Im thinking about purchasing one of these. Anyone know what i need to look for or any common issues? At the moment i have a 2008 Mazda Bongo Van 2ltr Turbo Diesel. I travel 100kms each day to work and back. The roads are quite bumpy and have few potholes as a lot of trucks drive on it. My work driveway is long and is gravel and very dusty in the summer and muddy in the winter. Im finding the van is just not very good on these road conditions so was thinking of purchasing a suv. Ive worked out that running a petrol vehicle with a 2 ltr will be around the same cost as running the diesel with rucs. I dont know of anyone who has owned a Dualis so dont know what to look for when viewing/test driving it. Any help/info appreciated.
vtecintegra,
Nov 28, 12:35am
Its not really an SUV - it's just a jacked up car.
Still be loads better than your van for those conditions although I'd personally be looking at a Subaru of some sort
tamarillo,
Nov 28, 12:37am
Also known as 2007 qashai , make sure you take it on open road and take note of transmission when you accelerate hard. It's a cvt which might be fine for you but not everyone likes them. If possible get it checked as they can fail early.
s.k.s,
Nov 28, 12:39am
Was also thinking of an Nissan X-Trail. What subaru would you recommend? Im not wanting to pay anymore than 14k. Love the older Toyota Surfs but have read different things about which engines are better than others and now am totally confused.
s.k.s,
Nov 28, 12:42am
Thanks i will make sure to drive it on an open road as that is what i travel on every day. Im not familiar on cvt. This one looks tiptronic or is that cvt? I have been looking for a manual one but unable to find.
vtecintegra,
Nov 28, 1:01am
They'll all be CVT
msigg,
Nov 28, 2:42am
great machine, the x trail is a bit boxier, both would do the job fine. Best to drive in similar roads to see if you like them, take it from there.
brapbrap8,
Nov 28, 3:28am
The Subaru Outback would be my pick, much nicer to drive and the older shape ones in your price range would be normal transmissions.
s.k.s,
Nov 28, 3:29am
Thanks, Should i be worried about it having cvt?
s.k.s,
Nov 28, 3:30am
Cheers, ill have a look into one of them also :)
tamarillo,
Nov 28, 3:47am
Debatable. Earlier ones, especially Nissan ones, have poor reputation for doing high miles. But with proper servicing some people are finding them okay. Both Nissan use cvt, but have steps in the variable ratio to stimulate real gears. Newer subarus use them too Personally I just don't like driving them, but many don't know or care. With miles you do I personally would avoid it as conventional box is less likely to crap out on you and need replacing. Subaru Outback is good suggestion, the raised softer suspension will soak up bumps better and the four wheel drive will help. Check safety equipment on imports you see. Sometimes they have minimal (like just 2) airbags when a local one might have 6. Not all, but do check.
brapbrap8,
Nov 28, 4:02am
If you do any towing I would avoid a CVT
tamarillo,
Nov 28, 4:11am
Hyundai Santa Fe and its sister Kia Sportage come in 2 litre diesel with conventional auto, and seem to capable of plenty of miles. You might be able to get in to a VW Tiguan with current anti VW feeling there might be one at good price.
stevo2,
Nov 28, 4:12am
Modern CVTs seem to be quite reliable as long as they are serviced when required. They have a few advantages over a conventional auto, the biggest being better fuel consumption. They feel a little unusual to drive, ie they start revving harder when climbing a hill and it feels a bit like the clutch is slipping but that is the way they are designed to work. Beware if their is a shuddering as it moves off. As mentioned above, not a good option for towing.
s.k.s,
Nov 28, 6:16am
Thanks heaps for all the info. Decisions decisions. Think i might do some more looking around. Sucks thou because i really like the look of the dualis. Wont be doing any towing just long distance driving which kinda put me off diesels as im buying 5000 rucs every 9 or so weeks. The services come up to fast also so thought petrol would be better option.
stevo2,
Nov 28, 6:21am
It doesn't matter what car you ask about, there will always be negative comments here from people that prefer other makes and models. Most have never owned or even driven one. They are a HUGE seller in the UK and have earned a good reputation. The Dualis/Qashqai is a good car if serviced properly. Take one for a test drive.
s.k.s,
Nov 28, 6:59am
Thanks Stevo. I'm going to go see it tomorrow and go from there.
mad_signtist,
Nov 28, 7:46am
Totally agreed here. Wife has had 4 cvt cars over last few year. Our recent is a Honda oddysey cvt. 1 we had a problem with that was stuffed before we bought it but was fixed up.
stevo2,
Nov 28, 7:58am
That was your old Primera eh? They had a bad rep and generally for a good reason. CVTs have moved a long way since then but it is essential to keep the servicing up to date.
mad_signtist,
Aug 29, 1:21am
Yeah we had a 2000 cvt primers. Ran perfect. Upgraded to a 012 04. It made a clunk when going from park to drive. Never did it on test drives etc or when a mechanic had it lol. Only did it randomly. Still drove perfect. Had wife's Wingroad for over 3 years and 50k and no probs. We love then. Super economical and so smooth. Yeah the early cvts had a really bad rep. A lot was wrong oil put in them
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