21 December 2010
What every family needs in the car market right now is a vehicle that can easily fit in all the members; along with baby car seats, potentially a friend or two and maybe even a mother-in-law with room to boot (or should I say plenty of room in the boot). Phew.
Little wonder then that 7 seaters are in hot demand. So with more than a few options out there ticking all the boxes for your next people-mover, the Dualis is yet another potential choice on your list. So, should you consider buying the Dualis +2? Read on…
The Scoop
The Dualis+2 is a step up from the original five seater model yet this one is a three-row, seven-seater (yes, seven seats!) that is 135mm longer in wheelbase and a total of 211mm longer than the original, along with 10mm more headroom.
The engine however remains the same with a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine with the same power and torque but with a better fuel consumption of 8.1L/100km for manual models and 8.2L/100km for those models with CVT automatic transmission.
There are three +2 models to chose from - the ST 2WD, Ti 2WD (from $34,690) and the Ti AWD (from $36,890). We drove the Ti version that was complete with a fabulous panoramic glass sun roof, sexy leather trim seats and steering wheel,
18-inch alloy wheels, in-dash six-disc changer with six speakers, intelligent key entry and dual-zone auto climate control air-conditioning.
The drive
All in all, driving the Dualis +2 was quite a pleasurable experience – it was easy to park, vision was A1, the cabin was roomy enough, it all felt quite luxurious and the steering was comfy and light.
This is definitely a ladies car in that it isn’t too big to handle, yet is big enough for a few extras in your every day life – think school and shopping bags, groceries, soccer balls, umbrellas etc.
On the negative side, I found the car lacked oomph; sometimes I was left feeling like I was driving a lawn-mower. It’s not that the car was by any means slow, it just felt to me like the car was straining at times.
Along with this, I was unimpressed with the size of the boot (it could have been bigger) and the keyless-start was a bugger that required you to twist and turn and lock and pull and in the end I was quite exhausted by the machinations – call me impatient but it was all just a tad too hard for me.
To top this off, unfortunately on day 1 of test-driving, complete with rainy day, family loaded in steaming up the windows and running late for a kid’s birthday party, a flat battery didn’t help my overall impression of the vehicle. Having said that, Nissan’s Roadside Assistance were extremely fast, accommodating and helpful and just as I was about to chalk it up to just ‘one of those things’ and get on my way, I was informed by my knight-in-shining-armour this was the third Nissan of this model he had serviced that day suffering a flat battery. Oh dear…
Style
I personally loved the look and feel of the Dualis +2. Its part SUV, part small car with some great features including the most fantastic sunroof I’ve yet to experience, a really sexy looking dash, fab stereo and smooth lines. Overall, style-wise, it’s definitely a keeper.
Safety
The Dualis +2 scored an impressive five star ANCAP safety rating along with six airbags, ABS, EBD, BA, TC and ESC.
3 words to describe this car
Practical, comfortable, feminine
What are the best things about this car?
The stylish lines, classy interior, the fabulous sunroof and fuel consumption.
What are the downsides of this car?
A smallish boot, keyless start is too tricky and lack of engine-oomph.
What kind of petrol did this car use?
Unleaded
Liked it?
Like it but didn’t love it…
Soundtrack of choice for the Nissan Dualis +2?
Anything by the Wiggles!