2011 Nissan Rogue Owner Review

When the 1999 Honda Civic, driven mostly by my wife, was totaled 2 months ago, we pretty much already knew what the next car would be. For the last couple years, she has had her eye on the Nissan Rogue. She likes that it is roomier than her Civic, and better accommodates our growing family, that currently consist of 2 parents, a 50 pound dog, and a toddler. The Rogue also makes camping a lot easier. We did check out other vehicles as well, and read all the consumer ratings, but this review is not about the shopping process or the vehicles we could have purchased. I'm going to focus on what I see as the pros and cons of our chosen family vehicle, the 2011 Nissan Rogue (front wheel drive). I will try not to bore you to death with all the specifications (which can all be found elsewhere), rather I will try to give a general review. Hopefully you will find it useful if you're shopping for a new vehicle.

Before test driving our new Rogue, I had never driven a vehicle with a CVT (continuously variable transmission). In the past I have always preferred manual transmissions to automatics because they tend to be more efficient, reliable, and give me a sense of control over the vehicle. It took me a second to get used to, but I very quickly came to realize the advantages of a CVT over a regular automatic transmission. With a CVT, power and energy is never interrupted or sacrificed due to shifting. Basically there is an infinite number of gears so the vehicle is always running in the most efficient gear. This also makes the vehicle very responsive. Push the gas and watch the tachometer fly up, and the car accelerates without delay and without shifting. The CVT really squeezes the most from the 170hp produced by the engine. The Nissan Rogue is only available with a CVT transmission, but I noticed there are other vehicles out there available in either CVT or manual, and the CVT actually gets a higher MPG rating that the manual! Traditionally, manual transmissions have always been more efficient than automatics, so this is impressive. We are averaging 26 MPG, as displayed on our LCD screen. When it comes to new technology, I am always a little wary. In reality however the CVT has been around for a long time, and used extensively by Nissan over the past decade or so. The CVT also has hundreds less moving parts than a regular automatic, so there are less pieces that can fail. Of course, as impressive as this CVT is, nothing can replace the feel and control of a manual transmission. I have always been a fan of a standard transmission, and I would not be honest if I didn't admit I am almost sad they have finally made an automatic transmission that is more efficient than a good old fashion stick shift. That being said, I am impressed by the performance of the CVT.

One of the reasons we purchased the Rogue is the styling. Ours is black with chrome door handles and chrome shopping cart deflectors. I insisted on tinting the windows as well. It also has a spoiler, which i like to say is a sun shield for our dog who rides in the back. Yes it is a family car, but I felt it was less of a soccer mom looking car, that I could drive to work and still feel like a man. It has somewhat more aggressive and curvy styling than other small SUV's. The smooth styling actually makes the car look smaller than it really is.

Keeping with the youthful styling, the Rogue is fun to drive. Going from the Honda Civic to the Nissan Rogue, my wife actually said the Rogue handles even better. I am inclined to agree, the Rogue grips the road and holds tight going around turns. A small SUV that handels like a small car? It always goes back to what you are used to driving. I'm sure if I was driving a new honda civic it would handle better than one that is 12 years old. But taking that into account, I can't help but be impressed. The steering wheel is easy to turn, with electric (as opposed to hydraulic) power steering. Electric power steering is more fuel efficient, but the manual does warn it could over-heat if heavily used at parking lot speed for an extended period. If it does oer heat it will turn off, but I have not encountered this.

The interior of the Nissan Rogue has plenty of room for your feet and well as your head. I am about 5'10" 207 pounds, and am comfortable. My wife is 5'3, unk # of pounds, and is also very comfortable. I wouldn't call the seats luxurious by any means, but they get the job done, and seem solidly built. I should mention that a very heavy, wide bodied person would probably not be comfortable in the Rogue seats. They are bucket style seat and are designed to hold you in when you turn, but if you were too big they wold not be comfortable. While seated in the driver seat, everything the driver would need to reach is very intuitively placed. The cruise control is all on the steering wheel, the shifter is right where you want it to be and the radio/cd player is easy to program and has a large volume knob and large buttons. Our Rogue has large side mirrors, which help make-up for a somewhat small rear window. The back seat is roomy, and there isn't a huge hump under the center seat so seating five is reasonable. Our dog fits nicely behind the backseat so we don't need to worry about her messing up the rest of the car with fur and droll. We opted for cloth seats because of the hot southern summers, and we didn't want to stick to the leather. Riding in the Rogue, we noticed it was not especially quiet. I would rate it average in this category. I suppose they could have done a better job buffering out road noise, but I suppose that would also have added weight and reduced mileage.

One aspect of the Rogue's interior that has let me down is the cup holders, and various storage compartments. In the front there are two cup holders, one a little bigger than the other. In the rear there are two pop out cup holders that I have not used. When I go to the gym, I take a one liter bottle, that will not fit in any of the cup holders. I have to put it in the cavity under the center armrest, which while impressively large, is also ridiculously cavernous. I feel like I can reach my whole arm inside I find this silly. My wife disagrees and likes the cavernous storage space because she can stuff her purse in it and still have room for other stuff. Between the sun visors there is a pop out sun glasses space, which is handy. The glove box is also huge, but I find it hard to dig around in.

I should mention that all the material and paneling on the inside is of the quality you would expect from a vehicle in the $20k range. I noticed some scuff marks from shoes around the floor mats and they cleaned very easily. Nothing seems cheap or poorly build on the inside of the vehicle.

One thing I love about the interior is a little night light that turns on when you turn on the head lights. It is a very dim, orange light that shines from the ceiling and only slightly illuminates the cup holder and shifter area. Of course the shifter also lights up but once I realized that subtle little orange light I thought it was a very clever feature.

Another thing we are very happy about is the saftey features of our vehicle. Rememer our old "family car" was a 99 Honda civic (purchased before our daughter was born), so this is a major step up for us. Side impact air bags, as well as traction control, and very capable anti-lock breaks make us feel this is a very safe vehicle. Our little girl (who was riding in the back seat) was ok when the old civic was rear ended by a full size pickup and totaled, but it still made me want to get a very safe vehicle to put her in. The Nissan Rogue has high crash star ratings and is not likely to roll over. To me this was a must, and I think any parent would understand that.

All in all I am very happy with the Nissan Rogue. The minor complaints I do have (mostly the cup holders and storage compartments) are minor, and usually don't get in the way of my enjoyment of this fine vehicle. Therefore, I have awarded my 2011 Nissan Roge with 4.5 out of 5 stars and would recamend the Nissan Rogue to a friend in a heartbeat and expect it to last for many years and hold some value in the meantime. I hope this review was helpfull, if I left anything out please let me know so I can add it! Drive safe out there.