Nissan offered us the X-Trail which is a great car but decided to offer something else to capture the market just below the X-Trail segment and ended up offering the Dualis crossover utility vehicle (CUV). Today we are going to compare the Nissan Dualis with another great crossover utility vehicle by the name of Subaru Forester. We will be comparing these two great cars by looking at their dimensions, performance, interior and exterior design, and practicality.
Nissan Dualis vs Subaru Forester Side-By-Side Comparison
(*Prices are reflective of average BE FORWARD pricings as of December 2020.)
Nissan Dualis Subaru Forester
Generations 2 (J10, J11) 5 (SF, SG, SH, SJ, SK)
Production Year 2006 - Present 1997 - Present
Performance 105 HP - 148 HP 147.51 HP - 268.20 HP
Fuel Consumption 11.49 KM/L - 15.63 KM/L 7.69 KM/L - 19.20 KM/L
Drivetrain FWD or 4WD FWD or 4WD
Key Features CD Player, Power Steering, Power Window, A/C,
Alloy Wheels, Airbag, Radio, DVD, Fog Lights,
ESC, Back CameraRear Spoiler, Power Steering, Power Windows,
Airbag, A/C, ABS, ESC, Fog Lights, Radio,
Keyless Entry
Seating Capacity 5 Passengers 5 Passengers
BE FORWARD price US$ 1760 - US$ 13,310 US$ 1200 - US$ 57,960
Interior/Exterior Comparison
Nissan Dualis
BROWSE LOW COST NISSAN DUALIS MODELS
The Nissan Dualis’ cabin is practical and roomy. It has a well-designed D-shaped three-spoke steering wheel with a rake and reach adjustment. The driving position offers good forward visibility and comfort.
The instrument panel is typically Nissan with crispy white graphics housed in a curvy binnacle that features a round analog tachometer to its left with a small coolant temperature gauge, on the right, there is a round analog speedometer with a small fuel gauge placed within, and on the middle of these two round analog meters, you will find a small digital display that displays the cabin temperature, clock, trip meter and odometer. Other features found on the center console are storage bins, cup holders, and control buttons for A/C, air direction, and fan speed.
On the center console, you will find a 5-inch multifunctional color touchscreen for audio control, reversing camera, and satellite navigation.
The front and rear seats are covered with standard washable upholstery, with leather as an option on high-end models. The bases of the front seats are high and low for the rear seats. This is due to the body structure of the Dualis with a sloping roofline, and hence the rear seats are lower than the front seats to provide adequate headroom for the rear passengers.
The Dualis has enough luggage space, with a 410-liters boot that can be extended by folding the rear seats that can be split-folded into the 60/40 configuration creating a 1513-liters cargo area.
Interior
BROWSE LOW COST NISSAN DUALIS MODELS
Exterior
The Dualis is truly a mid-size SUV with a length of 4330 mm, a width of 1783 mm, a height of 1606 mm, and a wheelbase of 2630 mm. At the front, Dualis spots a Nissan badge with the v-motion grille and large headlights on either side. At the rear, the Dualis is fitted with LED backlights, a lift-up tailgate, and 16” or 17” alloy wheels.
Safety
The Dualis is a car built with safety in mind, with a host of safety features such as blind-spot monitoring, lane keep assist, a 360-degree parking camera, automatic rear braking, automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, automatic high beams, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control.
Subaru Forester
BROWSE LOW COST SUBARU FORESTER MODELS
Interior
The interior of the Forester is comfortable, quiet, spacious, and practical. The low window line makes the interior airy while also giving the occupants great outward visibility.
The Forester has a high driving position with lots of elbow room, legroom, and headroom at the front, and with the dashboard a bit far it makes the interior feel spacious. The rear seat has enough legroom and headroom to make even a 6’0” passenger sit comfortably. The three-spoke steering wheel is fitted with steering-wheel controls for the audio system, and the binnacle comprises of two large round analog meters, one on the left for the tachometer, another on the right for the speedometer with a digital display between them that displays the fuel gauge, open door alert, gear selection light, trip meter, and odometer.
The center console has a small digital display at the top that displays time, cabin temperature, coolant temperature, and rearview camera display. Below this small display, there is a 6.2-inch (7.0-inch on the high-end models) touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth pairing, USB connection, four speakers, and HD radio, with air vents on either side. Then audio controls follow below the climate control dials. In front of the gear shift, there is a small storage tray, and between the front seats, there are two cup holders, a parking brake button, and a drive selector dial.
The Forester has generous cargo space, has 974-liters of boot space with the rear seats up, and 2115-liters with the second-row seats folded down in the 60/40-split fold configuration.
The folding down mechanism is very simple, it uses a clever one-button to fold the backseat fully flat, though this feature is not available in all models.
BROWSE LOW COST SUBARU FORESTER MODELS
Exterior
Foresters have always been boxy and angular, and they still are. The latest models feature a big vertical grille with projectile headlights at the front. The Forester has an extra-wide tailgate with a spoiler at the top, with neatly designed rear LED taillights. Foresters come with 17” alloy wheels as standard and 18” alloy wheels for the high-end models.
Safety
The Forester is rated as a Top Safety Pick due to its good crash test ratings. The Forester like other recently released Subarus comes fitted with Subaru’s EyeSight technology that encompasses several safety technologies such as lane departure warning, sway warning, automatic pre-collision braking, a rearview camera, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alerts, adaptive cruise control, automatic headlights, driver focus technology, and automatic reverse braking.
Engine and Fuel Efficiency Comparison
Nissan Dualis
The Dualis over its two generations has been offered with two engine choices.
- The 1.6-liter inline 4-cylinder (HR16DE) petrol produces 114 HP and average fuel consumption of 15.63 KM/L
- The 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder (MR20DE) petrol engine produces 137 HP and average fuel consumption of 11.49 KM/L
These engines transmit power to the wheels via a 5-speed manual, 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic, and CVT transmission.
BROWSE LOW COST NISSAN DUALIS MODELS
Subaru Forester
The Subaru Forester has been around for a while and is currently in its fifth generation. In the years that it has been around, it has managed to win the hearts of car enthusiasts and has managed to accomplish that not due to great looks, but rather due to its great engines. Below are the engines that the Forester has been fitted with over the years.
The 1st generation Forester came fitted with the engine options below.
- The 2.5-liter horizontally opposed (boxer) 4-cylinder (EJ25D) petrol produces 165 HP and average fuel consumption of 9.62 KM/L.
- The 2.0-liter horizontally opposed (boxer) 4-cylinder (EJ20) petrol produces 255 HP and average fuel consumption of 8.26 KM/L. This EJ20 petrol engine is available in about 4 variants with varying power with the option of a turbo.
These engines transmitted power to the wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission as standard and an optional 4-speed automatic transmission.
The 2nd generation Forester came fitted with the variants of the EJ25 engine below.
- The naturally aspirated 2.5-liter horizontally opposed (boxer) 4-cylinder (EJ254) petrol produces 173 HP and average fuel consumption of 9.61 KM/L
- The turbocharged 2.5-liter horizontally opposed (boxer) 4-cylinder (EJ255) petrol produces 210.54 HP (slight tuning achieved up to 300 HP) and average fuel consumption of 7.62 KM/L.
The 3rd generation Forester came fitted with the engine options below.
- The 2.0-liter horizontally opposed (boxer) 4-cylinder (FB2) petrol produces 147 HP and average fuel consumption of 12.5 KM/L.
- The 2.0-liter horizontally opposed (boxer) 4-cylinder (EE20) diesel produces 148 HP and average fuel consumption of 19.23 KM/L
The 4th generation Forester came fitted with the engine options below.
- The 2.0-liter horizontally opposed (boxer) 4-cylinder (FA20) petrol produces 268 HP and average fuel consumption of 12.82 KM/L.
- The previous 2.0-liter horizontally opposed (boxer) 4-cylinder (EE20) diesel was available as well, with the option for turbo and naturally aspirated.
These engines transferred power to the wheels via 4-speed automatic CVT and a 6-speed manual transmission.
The 5th generation Forester came fitted with the engine options below.
- The 2.5-liter horizontally opposed (boxer) 4-cylinder (FB25) petrol produces 170 HP with average fuel consumption of 12 KM/L.
- The turbocharged 2.0-liter horizontally opposed (boxer) 4-cylinder (FB20-T) petrol produces 147.51 HP and average fuel consumption of 12.5 KM/L.
These engines transmitted power to the wheels via a six-speed manual or a CVT transmission.
BROWSE LOW COST SUBARU FORESTER MODELS
The Verdict
The Nissan Dualis and Subaru Forester were designed to take you places but each one has an edge over the other in certain conditions. These two cars’ wheelbase and exterior dimensions are almost similar, but the Forester has a superior interior space with a boot space that is more than twice that of the Dualis. The headroom for rear passengers is much better for the Forester, especially when the occupants are full-size adults. With these and other factors when considered it makes it easier to decide which car to go for between the two. If your daily car use involve maneuvering in urban tight spaces with few passengers and luggage, then the Dualis will be a great choice, but if your daily car use involve off-roading and with lots of luggage then the Forester is the right car for you with superior engine power, better off-roading abilities and a big boot.
I am a Telecom & ICT specialist with a career spanning over 15 years in the demanding Tanzanian telecom industry.
I am also an avid DIYer with a good knack for everything technical and a wealth of vocational skills, with automotive being the top, and here I am writing about cars.
In 2017 a guy created a WhatsApp group called MyCar for the sole purpose of members helping each other with all matters regarding cars. I joined this group in 2018, and with my enormous wealth of knowledge regarding cars, and my readiness to share the knowledge with others, I became a top contributor, and that didn’t go unnoticed, as one member thought I was a potential writer and had contacts with Be Forward Japan who were looking for writers then. Fast forward to January 2020, I began writing for the Be Forward blog with 2024 being my fourth year.
As far as I can remember, I love cars, and growing up in the farming and tourist city of Arusha Tanzania in the ’80s and ’90s, I ended up being drawn to the Ranger Rover Classic for leisure and Land Cruiser 70 pickup as a workhorse. These were tough cars then, cars that could take you anywhere any time no matter the weather.
Nice work bro u have inspire me
Very great read and saved a purpose. I really wanted to know which one to buy between the two, as the 2nd hand models prices are just similar.
For inquiries kindly send us a message, email at top@beforward.jp rest assured our sales representative will assist you.
amazing . ill go for a Subaru. all the way a non Turbo one will be good