2009 Nissan Rogue

The Nissan Rogue was first introduced as a 2008 model, and it carries over unchanged in 2009. In a February 2008 comparison of nine compact SUVs, Car And Driver's John Phillips writes that the Nissan Rogue "emerged as the sports car of the group" thanks to out-accelerating the field and tying the Toyota RAV4 (*est. $21,500 to $27,810) and Mitsubishi Outlander (*est. $20,580 to $25,980) in highway passing and top-speed evaluations respectively.  Of course, power is only part of the equation with a sports car, and the Rogue lives up on the handling side as well. "The Rogue felt light, nimble and better planted than anything in the group," says Car and Driver's Phillips. Jonny Lieberman, writing for TheTruthAboutCars.com, agrees, writing "the Rogue is neutral, balanced and sporty. I'm as shocked as you." Cars.com's David Thomas goes further in his analysis, noting that in the case of the Rogue, the small SUV's sportiness doesn't punish the driver. "Road and wind noise was minimal, and the suspension provided a soft ride, which many 'sporty' SUVs abandon for a firmer one."

A 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder is the only Nissan Rogue engine, and it's connected to a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) in both front- and all-wheel-drive models.  Thomas says that "under hard acceleration it comes to life with a healthy roar that's not the norm in a four-cylinder-powered cute-ute." There's less love for the CVT, which Edmunds.com's testers feel is "ill-suited" with the four-cylinder as engine speed goes up and down on the highway. They describe the sensation as "an odd elastic feeling in the driveline." Cars.com's Thomas points out that the higher SL trim level adds manual-shift paddles to the Rogue, however, and that "the result is pretty impressive; it feels like a regular automatic transmission with a manual-shift feature." This is handy when you want to downshift for a quick burst of power to get around slower-moving traffic. Cars.com summarizes that the compact SUV's engine performance and handling make the Nissan Rogue "probably the best all-around performer in the four-cylinder class." In Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) testing, the Nissan Rogue ranges from 21 mpg city and 26 mpg highway for all-wheel-drive models to a marginally better 22 mpg city and 27 mpg with front-wheel drive. These mileage figures are consistent with the rest of the top-reviewed small SUVs.

Reviewers have a generally favorable view of the Nissan Rogue's interior appointments compared to other compact SUVs. ConsumerGuide.com says the small Nissan SUV's cabin "is filled with hard- and soft-touch plastics, but they don't impart a cheap feeling." Edmunds Inside Line concurs, adding that "the silver-painted plastic surrounds look sharp." Cars.com's Thomas says, "It's almost up to the level of the Honda CR-V, and that's saying a lot." Thomas then adds that "it certainly outshines the Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander and Ford Escape." Most reviewers find the Nissan Rogue's seating comfortable, but point out that backseat passengers are denied a sliding and/or reclining  seat -- features you'll find in a number of other top compact SUVs such as the Subaru Forester (*est. 19,995 to $28,195), Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V (*est. $21,245 to $27,245). TheTruthAboutCars.com's Lieberman was less impressed with the Nissan Rogue's interior accommodations: "I really disenjoyed the front seats. They reminded me of furniture I used to take from peoples' lawns in college. And a Toyota Corolla." Lieberman then adds, "The switchgear feels typical for the segment, meaning hollow and derived from petroleum."