philipa_240sx wrote:Since there is all this speculation about the 09's, here is a brief overview of what the Qashqai (the Rogue's elder twin in Europe) has that didn't make it to North America:
- Dual zone climate control air conditioning- Utrasonic alarm system- Ultrasonic rear park system- Rain-sensing wipers- Auto lighting system- Nissan CARWINGS Satellite navigation with rear view parking camera- Panoramic glass roof with one-touch shade. Yes, it's bigger than the North American versions.- Storage tray under front passenger seat- Sliding front armrest (centre console)- Rear centre armrest with cup holders- Selectable 2WD/Auto/AWD Lock- Electric folding mirrors.. for parking on Europe's narrow roads.- Glove box with A/C vent... doubles as a cooler.
And the Japanese version, the Dualis:
- Side view monitor. Provides a side view via camera. Not quite like Infiniti's around view.
Man, I agree, you shouldn't tell us what we're missing because now that I know I'm kind of disappointed! I'd love to have rain sensing wipers, on long highway trips the constant adjustment of the speed setting is actually quite distracting, and if you've never had the sensors you wouldn't know how great they are, but my wife's Mazda has it and they're great. Also, the backup sensor would be a good fit with this vehicle because of limited rear visibility, and man would I ever love the center sliding console and of course the Rogue should have a rear center console, I still can't believe we don't have one of those!! Anyway, I still love the Rogue and they had to make compromises to achieve the great price, but just a couple more of these extras would've been such a good investment!!
But it makes you wonder, how do the economics differ in Europe that they can offer so many more wonderful extras, or do they have to pay a lot higher price than we pay here? But that can't be the whole story, because even in the most expensive options package in North America, these options aren't even available, which seems to indicate that it doesn't have to do with money. Anyway, I think they made a mistake not making some of those options available at least in some options package, if not standard.