Decent interior space
Despite riding on a Sentra chassis and wheelbase, the Rogue offers plenty of room. We wish the driver seat's height could be lowered more, as some staffers heads' were pretty close to the headliner. In back, there is a surprising amount of shoulder room for three across.
Cargo space is pretty good, too, although most competitors are better in that regard with the back seat folded. What actually reduces the total amount of space is the sloping liftgate. Since we're talking about the Rogue's posterior, the smallness of the backlight and rear-quarter glass reduces visibility quite a bit.
The SUV's instrumentation is generally well laid-out, except for Nissan's bad habit of spreading out the wheel-mounted buttons to the point where your thumbs can't reach them while driving. The Rogue feels solid, substantial, and apart from the aforementioned engine racket, very quiet in its operation.
competition
The Rogue starts at $24,398 in front-drive S trim, but this SL AWD version costs $28,998. Add the Leather Package and Technology Package, and the total climbs to $33,698.
Rivals of this loaded Rogue, with 4-cylinder engines and all-wheel drive, are as follows:
Ford Escape Limited I4 AWD, $33,799
Honda CR-V EX-L, $35,190
Jeep Compass Limited 4WD with options, $28,970
Jeep Patriot Limited 4WD with options, $28,670
Mitsubishi Outlander ES 4WD with Sun and Sound Package, $29,248
Subaru Forester 2.5X Limited, $32,395
Suzuki Grand Vitara JLX-L, $29,995
Toyota RAV4 Limited V6, $33,960
Volkswagen Tiguan Comfortline, $33,975
You can also consider the Mazda Tribute, but its loaded versions only come with a V6 engine. The same goes for the Hyundai Tucson, the Kia Sportage and the Saturn Vue. As for the Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent, no 4-cylinders are offered at all.
Conclusion
The Nissan Rogue is a fun-to-drive compact SUV that provides a good ride, decent space and 4-cylinder frugalness to small families looking for something bigger than a hatchback and smaller than a minivan. It's got a few shortcomings, but nothing that would prevent you from appreciating its qualities.
But the Rogue is in a tough market, and there are numerous adversaries that offer as much for a little less money. A Rogue S makes more sense; it's less expensive and you don't sacrifice much in terms of standard equipment.
The Rogue is selling well, more than the X-Trail did. Which means Nissan's timing was perfect.
photo:Matthieu Lambert
Despite riding on a Sentra chassis and wheelbase, the Rogue offers plenty of room. We wish the driver seat's height could be lowered more, as some staffers heads' were pretty close to the headliner. In back, there is a surprising amount of shoulder room for three across.
Cargo space is pretty good, too, although most competitors are better in that regard with the back seat folded. What actually reduces the total amount of space is the sloping liftgate. Since we're talking about the Rogue's posterior, the smallness of the backlight and rear-quarter glass reduces visibility quite a bit.
The SUV's instrumentation is generally well laid-out, except for Nissan's bad habit of spreading out the wheel-mounted buttons to the point where your thumbs can't reach them while driving. The Rogue feels solid, substantial, and apart from the aforementioned engine racket, very quiet in its operation.
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| Cargo space is pretty good, although most competitors are better in that regard with the back seat folded. |
competition
The Rogue starts at $24,398 in front-drive S trim, but this SL AWD version costs $28,998. Add the Leather Package and Technology Package, and the total climbs to $33,698.
Rivals of this loaded Rogue, with 4-cylinder engines and all-wheel drive, are as follows:
Ford Escape Limited I4 AWD, $33,799
Honda CR-V EX-L, $35,190
Jeep Compass Limited 4WD with options, $28,970
Jeep Patriot Limited 4WD with options, $28,670
Mitsubishi Outlander ES 4WD with Sun and Sound Package, $29,248
Subaru Forester 2.5X Limited, $32,395
Suzuki Grand Vitara JLX-L, $29,995
Toyota RAV4 Limited V6, $33,960
Volkswagen Tiguan Comfortline, $33,975
You can also consider the Mazda Tribute, but its loaded versions only come with a V6 engine. The same goes for the Hyundai Tucson, the Kia Sportage and the Saturn Vue. As for the Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent, no 4-cylinders are offered at all.
Conclusion
The Nissan Rogue is a fun-to-drive compact SUV that provides a good ride, decent space and 4-cylinder frugalness to small families looking for something bigger than a hatchback and smaller than a minivan. It's got a few shortcomings, but nothing that would prevent you from appreciating its qualities.
But the Rogue is in a tough market, and there are numerous adversaries that offer as much for a little less money. A Rogue S makes more sense; it's less expensive and you don't sacrifice much in terms of standard equipment.
The Rogue is selling well, more than the X-Trail did. Which means Nissan's timing was perfect.
photo:Matthieu Lambert
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