on at least one car maker.
His message was heard by Nissan, because the Dualis was being
designed a short train ride away in Nissan’s styling studio across
the English Channel. At the time there was a fear other European
cities could follow Paris’s lead.
Nissan had a dilemma: sales of 4WDs and soft-roaders around the
world were increasing - despite an apparent public backlash - and
small-car sales were stagnant.
So it designed two cars based on the same underpinnings: the
boxy-looking new series Nissan X-Trail soft-roader and the
hatchback-style Dualis. Both models went on sale locally late last
year.
The distance between the front and rear wheels of both models is
identical and they share similar off-road systems but overall the
Dualis is shorter, so it can squeeze into smaller parking
spaces.
Most significant, however, is that it is designed not to look like
a four-wheel-drive. The result is a hatchback that looks as if it
has the bottoms of its jeans rolled up.
This appears to have created a dilemma because, as with many
segment-busting models, customers aren’t quite sure what to make of
it.
Nissan promotes the Dualis as “two cars in one”, as if a compact
soft-roader has been morphed with a small car.
But dealers have found customers are cross-shopping the Dualis with
slightly more expensive soft-roaders rather than similarly priced
small cars.
The Dualis has been slow to win acceptance in its first few months
on sale locally, selling about one-tenth the rate of the larger and
more expensive X-Trail.
The Dualis range starts at $28,990 and stretches to $36,385 for the
luxury model with the works (the X-Trail range goes from $31,990 to
$41,385).
The base ST Dualis comes with the usual standard fare such as
air-conditioning, remote entry and a CD player but the standard
safety equipment is quite basic: dual airbags and anti-lock
brakes.
When Nissan’s product planners were putting together the final
equipment list for the Dualis 18 months ago (the lead times in the
car industry are incredibly long), they weren’t to know how much
the customer focus on safety would increase.
This possibly explains why Nissan has sandwiched a model called ST
Option between the ST and the top-line Ti that gets the works.
The ST Option is $2000 more than the cheapest model (it works out
at $30,990, with the automatic another $2000) and comes with side
airbags for the front occupants, curtain airbag protection from
front to rear, stability control (which can prevent a skid), alloy
wheels and a heavy-duty differential for off-road driving. This is
the model we tested.
The Dualis (sold as the Qashqai in Europe) scored a five-star
safety rating in independent crash tests by the European New Car
Assessment Program but it is worth noting that score was for a car
equipped with front, side and curtain airbags. The Australian NCAP
website says the Dualis earns a four-star rating with only dual
front airbags.
In Australia, the three Dualis models are powered by the same
2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and are available with a
six-speed manual or a six-step continuously variable automatic
transmission or CVT.
Such transmissions use a series of belts that, as the name implies,
continuously adjust to find the engine’s optimum power band. It can
sound odd as the revs are constant during acceleration, giving the
impression the gears are slipping.
Nissan’s CVT has six preset steps or points for drivers who wish to
select a ratio manually. Manual mode can be a handy feature on
hills or winding roads but, in our experience, it’s generally best
to leave the CVT auto in D for “der”.
The shift action of the six-speed manual is smooth and precise,
which is a good thing, as your left arm gets plenty of exercise.
The 2.0-litre engine seems to struggle with the weight though the
Dualis, at about 1450kg, is not exactly heavy.
It’s not supposed to be a race car but even by class standards the
engine lacks any real pull from low revs.
For example, it’s necessary to shift from fourth to third to
maintain pace up a mild hill at 80kmh. Unfortunately, the 2.5-litre
four-cylinder from the X-Trail doesn’t fit in the Dualis’s engine
bay, Nissan says.
All cabin controls are well laid out and easy to operate. Despite
coming from Nissan’s Sunderland plant in Britain, the quality of
the materials, and fit and finish, seem as good as a Japanese-made
Nissan. Cruise control (standard across the range) is mounted on
the steering wheel but this feature is best left to flat, open
roads, particularly in the manual version as the engine is likely
to labour on hills.
Storage in the door pockets is average and the centre console is
narrow but deep. The glovebox is very big (14 litres) and
air-conditioned. It could easily swallow a laptop or a meat
tray.
Leg and headroom in the rear are good but the rear view when
parking is obscured by the curved window lines. Unfortunately rear
parking sensors or a rear-view camera are not available as factory
options.
Vision while driving, however, is good, thanks to the relatively
short bonnet and the convex mirrors on both sides of the car.
The Dualis steers predictably (for the curious, its turning circle
of 10.6 metres is the same as that of the larger X-Trail) and tyre
grip is satisfactory.
Thankfully, there is a full-sized spare tyre under the cargo floor
(although mounted on a plain black steel wheel rather than a
fancy-looking alloy wheel).
The Dualis’s load area is relatively small compared with, say, a
Subaru Forester. However, the smallish load space is mainly due to
the tapered roofline rather than the fact there is a full-sized
spare under the floor.
In any case, as with most hatchbacks, the rear seats fold flat at
the flick of a lever to create a larger load space.
The Dualis drives reasonably well and, although we didn’t test the
off-road system on this model (you can switch from front-drive to
four-wheel-drive at the twist of a dial), we have sampled the same
system on other Nissans and it has been effective.
Most people, though, are unlikely to take the Dualis off the beaten
track.
It’s most likely to appeal to people who need a little extra ground
clearance for dirt road driving and appreciate the taller driving
position - or who don’t want the neighbours to know they own a
4WD.
There are a couple of challenges for the Dualis: similarly sized
hatchbacks are cheaper and bigger soft-roaders aren’t that much
more expensive.
So the Dualis is either ahead of its time or an answer to a
question no one asked.
FAST FACTS
Price $28,990 to $36,385.
Country of origin Britain.
Engine 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol.
Power 102kW at 5200rpm.
Torque 198Nm at 4400rpm.
Weight 1430kg to 1475kg.
Drivetrain Six-speed manual or six-step
continuously variable automatic transmission.
Safety The Dualis (called Qashqai in Europe)
scored five stars for occupant protection in NCAP testing but was
equipped with front, side and curtain airbags. In Australia side
and curtain airbags (and stability control) are optional on the
base model Dualis, even though these items are standard across the
Nissan X-Trail range.
Consumption and emissions 8.4L/100km, 204g/km
(manual), 8.5L/100km, 206g/km (auto).
Resale value Predicting there will be a steady
demand for small 4WDs in the future, independent value guide
Redbook forecasts the Dualis will retain between 48 and 58 per cent
of its RRP after three years. That’s average.
Pros Roomy cabin with quality materials, big
air-conditioned glovebox, user-friendly controls, full-sized spare
wheel, wide-view mirrors on both sides, good low and
high-beams.
Cons Underpowered engine. Curtain airbags and
stability control are optional on the cheapest model. Rear parking
sensors or rear view camera not available.
Stars * * *
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