What Edmunds.com says
The all-new 2008 Nissan Rogue is a stylish little crossover that provides plenty of comfort and convenience for those who don't need a maximum amount of utility.
Pros
Very carlike driving experience, supple ride, well-crafted interior, comfy front seats, excellent brakes, sweet-sounding optional Bose stereo.
Cons
Less cargo capacity and versatility than some other compact crossovers, standard CVT is a poor match for the engine, impaired outward visibility.
What's New for 2008
The 2008 Nissan Rogue is an all-new compact crossover SUV.
2008 Nissan Rogue Vehicle Overview
Introduction
It's not quite to the extent of Moon Unit Zappa or Apple Martin, but the 2008 Nissan Rogue should give its parents hell for its name. While its similarly styled big brother Murano is named after the glass-making island in beautiful Venice, the little Rogue is at best named after a rather dull X-Men character. At worst, this stylish cute-ute crossover shares its moniker with an uncontrolled animal that lives apart from the herd, or a plant that is inferior and unwanted. Do Nissan's marketing folks not have a dictionary in the office?
While the marketers blundered, the engineers flourished for this all-new small SUV. It may look like a Murano after a trip through a hot spin cycle, but under the skin, the Rogue is closely related to the compact Sentra sedan. Surprisingly, the Rogue manages to be better-looking, better-riding and more useful than its underwhelming progenitor. It shares the Sentra's vague electric steering, but offers an all-independent long-travel suspension that smoothly gobbles up road imperfections. It is stable at higher speeds and provides a good combination of highway and city road manners. If you're looking for a compact crossover that drives most like a car, this is it.
Powering the Rogue is a torquey 170-horsepower four-cylinder engine that provides smooth acceleration on par with other vehicles in the class. Unfortunately, it is tied to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) -- a design Nissan has utilized with great success in the V6-powered Altima, but needs rethinking here. Feeling like it's partially constructed of rubber bands, the CVT can get maddening on the freeway, constantly raising and dropping revs like a yo-yo whenever the driver moves on or off the gas. It seems that this just isn't the right technology for a small engine.
Nissan says it has the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V in its sights, but the Rogue is significantly smaller than those models. Therefore, families or those in need of superior people-hauling and cargo versatility may find the Rogue lacking. Its rear seat doesn't recline, slide forward or offer a center armrest, and rear visibility is hampered by a rising beltline and small rear window.
Instead, the 2008 Nissan Rogue is a very good choice for suburbanites who enjoy an elevated driving position and occasionally need the utility and available all-wheel drive of a compact crossover. The Rogue may not be the largest, most family-friendly or powerful compact crossover, and in addition to the aforementioned rivals, you'll probably want to cross-shop models like the Ford Escape, Mazda CX-7 and Saturn Vue. That said, this Nissan sets itself apart from the herd with comfortable, carlike road manners and eye-catching styling. In that way, maybe it's a tad roguelike after all.
For Pricing information, see our Pricing page.
Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options
The 2008 Nissan Rogue is a five-passenger compact crossover SUV available in four trim levels: S, S AWD, SL and SL AWD. The AWD refers to all-wheel drive. The S and S AWD are identical save for their drivetrains, with standard equipment that includes 16-inch steel wheels, cruise control, a tilt steering wheel, air-conditioning, full power accessories, keyless entry and a four-speaker stereo with a CD player and auxiliary audio jack. There are no factory options for the S trim levels.
The SL and SL AWD are virtually identical, but the latter offers additional optional equipment. Standard features beyond those on the S include 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, tinted windows and a height-adjustable driver seat. In typical Nissan fashion, options are lumped together into large packages. The SL Premium Package includes foglights, steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, a cargo cover, a fold-down front passenger seat, a trip computer and a seven-speaker Bose stereo with in-dash six-CD changer, MP3 capability and satellite radio.
The SL AWD Premium package includes those features, but adds xenon headlights, keyless ignition and entry, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls and Bluetooth. The Leather Package is only available on the SL AWD and includes leather upholstery, heated front seats and mirrors, power driver seat, one touch up/down driver window and an auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass and HomeLink. Both SL trim levels can be equipped with a sunroof.
For more Style information, see our Compare Styles page.
Powertrains and Performance
All 2008 Nissan Rogues are powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 170 hp and 175 pound-feet of torque. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is standard, while buyers have a choice of front- or all-wheel drive. In performance testing, a Rogue SL AWD accelerated to 60 mph in 9.2 seconds, which is on par with other four-cylinder-powered compact crossovers. Fuel economy is 21 mpg city and 26 mpg highway for the all-wheel-drive models (22/27 for FWD Rogues), which is again on par with similarly powered competitors.
For more Performance Data, see our Specifications page.
Safety
Each Nissan Rogue comes well stocked with safety equipment including antilock disc brakes with brake assist, stability and traction control, front seat side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags and active front head restraints.
For more Safety information, see our Safety page.
Interior Design and Special Features
The Rogue's cabin may not be as visually interesting as its exterior, but it is well-constructed with excellent materials. All controls fall readily to hand and are easy to decipher. The Rogue doesn't have many storage areas, but what it lacks in number, it makes up for in size. The center console bin is large, while the enormous glovebox is more useful than some convertibles' trunks. There is also a nifty under-floor organizer.
In a four-vehicle comparison test involving the Rogue, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Mitsubishi Outlander, we found the Nissan to have the most comfortable front seats and darn comfortable rear ones as well. Unfortunately, that rear seat only folds flat, and doesn't recline or slide fore and aft like those other crossovers. The Rogue also comes up short in terms of cargo volume, with 28.9 cubic feet with the rear seat up and just 57.9 with it folded.
For more Interior Features information, see our Specifications page.
Driving Impressions
A "carlike" driving experience is often touted among crossovers, but the 2008 Nissan Rogue delivers on this description. Its long travel suspension soaks up bumps and road imperfections easily, and the Rogue is stable at speed. Short stopping distances are another Rogue plus. The electric power steering can be a little vague at times, but it is generally direct and well-tuned.
On the other hand, we're rarely fans of CVTs, and the Rogue's does nothing to change our minds. It's better than some other examples, but the elastic-band throttle response and engine note gets tiresome -- particularly at highway speeds. It also manages to make the Rogue feel slower than it actually is. An available manual shift mode with paddle shifters rectifies this situation somewhat by allowing the driver to select among six simulated "gear" ratios.
Newcomers: 2008 Nissan Rogue
Modestly mischievous: Late to the party, but ready for fun
By Ron Kiino
Photography by Wesley Allison
Through July, Japan's big three-Honda, Nissan, and Toyota-had sold more than 637,000 sport/utility vehicles. Of that number, over a third were car-based small crossovers, with Toyota unloading nearly 102,000 RAV4s and Honda moving more than 124,000 CR-Vs. Nissan? Um, well, it didn't fare as well-it sold zero. Sure it's difficult to sell a compact crossover when one doesn't exist in the portfolio, but when exactly does Nissan plan to compete in this budding segment?
Not a brand to sit idle while the competition racks up booming sales, Nissan is answering that question with a resolute "now," thanks to the all-new Rogue, a small CUV based on the brand's C platform, which underpins the Sentra as well as Rogue's foreign twins, the Dualis in Japan and the Qashqai in Europe.
At 182.9 inches long, 70.9 wide, and 65.3 tall, the Rogue is longer than the RAV4 and the CR-V (although the Nissan is shorter and narrower than the Honda and the Toyota) and substantially bigger than its international brethren, which measure 13.2 and 2.9 inches less in length and height, respectively (it is for Americans, after all).
The Rogue was styled to evoke an "urban, contemporary" feel, according to product director Ken Kcomt, and its unique sheetmetal, penned at Nissan Design America in San Diego, succeeds in creating a modern, muscular look all its own. Meant to be a sporty alternative in the segment, the Rogue has ditched the Sentra's torsion-beam rear suspension in favor of an independent multilink setup, which allows for better ride, handling, and packaging. Further, the Rogue gets vented disc brakes front and rear, available all-wheel drive, standard stability and traction control, and, as on our SL test vehicle, 17-inch alloy wheels and steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
Similar to the Sentra SE-R's shifters, the Rogue's enable manual control of the Jatco CVT's gear ratios, so "shifters" is a bit of a misnomer. Still, the paddles work efficiently, firing off rapid ratio changes not that dissimilar in quickness or smoothness from the shifts with a dual-clutch manual gearbox like VW's DSG.
Those quick "shifts" come in handy when maximizing the 170 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque from the QR25DE I-4. With dual cams and continuously variable valve timing, the 2.5 is a refined, robust mill that spurred our 3350-pound front-drive SL from 0 to 60 in 8.2 seconds and through the quarter mile in 16.4 at 85.5 mph. For comparison, a four-wheel-drive CR-V, which weighs an extra 200 pounds, takes 9.9 ticks to 60 and 17.5 at 78.5 for the quarter.
Inside, the Rogue offers a cockpit-oriented interior whose sporty flavor-two-tone seats, oversize gauges, and soft-touch black trim-nicely complements the exterior. "This is no grocery getter," says Kcomt, comparing the Rogue with the CR-V. We agree it's the sportier, more stylish of the two, although its 28.9 cubic feet of cargo volume (57.9 with the 60/40-split rear seats folded) and foldable and washable cargo organizer do make it food-and-beverage friendly.
With prices starting under $20,000 for a base, front-drive S and topping out at roughly $26,000 for a loaded, all-wheel-drive SL with leather, sunroof, Bose audio, and Xenon headlamps, the Rogue should prove to be friendly on the wallet as well. Who'da thunk it? A friendly Rogue.
The new Rogue
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