Nissan's new Dualis, so named because it has dual roles to play, was the first vehicle to be designed at Nissan’s new European design centre in London. Though Japanese in its heritage, Dualis is very much aimed at the world’s markets, particularly in Europe where its soft-roader abilities are more in touch with local tastes. There really isn’t a place for large 4WDs in Europe. To further show its global nature, Dualis sold in Australia are built in the Nissan plant in Sunderland, England. 

Though it shares many out-of-sight components with the Nissan X-Trail, the Dualis has quite a different character. Being a crossover between a family hatchback and a compact 4WD. 

Styling is neat and compact, though some may feel it’s on the conservative side. There's a traditional Nissan 4WD shape in the front grille. The rear end is sleek without being as over-the-top as that of big brother Nissan Murano. The slightly squarer rear end gives Dualis more practicality than Murano. 

The Dualis’ interior is well-designed interior with good leg and headroom in both front and rear seats. Indeed, there's surprisingly good rear headroom given the dipping roofline. The latter there not only to provide sleek style, but also to aid airflow and thus reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Dualis’ has a coefficient of drag of just 0.34, making it almost car like in its ability to slip quietly through the air. Low drag has also been achieved by tailoring the underbody for minimum air resistance. 

A high driving position and compact dimensions make Nissan Dualis a sensible and practical suburban car. However, the rising window line and dipping roof make for small rear windows and slightly cramped vision for children in rear seats.  

There's a limited luggage area due to the high floor with a full-size spare below it. The 60/40 split rear seatbacks can fold almost flat to increase cargo carrying ability so the Dualis can carry quite bulky loads. Those looking for a passenger wagon for the family instead of a conventional hatchback will really appreciate its interior. 

Ride comfort is generally good, though the suspension is firm in the European manner and those who do a lot of country driving should carry out their own road tests to see if it suits. Suspension firmness makes for good handling and the Dualis is almost car-like in the way it reacts and feels. Again in the European manner, plenty of work has gone into seat comfort and we found the fronts to have a nice blend of support and comfort, with bolsters that don’t hamper climbing in and out of the vehicle. 

Some coarse-chip road surfaces caused more interior noise than we like, but that’s not unusual in European cars.

 Dualis is powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine with 102 kW and 198 Nm. It will typically use about eight to nine litres per hundred kilometres on country trips, with the consumption rising to the 11 to 13 litre range in town.

 Performance is marginal and if you are planning to carry a fair number of occupants it could struggle at times, particularly in hilly areas.   

Transmissions are either a modern six-speed manual or a CVT automatic, the latter with pre-selected ratios that can be operated manually should the driver so wish. CVT is a fuel saving transmission so petrol consumption is only likely to rise by about two to three per cent over that of the six-speed manual. 

Though not aimed at the 4WD buyer, Dualis has Nissan's sophisticated All-mode transmission so has good traction on slippery surfaces. It doesn’t get some of the off-road features that are seen in the X-Trail, such as hill ascent and descent assistance. Nissan Dualis is available with two-wheel drive, as well as with a turbo-diesel engine, in other markets. However only the four-wheel drive version with petrol power will come to Australia in the foreseeable future. 

Dualis features higher than average ground clearance for a hatchback (188 mm), but the clearance isn’t as great as for a ‘real’ 4WD. The family that takes its car to the beach or uses it to explore forest trails should find there's more than enough ability for their mild off-road needs. 

Two models are offered, both well equipped. The $28,990 Nissan Dualis ST has air conditioning that can be piped to cool the large glovebox. There are power windows and door mirrors, as well as cruise control. Major safety features are front, side and curtain airbags, ABS brakes with brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution and stability control. The upmarket $33,990 Dualis TI also has leather trimmed seats, with heating on the fronts; a leather wrapped steering wheel with inbuilt audio controls; a trip computer; a CD stacker; Bluetooth compatibility; and automatic lights and wipers. 

These prices are for cars with the six-speed manual gearbox. Automatic transmission adds $2000. On-road costs have to be factored in. 

Nissan Australia is smart in offering two different types of compact 4WDs. Dualis is aimed very much at the suburban market, but has some unmade road ability. Those looking for something tougher also have the choice of the Nissan X-Trail. 

AT A GLANCE

MODEL RANGE
Dualis ST 2.0-litre five-door wagon - $28,990 (manual), $30,990 (automatic)
Dualis Ti 2.0-litre five-door wagon - $33,990 (manual), $35,990 (automatic)

FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: $2000 option on all models
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in Ti, $2000 package option in ST
Stability Control: Standard in Ti, $2000 package option in ST
Traction Control: Standard in Ti, $2000 package option in ST 

SPECIFICATIONS (Nissan Dualis Ti 2.0-litre five-door wagon)

ENGINE:
Capacity: 1.997 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.1:1
Bore/Stroke: 84.0 x 90.1 mm
Maximum Power: 102 kW @ 5200 rpm
Maximum Torque: 198 Nm @ 4500 rpm

DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: 4WD
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Continuously variable
Final Drive Ratio: 4.687:1

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: MacPherson struts
Rear Suspension: Independent multi-link
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc

FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: Petrol 91RON
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 8.4 L/100km

GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 6/10
Air Pollution Rating: 6.5/10

STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000km