Nissan Rogue: Pretty Sweet

I'm always looking ahead to the next vehicle (the exception was when I drove my '93 Jeep Wrangler for eight years - I loved that thing), even two years before I'm ready to get one.  Well, the truth is, I'm sick of driving a (mini) van!  Even though I drive a Nissan Quest, the coolest van on the market, well, it's just not for me.  If the boys want to play soccer I'll be happy to take them there, but minivans just SUCK.

So, after seeing commercials for the Rogue, I decided to check them out online.  I'm not ready to get a new vehicle yet (and probably won't for another two years), but I like to make sure I've done my research before making a huge investment like that.

As of right now, if I were going to go out and make the purchase, it would be the Rogue.  Granted, I'd love a sports car, or something like a Range Rover, but let's be realistic and say that I can't afford one of those.  Not to mention the fact that my boys are a little young to tell them not to eat in the car, bump the dirt off your shoes, etc.

The Rogue has some really sporty features like shifting paddles on the steering wheel.  I don't know who thought of that stuff, and it's something I could care less about, but it is sporty.  It also has "smart" transmission, in that when it starts out, it uses all-wheel-drive (AWD), and while cruising, it uses two-wheel-drive (2WD).  When it corners, it automatically switches to AWD again.  I assume it will make the switch if the system senses any slippage as well.

The commercials on TV show the Rogue as having the keyless entry, which is pretty mainstream these days, but also a remote start capability, which is just bitchin'.  It also has the regular accoutrements like Bluetooth capability and the standard safety features.

One thing I wasn't expecting was the gas mileage.  I figured it would get "the usual" - under 20 around town, mid-20s on the highway.  The Nissan site advertises that it gets around 27mpg.  Better than mid-twenties (the Quest will get 24mpg if I am actually able to keep a constant speed for 100 miles, and the weather's just right, and the speed is - you guessed it - just right).  Even the Quest gets over 300 miles to the tank (17 gallon); the Rogue boasts over 400.  Cool.

It's pretty sporty looking too, like a mini-Murano.  Not bad.

As you expect, the Rogue comes in an S model and an SL model, priced at $19250 and $20670 respectively.