But enough cheap shots. Dualis has found a clear niche. In the UK it has sold twice as many as anticipated. Over there, Nissan found 85 per cent of buyers were new to the brand and younger than average SUV buyers. Are they hip young people who get things that clearly, I as a 1960s vintage old fart don’t or are they marketing-led twits, the sort of people who buy pre-ripped jeans?
Nissan Dualis 2444
I still think the Dualis concept is silly but I have to say Nissan has done an impressive job of trying to reconcile two opposite car styles. They largely succeeded, with performance, rear seat room and luggage space the only disappointments.Nissan Dualis 2
Nissan says Dualis is two cars in one. Let’s split the difference and call it one and a half. That’s still good value if you can’t decide between a car and an SUV.
But the power to weight ratio blunts it. It’s too heavy to be truly dynamic. The only major black mark is that electronic stability control is not standard on the ST model. It comes as part of a $2000 option pack that also offers side and curtain airbags and 16-inch alloys. But all Dualis versions enjoy a five-star EuroNCAP safety rating.Nissan Dualis 2
Nissan Dualis 2
In dirt road driving the Dualis is better than a hatchback but with a vulnerable 19 degree approach angle it’s never going to approach being a true off-roader. Wading depth is a quite impressive 450mm and although the water crossing I did could have been handled on a skateboard ( it wasn’t even hub height) I have a suspicion it bestows on me the award of all-time Nissan Dualis off-road champion. Not many buyers will challenge me for that one.Nissan Dualis 2
Nissan Dualis 2
The auto is CVT, which some people don’t get. Personally I don’t mind them – and reservations about the way they sound (like a plane taking off – the engine note stays constant as your speed increases) are overruled by the fuel savings because the best of them are every bit as efficient as a manual. The Dualis CVT has a torque converter, not a clutch, so it would work better in Nissan Dualis 2off-roading than a single-range manual but perhaps we’re splitting hairs here. The car is as at home in the wilderness as the cast of Lost.Nissan Dualis 2
