2010 Nissan Dualis Upgrade - mister-cars.com

Nissan has changed the appearance of its Dualis crossover and at the same time has significantly improved its overall refinement.

Noise, vibration and harshness levels have been improved by adding extra soundproofing material to the firewall between the engine bay and cabin. As well an interesting new design of windscreen, that actually absorbs sound, further improves matters.

During our road testing out of Melbourne as part of the introduction of the 2010 Dualis we were most impressed by the reduced sound levels in what was already a quiet vehicle. We covered a good variety of roads, without taking any dirt tracks, listened and felt levels of interior sound that would normally require a much more expensive sedan to achieve. Yet this was from a family hatchback sold for a pretty modest price.

As part of the midlife makeover of the Dualis, Nissan has changed the appearance, particularly at the front where every visible component forward of the windscreen has been changed.

Things in the styling department have become tricky from the point of view of the Australian importer. That's because the changes have deliberately been made to make the Dualis look like a hatchback car, rather than an SUV. It seems the Europeans, who are by far the biggest buyers of the vehicle, don’t like to be seen as driving an SUV as they have become politically incorrect over there. Whereas Australians would much rather be seen as owning an SUV than a mere hatchback.

Ah! The joys of trying to please everyone with a single global design...

A real bonus in the new front-end styling is that Dualis is slightly more aerodynamic than previously. This results in a decrease in petrol consumption of a tenth of a litre each hundred kilometres – every little bit helps.

As well as the frontal changes, Nissan has also endowed the taillights with the efficiency and bright appearance of LED lamps.

Inside, the dashboard has been rearranged, with the biggest difference being the use of a larger, much clearer, readout panel for the trip computer. This really pleases us as the fuel consumption, distance travelled, range and so on can now be read with the quickest of glances, thus improving safety as well as convenience.

There are changes to the trim colours and design. More importantly, this restyle has seen stowage areas being increased in size and made easier to access.

Despite our remarks about Australians preferring to be seen in an SUV, the fact remains this is purely an image thing. That's because some 80 per cent of buyers have chosen to go for the 2WD version of Dualis, not the 4WD model. The 2WD (with the drive to the front wheels) has only been on the local market since August 2009 and has greatly increased sales of the vehicle.

That's partly due to the remarkably low price of the Dualis Hatch, it begins at a recommended $24,990, but the lighter weight and greater nimbleness on the road play their part as well. Impressively, Nissan Australia will sell the new and improved six-speed manual Dualis Hatch for that original price, despite the fact that is has more standard equipment than previously.

The topline Nissan Dualis Ti AWD has had a slight price increase, from $29,990 to $31,890, but now features a panoramic glass roof, 18-inch alloy wheels and a keyless starting system.

Power for the Dualis in 2WD and 4WD format continues to come from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that produces 102 kW of power, and 198 Nm of torque at 4400 rpm.

The engine drives through either a six-speed manual gearbox or a sophisticated continuously variable transmission (CVT).

This powerplant probably has sufficient power and torque for most owners, but we feel it's marginal in its performance if you enjoy your driving. May we suggest you include some hills in your private road test, and have some family members go along to add a bit of weight to the Dualis.

2010 Nissan Dualis Upgrade - mister-cars.com

Nissan Dualis Gains Refinement