Sacramento, California – In an automotive world filled with smallish, five-passenger sport-utility vehicles, the Nissan Rogue registers high on the cute scale.
Cute is not a high seed in my vocabulary of car descriptions, but I heard “cute” a lot during a recent week testing a 2010 Rogue SL with front-wheel drive. “Isn’t it cute?” became an all-too-familiar refrain from passersby after I parked the five-passenger model.
Well, I’ll bite. It does have a certain cuteness to it. Not too large, snazzy-looking grille on the front, bobbed-tail with just a hint of rooftop overhanging in the back. It’s certainly easier on the eye than a massive, boxy, seven-passenger SUV.
The Rogue is easier on the wallet too.
My SL FWD falls in the middle range, and yet it has an alluring starting price of $21,930. An entry-level, two-wheel-drive S version starts at $20,460, and the top-level S AWD Krom, all-new this year, is a still-attractive $25,310.
The Rogue SL has the standard 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine matched up with a continuously variable transmission. This mechanical pairing does quite well in most all conditions, and that is appropriate given the less-than-heavyweight size of the Rogue. However, I was a little disappointed that this power plant could do no better than 22 miles per gallon in city driving and 27 mpg on the open road.
The list of standard features on the tester was impressive, including part-of-the-deal perks such as electronic brake force distribution, 17-inch alloy wheels and halogen headlights. Super-generous option packages with leather seating surfaces, a moonroof and a Bose audio system pushed the bottom line on the tester to $27,870, still not all that bad.
The interior cabin was surprisingly quiet for a vehicle equipped with a small engine that has to exert itself strongly in some situations. Comfort of driver and passengers also was top-notch. Everything was in easy reach from the driver’s seat. Controls were easy to see, understand and use.
Cargo-carrying configurations were numerous, with the front seat and the 60/40-split back seat folding to make room for plentiful packages. The wide-yawning rear loading area was most accommodating.
The Rogue’s cargo area has a nifty feature called the cargo organizer, which is available on the SL only at this point. When needed, the organizer pops up -- with one touch of a button -- from its hidden space below the flat cargo floor. A portion of the cargo floor snaps into a vertical position, revealing a flat recessed space with removable, vertical cargo nets.
The system helps stabilize grocery bags or other items that you’d rather not have rolling around in the rear area while you’re on the move … bowling balls for instance.
Very clever, I must say.
The Rogue also can be had with a washable, removable tray that fits below the cargo area floor to hold wet or dirty gear, stored out of sight. Likewise clever.
For my money, Nissan never seems to get enough credit for these clever things and other thoughtful features its builds into its cars to make life easier for drivers/consumers. Taken as a package, the Rogue stacks up as a near-perfect car for a young family, or that second non-commuter car that transports kids and groceries with ease, for something less than a budget-crushing price.
Clever idea? I’ll say.
Cute is not a high seed in my vocabulary of car descriptions, but I heard “cute” a lot during a recent week testing a 2010 Rogue SL with front-wheel drive. “Isn’t it cute?” became an all-too-familiar refrain from passersby after I parked the five-passenger model.
Well, I’ll bite. It does have a certain cuteness to it. Not too large, snazzy-looking grille on the front, bobbed-tail with just a hint of rooftop overhanging in the back. It’s certainly easier on the eye than a massive, boxy, seven-passenger SUV.
The Rogue is easier on the wallet too.
My SL FWD falls in the middle range, and yet it has an alluring starting price of $21,930. An entry-level, two-wheel-drive S version starts at $20,460, and the top-level S AWD Krom, all-new this year, is a still-attractive $25,310.
The Rogue SL has the standard 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine matched up with a continuously variable transmission. This mechanical pairing does quite well in most all conditions, and that is appropriate given the less-than-heavyweight size of the Rogue. However, I was a little disappointed that this power plant could do no better than 22 miles per gallon in city driving and 27 mpg on the open road.
The list of standard features on the tester was impressive, including part-of-the-deal perks such as electronic brake force distribution, 17-inch alloy wheels and halogen headlights. Super-generous option packages with leather seating surfaces, a moonroof and a Bose audio system pushed the bottom line on the tester to $27,870, still not all that bad.
The interior cabin was surprisingly quiet for a vehicle equipped with a small engine that has to exert itself strongly in some situations. Comfort of driver and passengers also was top-notch. Everything was in easy reach from the driver’s seat. Controls were easy to see, understand and use.
Cargo-carrying configurations were numerous, with the front seat and the 60/40-split back seat folding to make room for plentiful packages. The wide-yawning rear loading area was most accommodating.
The Rogue’s cargo area has a nifty feature called the cargo organizer, which is available on the SL only at this point. When needed, the organizer pops up -- with one touch of a button -- from its hidden space below the flat cargo floor. A portion of the cargo floor snaps into a vertical position, revealing a flat recessed space with removable, vertical cargo nets.
The system helps stabilize grocery bags or other items that you’d rather not have rolling around in the rear area while you’re on the move … bowling balls for instance.
Very clever, I must say.
The Rogue also can be had with a washable, removable tray that fits below the cargo area floor to hold wet or dirty gear, stored out of sight. Likewise clever.
For my money, Nissan never seems to get enough credit for these clever things and other thoughtful features its builds into its cars to make life easier for drivers/consumers. Taken as a package, the Rogue stacks up as a near-perfect car for a young family, or that second non-commuter car that transports kids and groceries with ease, for something less than a budget-crushing price.
Clever idea? I’ll say.
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