My wife wants to replace her sedan with a wagon-type vehicle, and she was attracted to the new 2008 Nissan Rogue. She likes the style, and the fact that it is so carlike (she’s never owned a truck-based SUV).

We took several test drives in the rogue at several different dealers, which helped her overcome her uneasy feeling of sitting higher up than in a regular car. We also had some difficulty locating a Rogue with factory leather (and power seat) in the right exterior color.

To comparison shop, she also test drove the CR-V, because it is a Honda. The CR-V EX-L handles very well, and has a bright, attractive interior (except for the door handles and the gap between the dash and console).

Looking for some perspective, she also looked into the Subaru Outback Limited wagon, and came pretty close to making a deal on one with an attractive discounted price.

But she still had the image of the Rogue stuck in the back of her mind.

Then there was a recent sale on CR-Vs, and she found an EX-L in a most attractive color, and came pretty close to making a deal. Again, the Rogue held her back.

So, you’re probably wondering why she doesn’t just go down and buy the darn Rogue, right?

Well, being very conservative types, we want some time to pass until more owner’s comments are posted on the Rogue forums, and until Consumer Reports has had a chance to test the Rogue. We are a bit put off by the complaints about shifter plate rattles and CVT related vibrations.

Perhaps some would think we are just too fussy?
Modified by Palmateer at 4:51 PM 12/31/2007

What you should remember is that the issues you see posted here are those of people who are experiencing the problem. You don't often see the number of people who are not experiencing the problem.

The CVT vibration in my opinion isn't a problem, but a preference of sorts. The vibration is there, but to me it feels no worse than the vibration from most other engines. I posted something asking if anyone wasn't experiencing the issue, and you can see that many people actually didn't notice anything. The best thing you can do is to drive one and hover it around 37-39 MPH and see if the vibration is enough to bother you or not. Its not a problem with the vehicle in my opinion. This is the same with the road noise coming from the back of the vehicle. I notice it, but its not an issue in my opinion. Test drive it, and take note of the things mentioned here and see if they bother you.

I haven't experienced the gear shifter squeak at all. To give you a sense of my satisfaction with the Rogue, I'm currently driving one around without any valid warranty of any kind, and I'm very happy with it so far. I have the option of purchasing an extended warranty, but at this time I'm tempted not to.

If you're looking at a CR-V, you may not even be in the right market for a Rogue. In my opinion, the CR-V was very underpowered, and I'm a Honda fan. I upgraded from a 2003 Accord to a 2008 Rogue and have been extremely happy with my purchase. I think you'll find even those who have reported issues have been very happy with their purchase. If the biggest problem with the 2008 Rogue is an occasional squeak or slight vibration in a very specific speed range, then its probably one of the more successful vehicle launches

I'd go for it personally - okay I actually already did. I love, love, love my Rogue. I have no complaints with it other than its a bit bigger than my Vibe and I have to get used to parking it.

When we got our Vibe in 2002, it was also a brand new vehicle with no history and I don't regret that either. I think if you find a car that you want and its a new model, do some research on that car maker and draw some conclusions. I think Nissan did their homework with this one and I'm not worried at all about purchasing a first year model.

I came fairly close to buying a 2007 CRV. My final list was the CRV, RAV4 and Rogue.

What stopped me from the CRV was reading all of the terrible problems people (on the Honda forums) where having with the rear differential and flaky ignition.

The Rav4 was just too ugly with the spare tire hanging on the tailgate.

The Rogue, while not perfect (nothing ever is) was just more fun and almost as economical as the CRV.

with 1st or 2nd year vehicles, there's always risk. it's extremely rare to have no problems, and you simply have to accept the fact that there will be problems.

So what to do? Well, best you can do is either wait, or have a good close look at warranty support.

If bullet proof reliability is of paramount concern, than you have to look for vehicles that have a proven track record, and are in their last model year runs. According to the criteria you stated, the CRV is indeed something you should be looking at.

I'm looking for a vehicle myself and the Rogue is a strong runner, but i'm leaning towards the CX-7 now. It's in it's 2nd year, and it had it's share of little problems in the first year that should have been fixed by now. It leans more towards SUV than car, but it drives unbelievably well like a car. On balance between the Rogue and CX-7.. the Rogue feels like it's cheaper, and the Mazda feels like a luxury car (well, it is in a price bracket one level above the Rogue so it had better). But the base Rogue provides excellent value for the dollar which is hard to ignore. Both vehicles to me present about the same amount of risk.

Although reliability is important to me, I'm not interested in the CRV, or the RAV for that matter, simply because they're plain jane boring.

Yeah, it's a good move to cool the heels a bit, wait for more problems to crop up, and pull the trigger when you're comfortable with it.

It's a major purpose and you shouldn't buy till you're comfortable. I shopped several cars. We wanted all wheel drive, something that would give us decent room for luggage and gear, and something that wouldn't kill us in terms of mileage. I also wanted an automatic transmission cause I spend quite a bit of time in traffic. I'd rented an Outback for a week long ski trip. Liked the way it handled and it had plenty of room for us, but the 4 cylinder engine with automatic felt pretty lethargic and I didn't want to get into the added $ and need for premium fuel of the turbo or 6 cylinder options. I also looked at the new Impreza Sport. Liked the way it drove a lot but felt it was just too small. The Forester seemed a reasonable comprimise but doesn't have VDC (which I ended up really wanting) and is in the last year of the current model. I drove the Rav4 a total of 3 times. Everytime I came away thinking this would be a really good vehicle for us. it had basically everthing we needed and lots of storage space. But I never had that "I love this car" feeling. It's just kind of spongy and not really fun to drive. I also thought the seats weren't really supportive but that's something you can only really assess after a longer trip. I may have been biased against the CR-V but I felt the engine was not very responsive and just felt too much like a soccer mom. I've never owned a Nissan and really hadn't considered the Rogue till someone suggested I should at least give it a test drive. Test drove it three times and ended up buying it. IMO, it's a lot more fun to drive than either the CR-V or Rav4 and it has some features that were important to me (e.g., the pretty darn good Bose audio system). We've had it on a couple of relatively long trips and have found the seats very comfortable. The 4 cylinder engine combined with the CVT offers very satisfactory performance. No, it's not a V6 and it's a bit throaty under acceleration, but it doesn't feel at all under powered and it's quiet when cruising. I do notice kind of a flat spot in the 1,500 - 2,000 rpm range but it doesn't really bother me. I do feel that rear visibility is not as good as in some vehicles (the Forester for instance is super in this regard) but with mirrors adjusted properly it's not been a problem. My other gripes are little things that you'll encounter with almost any car (at least I've never had a car that didn't have, or lack, a few features that you'd prefer). I do think that long term reliability is a question mark that won't be answered for some time. So far I've not had any problems and haven't really seen many reports of issues that would reflect a pattern. I did purchase an extended warranty as a security blanket. So with about 3200 miles on the vehicle, I'm very happy with the purchase.

I'll basicly echo what others have already stated. It is a major purchase if you are not ready wait. But if you only use forums to make your decision note that most people do not post untill they have a problem or question. You will see very few "all is well" posts. Look at Edmunds and you will see problems on almost any vehicle you are considering. Imo the Rogue has very few posts for problems, and no posts for serious issues. Oh by the way all is well with my Rogue

CRV link: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.ef026bb/Modified by Ticmxman at 8:22 PM 12/31/2007
Modified by Ticmxman at 8:24 AM 1/1/2008

we bought out Rogue Dec 14th. before we bought it, i went to this site to see some issues, reviews and feedbacks with the Rogue, took the Rogue for a test drive after that. we did find a few things true about the issues they were saying, but none bothered me enough to change my mind.

the CVT vibrations at low speed cruising is barely noticeable, can even hardly put a ripple on my drink, i don't think that would cause any reliability issues. but i guess time will tell.

have you noticed when you turn off the engine that you can't even feel the engine shutting off or the engine stopping? i've only experience that kind of quality on hybrids. that's a score for the Rogue.

the shifter squeaks - i have not experienced it. no problem in that area.

frozen intellikeys - well, freeze anything and it stops working. but i've never had this problem, i live in Victoria BC, Canada, not the cold part but cold enough.

i also posted a link to an article from Car and Driver about the Rogue reviews.

i'm also a conservative, mainly because of budget reasons, so i want the most bang for my buck, and so far, i've been smiling and loving every minute of it.

I was looking to buy beginning of the year, looked at RAV4, don't like the spare tire liked my Suzuki 4x4 manual Sidekick. CR-V too expensive. Middle of the year looked at Outlander, fell in love with the car, just because of C$200/ less the sale manager won't accept the deal ( at that time Outlander sell like hot cakes).I had read lots of forums about the cars I had chosen, BUT Rogue complaining is not that great ( may be I am wrong ) as those cars. I had a Datsun 510 for racing ( twin Carbs ) and live axle like BMW. Technically I trust Nissan car. I will pick up my carbon silver Rogue on 2st Jan. 08 so, I pay only 5% for GST, my Rogue came with Premium package. I am just dying to have my Rogue.

Go with the Rogue you will love it! my friend recently bought a 07 CRV and the CRV looks like a mini van. Ive looked at all the SUV's and the fun to drive factor,style,price and mileage the Rogue has it all! i looked at the Hyundai Tucson/Kia Sportage and the Kia/Hyundai looks dated and cheap looking,mitsu outlander has a cheap and crappy interior and crappy mileage,Suzuki grand vitara doesnt have any room inside,gets crappy mileage and has a hideous rear door like the Rav4. Jeep has the Patriot,liberty and compass and they are pieces of ****,very poor build quality and crap mileage,saturn vue is made in mexico and has cheap and crappy interior materials and gets crap mileage,escape has cheap interior quality but decent mileage on the hybrid model,the Subaru Forester is outdated and the new one coming out looks like a highlander,pilot and outlander had a sex session it also looks bland and will still offer only a 4spd auto transmission,toyota rav4 and hyunda santa fe get crap mileage and pretty cheap interior quality materials and are not fun to drive. The new VW Tiguan coming out looks nice but its a VW and will have alot of problems not to mention with options like sunroof,nav and a few other small options the price will probably exceed 35k plus it also has the smallest cargo space. If people are so concerned about navigation and back up camera get an aftermarket unit or a garmin and get a aftermarket backup camera.

Most of the competetion has 4spd autos as their automatic types i have yet to see a 5 or 6 speed auto in any of the competetion. The CVT is great and it has no gears so you dont have to worry about shift shock. The CRV has a 5 spd auto.

I'm glad I started this thread - thanks to all for the helpful posts. There was a lot of good advice there, and the comparisons to other competing cars was interesting.

My wife loves reading all the posts here, and her enthusiasm for the Rogue is getting stronger all the time.

Maybe being a Nissan Rogue test pilot wouldn't be so bad after all

Palmateer wrote:I'm glad I started this thread - thanks to all for the helpful posts. There was a lot of good advice there, and the comparisons to other competing cars was interesting.

You're exactly right! What a fantastic forum we have here. This may be the most intelligent, helpful, polite, and enthusiastic group of people on the net. I'm continually impressed with how helpful, receptive and welcoming you all are to each other.

for the Rogue forum!

Take the information for what it is worth, but I just watched the 6th month update of the CX7 on Motorweek.

The valves on the engine are chattering.

Gas mileage is only 20 MPG on Premium grade.

I think it is all about personal preference. I pretty much decided I wanted a Rogue before it was out. This made me a little nervous, but I decided to go ahead and get my Rogue in October. Two key pieces of information helped me to feel less anxious about buying a first year model. 1.) Nissan has been selling a very similar car in Europe and Japan since early 2007! Although there are differences, there are also a lot of similarities, so I researched those models and found few complaints. They also released the vehicle in Canada before the US with good reviews. 2.) My husband owns an 06 Pathfinder and has had nothing but excellent service from our dealer. It helped to think my dealer would be helpful if a problem arose.

Best of luck in your decision making!

I purchased the Rouge on Dec 20th. Although I haven't driven it much due to being home with a medical issue, I will provide my 2 cents. I was attracted to the Rouge because I have had 4 other Nissans and couldn't have been happier. I like all of the features that you get for your money.

1. Intellikey system 2. Intuitive AWD system (great in the snow) 3. Bluetooth works great. Need to purchase the AWD premium package 4. Bose Stereo with MP3 player 5. CVT transmission, takes a little getting use to but is neat 6. Great gas mileage What I would have liked to see but isn’t really a big deal

1. 6 cylinder option 2. Locking gas door (how much could this have cost) 3. Power seats without having to purchase the leather option 4. Heated cloth seats 5. Larger capacity rear storage

The only issue I have noticed is mine seems to have a lot of road noise. Almost sounds like the rear hatch is loose or not sealed.

I am very happy with my purchase, especially for $25,555 out the door cost.

I would say if you are looking for a small SUV with a lot of features that gets great gas mileage and still has styling....Buy the Rouge

or even the Rogue!

You got me.....Rogue

rrs26ja wrote: What I would have liked to see but isn’t really a big deal 4. Heated cloth seats

I have heated cloth seats in my Rogue.

That would make sense in Canada!

In the USA, heated seats are offered with the leather package, and for the front only. Probably because we have Sun Belt states here!

Cristen wrote:
I have heated cloth seats in my Rogue.

Mine are front only as well which is fine because its just me and the hubby. And I gotta say when its -25 outside they sure do feel good on the butt!

Cristen wrote:Mine are front only as well which is fine because its just me and the hubby. And I gotta say when its -25 outside they sure do feel good on the butt!

Damn, strike one for importing my Rogue from the US. Oh well, I gave up heated seats for an Intelligent key, Bose 8 speaker stereo and Xenon headlights without even getting the leather package. Not to mention saving $10K

Hi, me again.

First off, I'm still convinced that my wife will probably eventually still buy a Roque.

Having said that, I must say that I was really smitten today when I saw the first 2009 Murano to show up at our nearest dealer.

It is much more Roque-like than before, in two big ways: it bears some resemblance to the fine design of the Roque, and not so edgy as the first generation Murano. And it is optioned much like a Rogue - fewer trim levels, stability control in all models, AWD gives rear-wheel push on starting off and turns, etc. etc.

So my initial impression of the 2009 Murano was very positive - now my wife will go see it, and we'll see if it shakes her from her previous Roque preference (willingness to settle for 4 cylinders to keep fuel cost down, for example).

I'd go for a Murano if i could afford one.

It might have been a mistake, but I seem to remember that for the 2007, the Murano took Premium gas.

websfear wrote:It might have been a mistake, but I seem to remember that for the 2007, the Murano took Premium gas.

We discussed that with the dealer. They said premium was "recommended" for the Murano, but not "required" as for the 350Z.

My wife would prefer a car (like the Roque) where regular gas is ok.

Good point. My wife noticed the base (S model) Murano MSRP was $27k plus. For the same price, she can get factory leather, power driver seat, etc. in a Rogue. The Murano would have to cost nearly $10k more to match the Rogue SL premium leather version.

Rogueman wrote:I'd go for a Murano if i could afford one.

I took my wife over to the Nissan dealer today.

They were kind enough to park the 2009 Murano right next to the Roque so she could really compare them.

She is leaning toward the Rogue because of price, and because she prefers the smaller size of the Rogue anyway.

Well, I'm the starter of this old thread, and now it has a happy ending!

See the picture of our new Rogue in this thread:

zerothread?id=330867

Welcome to the club.

I considered the same cars as you did.

I have had the identical experience to many of the others on this forum and yes, many of the same concerns about first-year-itis.

After my first oil change @ 3500 miles or so, and a new rubber bumper cover (the bumper scratched quite easily), I am still very happy with the car.

I was concerned about poor rear visibility but have gotten used to it -- though I DO wish that they had done a better job with that aspect of the design.

I DO wish there were a bit more cargo room, but the car is a pleasure to drive - no rattles, squeaks or vibrations in mine (though it can be a bit sluggish at the start on sub freezing days in Vermont).

I get close to 30 mpg on the highway and about 24-25 mpg in stop and go driving (not bad for an ex-Jeep owner).

And I had the dealer replace the bluetooth microphone because others weren't hearing me all that well when I talked to the dashboard.

So all in all - the only "complaints" are paint on the bumper scratches more easily than I'd like; it can require a minute or so on cold days before it is up to speed, and I'd like a little more cargo space.

Not bad for someone with first-year-itis.

Enjoy your new baby!

Thanks, njr!

The many tips and questions of the members of this forum were very helpful. For instance, we listened VERY carefully to the drivetrain sounds in the 35-40 mph range. Many car dealers are AMAZED at the knowledge folks can pick up at car forums!

- Tom and Hope