I have been shopping crossovers with my wife for a couple of months now and we recently got an extended test drive with the Nissan Rogue at our local Nissan Dealer.

I had read some press on the Rogue a few months ago and knew that Nissan was going to try to bring some upscale features to the rogue at a good price. I also thought it would be interesting to test drive a crossover that was in a less expensive category than the Toyota Highlander and Acura MDX we had been looking at.

The model that we test drove was the loaded SL AWD version, which stickers for a little over $27,000.

My first impression of the Rogue, cosmetically is that it looks better in person than it does in photos. I was especially impressed with how it looked in red. Fit and finish of the exterior looks very good. The one we test drove was assembled in Japan.

The keyless entry is a great feature. With the key fob in your pocket, just walk up and push the little smart button on the door and it opens (you can also open the rear hatch this way, which is great if your hands are full). To start the ignition, just turn the ignition switch where the key would normally go. This is a nice feature, especially for women who have to go digging through their purses to find keys.

Fit and finish of the interior of the Rogue was nice, actually coming close to matching the upscale interior on the Toyota Highlander (which goes for $10K more). Plastic door panels and dashboard were a nice soft textured plastic that didn't have that cheapo Hyndai feeling. Gauges and stereo were nicely illuminated and easily read. The headliner looked a little cheap, but was on par with what is available in vehicles of this price range. The heated leather seats are very nice, although the stitching didn't look quite as nice as I would have hoped for. The steering wheel tilts but does not telescope, which is a bit of a let down. Surprisingly the SL AWD version featured an auto-dimming rear view mirror with integrated garage openers and compass. Even the $45K Acura MDX was lacking this feature until recently.

Other features included as standard on the AWD SL version are bluetooth integration, which it turns out can also import numbers from your phone book and (per the manual) supports voice dialing of numbers, a power drivers seat (a must!) and an upgraded stereo with aux input for an iPod.

The Rogue features a enormous glove box and an inventive center console that has holders for pens, notepads, id cards, etc. One major fault here is that the center console position cannot be moved. When my 5'4" wife had the driver's seat scooched forward she could barely get her arm back onto the console. Hopefully this will be addressed in later versions of the Rogue, or through an aftermarket console.

Seat room was very generous in the front of the car and surprisingly good in the back. There is a scooped out area right above the 2nd row seats that will allow even 6' tall passengers pretty good comfort. Unfortunately there is no incline adjustment on the rear seats. Rear seats do not fold flat, but the SL version does have the ability to fold the front passenger seat flat for the transport of objects up to 8.5 feet in length which actually beats some larger SUVs for handling of larger objects without leaving them sticking out of the hatch.

Overall the cargo room seemed to be quite good, only slightly smaller than the Infiniti FX35 that we are driving now. There is no 3rd row seating option on the Rogue, something that is available on the competing Toyota RAV4.

I was very concerned about how well the 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine would perform on the Rogue. The small lump is mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) which allows for nearly infinite gear combinations (as opposed to 4 or 5 speed automatic transmissions). As a result of the smooth CVT operation and 175 ft lbs of torque, the Rogue got moving very quickly, even with three passengers. Accelerating and merging onto a busy highway on ramp at 70mph was easily accomplished. The ride quality is not as plush as a Lexus or Acura but was actually quite good. We did not notice any jarring or hopping over normal pavement cracks or small manhole covers and road/wind noise at 70mph was actually far better in the Rogue than in the much pricier Acura RDX. The steering on the Rogue is very good, with tight turn in that felt more like a small sedan than a heavy crossover. I didn't notice any real body roll at moderate speeds. The Rogue comes with ABS brakes which seemed to stop the car well, but I didn't test the brakes out in a simulated emergency stop.

The Rogue has an automatic AWD system that starts out with the power split 50/50 between the front and rear wheels, with power switching to FWD during cruise. If in a corner, or if traction is limited, it will adjust power to the rear wheels. This is similar to most other car based SUVs AWD systems. The Rogue does feature an "AWD lock" which forces the system into 50/50 operation at speeds under 35mph.

Rogue doesn't have any crash test data that I am aware of, but does feature standard side airbags and curtain airbags in the front cabin. I am looking forward to NHTSA testing of how the Rogue does in a crash. Nissans in general have performed pretty well for safety (the Murano gets 4 and 5 stars in all categories).

So what's not to like? Well, unfortunately the Rogue doesn't offer an automatic climate control option, which is available on competitors RAV4 and CRV. There is no seat memory option, and no option for a backup camera or Navigation system. I was also a bit disappointed that Nissan didn't include mirror based turn signals as these do add a bit of additional safety on todays cell phone user infested highways. As previously mentioned, the lack of extra ergonomic features such as a slide-forward center console, telescoping steering wheel, and reclining rear seats is also a bit of a let down.

Keep in mind though that a completely "loaded" Rogue costs just over $27K at full sticker and for that price you are getting heated leather seats, AWD, power driver's side seat, bluetooth cell phone link, 8 speaker Bose audio, smartkey system and a VERY roomy vehicle for the typical buyer. While this crossover won't carry a family of 6 comfortably it is definitely more than capable for smaller families as a grocery getter and vehicle with some capability in poorer driving conditions. It also gets impressive gas mileage, with 22mpg around town and 27mpg on the highway. These are also the new, stricter, 2008 EPA ratings.

I was a bit skeptical about how much I would like the Rogue, but walked away from the test drive much more impressed than I ever would have expected. It's a very impressive vehicle for the asking price, with a feature set that will definitely appeal to savvy buyers that value AWD, iPod jacks, bluetooth integration, heated seats, etc.

The fact that my wife and I are even considering a Rogue in lieu of the more expensive offerings available should speak volumes!

Happy car hunting! I hope the small review I wrote was helpful.


Amount Paid (US$): 27500
Condition: New
Model Year: 2008
Model and Options: LS AWD