"What happens when a young person's lifestyle crosses over?" Brad Bradshaw, Nissan USA senior VP of sales and marketing, asked the crowd at Cobo. Tough question. Death, perhaps? Or, maybe he meets his evil doppelganger? Uh, turns out he ends up buying a 2008 Nissan Rogue, which is, says Bradshaw, "for young people whose lives are crossing over into additional responsibility." Oh... kids.
But since the recently redesigned entries from Toyota and Honda (RAV4, CR-V) already pretty much own the small SUV segment, the Rogue "needs to be a bit of an overachiever," he notes. A noble, if predictable mission, but we're not sure Nissan has accomplished it.
The torquey 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine under the Rogue's hood (170 hp) is encouraging, but the fact that you can only pair it up with a CVT is less so. As we noted in our full coverage on the 2008 Nissan Rogue, this small SUV is riding on an updated version of the current Sentra platform. Updated, as in the company did spend the money on independent rear suspension -- a trailing-arm design. And the tires on the stage vehicle were decently sized meats -- 225/60R17 Dunlops.
After the press conference, we took a walk around the Rogue. The cargo bay lift-over is nice and low, but so is the roofline and the snug headroom situation was apparent as soon as we seated ourselves in the backseat.
And, that rear seat doesn't slide fore/aft or recline.
Up front, it's just as cozy, although with the sporty black interior, this imparts sort of a cockpit feel. Which would be great in a sportscar, but with a kid in back, this ambience feels a little off.
We're hoping Nissan will revisit a few of these details before the Rogue goes on sale this fall. --Erin Riches
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How's the rear legroom? Is the rear seatback angle as set, comfortable?
As long as they're set correctly, adjustments aren't needed.
I'm sold on this car as long as the rear seats are good, it turns up good handling numbers, and Nissan holds up to the promised value of $20,000.
Think of it as an XL Mazda3 hatchback.
And all reviews have praised the CVT.
Competition
CR-V: Face of Dr. Doom
Rav4: Interior material, seat fabric too sticky. Exterior is featureless.
Torrent/Equinox: handling of doom
The rear looks vaguely like a Buick Enclave, and the front looks like something I wouldn't want to be seen in.
It seems a bit . . . gooey.
Sounds like an incredible deal. I can't think of any competitor that offers IRS and 17" rims for $20K. Visibility seems like it would be respectable. Commendable.
no estreka the Rogue at $20k has 16" steel wheels. But Nissan plastic wheel covers are amazing. Have you seen the ones on the Altima? Nissan knows how to style their plastic. I do wish for a well-styled plastic on steel rim, as oppose to an aluminum rim. Plastic is much more difficult to damage, and much more functional for any non-racing vehicle. Also 17" replacement tires cost twice as much as buying 16" tires...
billt9: Rear legroom was adequate for me (5'-10"), but the backseat by no means felt as roomy as the CR-V's or RAV4's. Still, the fixed angle of the seat-bottom cushion and seat-back are ideal for a human occupant.
Looks like Hyundai's SUV. Been there done that.
"are ideal for a human occupant"
Wow you sound like a computer machine analyzer, but thanks! =D
I was thinking of carrying my E.T. friend too but that's OK.
I think this is a really nice wagon that I will buy. It can't possibly be less sporty than the Toyota or Honda, being a low slung (0.8" lower than the CR-V, 2.6" lower than the Santa Fe) wagon with the Altima's engine/transmission.
The only thing I fear is the additional maintenance cost of proprietary Nissan CVT transmission oil changes.
I like this suv. With combined good hp and CVT, it should produce good gas mileage. But I wonder if it has a navigation with rear camera since it has so many other gadgets (keyless ignition, heated seats, bluetooth, etc.).