2014 Rogue Owner Review

[1019throw]

I've owned my 2014 Rogue for close to a month now, and I'd like to give people some of the positives of that vehicle. I've read various posts about the poor craftsmanship, the CVT issue already experienced from one member, poor gas mileage, etc. I think everyone here knows the saying, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease." Let us not forget, this is a very small forum with regard to how many 2014 Rogues are out there. Our sample size is quite small, so drawing conclusions on the overall reliability of the vehicle can get biased.

Anyway, down to the non-complaints:

Looks:

I purchased a gun metallic rogue SV, with almond interior, with the premium package. When you sit in the car, it really does look and feel more luxurious than other cars in its class. I opted for the almond interior, as I think it looks much nicer than the plain black of the console, wheel, mats, etc. As for the exterior, the car looks great. I'm a 26yo male, and I think it has a sporty look. The LED headlight do give a luxury look like some higher model cars, although it is now becoming more common. I parked next to my brothers 2007 Murano, and the Rogue definitely looks taller and longer.

CVT:

I think this transmission is one that you either hate, love, or just bear with it. I owned a new 2008 Sentra, and thought it was the best car that I've owned. I never had one problem with it until I sold it for a larger vehicle around 55k milles. The CVT was designed for a combination of gas mileage and performance. If you've driven a CVT, you know there is a point where the acceleration really lacks (maybe between 15-30mph), but it is more than enough for moderate non-aggressive driving. It easily merges on highways, but you're not going to be winning any street races. Nissan is behind their CVT with Jatco. Some dealerships on this forum seem to be much worse than others when addressing issues, but I don't think that is a direct indication of Nissan itself.

Edit: forgot to mention that this CVT seems to be noticeably quieter. I'm not sure if that is from the engine actually being quieter, or additional insulation in the engine compartment. Either way, it's much less engine noise.

Gas Mileage:

25/32 rated for the AWD model. I think those numbers are realistic, but you need the right factors. Unfortunately/fortunately for me, I only drive 2 miles to work. I would say that about 85% of my driving currently is city driving. After 2 fillups, I am sitting at about 19mpg overall. Driving home from the dealership, 50 miles flat highway, I got about 30mpg. Yesterday I drove 70 miles on a very hilly highway, and returned about 25mpg. Bear in mind, I live in eastern Pennsylvania which has been one of the coldest years that we have had in any memory. I will be tracking my MPG with the Fuelly app, and will monitor and share my MPG with everyone. I am sure MPG will get better in the summer and longer trips.

Technology:

I personally think the premium package is well worth the money. For $1400, you upgrade from a 5" to 7" touchscreen display. You get the around view monitor, blind spot warning, lane departure warning, moving object detection, heated outside mirrors, power liftgate, and sirius travel link. Far and away the best part of the package is the Around View Monitor camera system. The camera system gives you various views to help parking and moving around in tight spots. All of the warnings can be turned off, but can be very useful. Another technology that is generally only offered in higher classed vehicles.

Storage/Comfort:

The interior is quite nice. The front seats are some of the most comfortable I've been in, and the back seats have quite a bit of space. The back seats are on a sliding track, so they can be moved forward or backwards, and fully fold down. The divide and hide system in the trunk is another one of the better features in the car. There are multiple ways to move around the 2 floor panels to adjust and fit all of your luggage.



Overall, the 2014 Nissan Rogue has been an excellent vehicle so far. Its only been 600 miles, but I have not encountered 1 issues as of yet. Unfortunately for others on this forum, there have been some issues here and there. Hopefully those issues were limited to the first batch of Rogues assembled, and they get their issues addressed. If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free!

[GoingGoingGoneRogue]

Thank you for the quick review of your Rogue, we just leased a new 2014 Rogue AWD SL with premium package - Superblack exterior with Charcoal interior and can't wait to pick it up. We're trading in our 2011 Rogue SV AWD which we loved, never had issue one with it so we're hoping the 2014 will give us the same 42,000 miles with no problems. Will post pix when I have em!

[hawki]

@ 1019throw, really nice detailed review, exactly what I felt from my test drives of the 2014 Rogue.
After reading your review - I am again considering the 2014 Rogue (SL with premium). After reading so many issues with 2014 Rogue (heater, water leaking) and mainly the CVT I almost crossed it out.
But also waiting for the Consumer Reports (still in testing) detailed review and score for the 2014 Rogue.
I will go for the Rogue if it is scored in the top 4 and recommended.
In CR's list:
1) Forester (scoring 88, but I find it is rated too high, )
2) CR-v (scoring 77)
3-4) CX-5 & Tiguan (scoring 76)

5-6) Rav-4 & Ecape (scoring 75, but not recommended !!)

[pplepiew]

I got the Rogue Sl with premium package and had some issues with the tech right out of the gate (phone button would change radio channels, other buttons would do other wrong functions...or sometimes the right ones, etc) the dealer reset it which fixed it but we had another crash of the system after entering voice recognition for the nav. After getting fairly deep in the voice systems i pressed "hang up" several times to get out of it and the system crashed. Nkthing would happen (couldnt flip to radio, or nav, or see fuel economy status, etc) the system was frozen on voice. We ended up driving home with no music and turning the car off (which, with a keyless car, requires you to completely leave the vehicle)

I've been trying to find a way to "reboot" the system while driving (i.e. Some type of hardware reset, much like you would reboot your iphone if it crashes by holding two buttons down) to deal with such situations going forward. I'm also trying to debug it to figure out what triggers it.

[pplepiew]

Btw, for us the Jeep Cherokee was a very close contender. I'm still on the fence on whether I regret it or not, these issues with the tech after having it for less than a week are frustrating.

[1019throw]

In the 6 weeks that I've had my car, my system randomly rebooted maybe 3 times. It turned right back on. It's not unexpected with technology, as even our cellphones need hard boots sometimes. Your problem did seen more involved though.

[Mikeyvr]

Great review. I too was reading all these negative reviews and was getting nervious about the purchase but did it in the end. I do have a question for those who also bought the Rogue SL 2014 awd.

I am planning to get the extended warranty, as this is a re-design and full of gadgets that could breakdown.

What I am hoping for is hearing from other people who have also purchased the extended warranty and what they were able to save. The cost in Vancouver Canada is $3,200 for 72 months / 120,000 km; no deductible and basically bumper to bumper. I am thinking $2,500 is a fair price so I am hoping others were able to reduce it by about $500 to $700.

I am also going to get the car protection package through a third party (basically to the people the dealerships goes too). They were saying it normally costs $2,000 but they were going to give it to me for $1,000. I know the actual cost is $375 direct + $25 to send in information for the warranty(includes paint, interior, rust and undercoating protection by Platinum). Again, just for piece of mind.

[1019throw]

I generally don't get warranties. The extended bumper to bumper was something around $2200 for me in the U.S.? I declined it, and of course they keep offering it to you. I ended up getting it for $940, which was an extra 3 years 3000 miles. Apparently the regular bumper to bumper doesn't cover stuff like any of the Bluetooth system, some of the camera system, etc.

[McHale]

In the 6 weeks that I've had my car, my system randomly rebooted maybe 3 times. It turned right back on. It's not unexpected with technology, as even our cellphones need hard boots sometimes. Your problem did seen more involved though.

I can get it to do it every 45 seconds. When I plug my thumbdrive full of music in, it just constantly reboots. Every SL I test drove did it. Nissan says there isn't a problem. I pick mine up today so I'm sure I'll encounter it before I leave the lot. I'll probably film it, slap it on youtube and post it around so Nissan will address it. I have a trouble ticket opened up with Nissan but they said there was nothing they could do until my car came in, despite that every other vehicle with the same radio had a service bulletin for the same issue.

[Mikeyvr]

Hey thanks for getting back so fast. Did they keep dropping the price as you declined? Do you remember who much you saved or did you pay full price? I wish it only cost $2200 here. Good to know about wha wasn't covered I thy he regular warranty. Seems like a lot if people are having electronic issues

[Rockhound2.0]

1019throw - thanks for the detailed writeup, seems we've had a similar positive experience. Ours is FWD and we're averaging around 24 MPG with 90%+ urban driving.

After reading your review - I am again considering the 2014 Rogue (SL with premium). After reading so many issues with 2014 Rogue (heater, water leaking) and mainly the CVT I almost crossed it out.

I'm with 1019 on this, too - forums can often give a false reading on the severity and frequency of issues. I also have a 370Z - you should have seen the mass hysteria over overheating issues on the forums, when in reality only a few folks actually experienced it. That's not to downplay the severity of a real failure for someone else, just saying that it shouldn't necessitate a knee-jerk reaction.

I saw elsewhere on this forum that the hatch water leak has been addressed in production and (some) dealers seem knowledgeable in fixing it. Just so you know, our 2014 Rogue has an October 2013 build date and our hatch doesn't leak - so not sure when it was addressed, but I think that it effected a small number of vehicles. Also haven't had issues with our heater in one of the coldest winters here in recent memory - it gets uncomfortably hot in ours. No tech issues in ours, either - the voice recognition, phone integration and nav features have worked great from day one - no reboots, either.

I think it's fair to say that the first six months or so of new model production are going to see a few issues like this crop up - frankly there's a real need for early adopters to act as beta testers, which doesn't always sit well with the paying consumer (rightfully so). Some issues may not surface until the vehicle is used in a variety of conditions beyond what the manufacturer can reasonably reproduce. I watched this same progression with the Versa when it debuted in the fall of 2006 - I waited until May 2007 to purchase ours, and by then Nissan had addressed the sundry issues (fuel door, passenger airbag trim piece, etc). Ours was problem free, including the CVT, for 80k miles over 6.5 years.

[1019throw]

Hey thanks for getting back so fast. Did they keep dropping the price as you declined? Do you remember who much you saved or did you pay full price? I wish it only cost $2200 here. Good to know about wha wasn't covered I thy he regular warranty. Seems like a lot if people are having electronic issues

I really think this can vary dealer to dealer. They have me the 5 different warranty options, to which I declined all. Then he asked me to pick one of I need to pick one, which I chose the bumper to bumper. I declined and he showed me his new number broken down by month, which was about $950.

To my understanding, some dealers will just try to make the most money that they can from car sales and warranties (gross profit) while others will just try to sell as much as they can at lower gross, and get additional bonus and kickback money.

[Mikeyvr]

Thanks again . Enjoy your new rogue. Will post my impressions once I take possession. Will be my first nissan! On paper it sounds great and for the price, it beats the others hands down

[jfabulous]

Prior to Nissan, I had been a loyal Mazda customer. I started with the Mazda 3 and most recently owned a 2009 Mazda CX-7. I was nervous to switch car makers, but Mazda was not cutting it in terms of customer service (I had been to 5 different dealerships and their service departments were all TERRIBLE).

I was originally searching for the SL AWD in white w/charcoal interior and the Premium Package. I was willing to wait, and started shopping at different dealerships. The best I could find was $800 over invoice and a two week wait (I would have had it by Christmas ALLEGEDLY). The final dealership on my list had a white SL AWD on the lot ready to go and offered it at $27,500 if I took it right then and there, but with no premium package AND the dealership said there was no way a premium would be available for at least 3 months; that the other dealership was lying. I figured that was BS, but the price was pretty amazing as I know most were selling close to MSRP due to lack of availability and I was getting it at over $3,000 below MSRP (if you include the cargo cover I made them throw in). I am still having regrets about not having the Panoramic Sunroof and LED headlights (I keep seeing more and more lately and they match the LED running lights so nicely). I work at a bank and see dealer invoices and prices paid and, even in February, people were paying over $4,500 more than I did for what is a $1,990 package. If anyone could make me feel any better about NOT having the premium, I welcome your comments. Lol.

Needless to say, the dealership messed up on the delivery - they left stains all over the interior of the car, tried to fix it and got chemical stains on my leather seats. I made them replace the leather seats with brand new ones (originally, I demanded a new car). Someone else mentioned a strong smell from the car - it's true - it takes a few weeks to go away, but I think it gives that new car smell longer :-).

Okay, after nearly 5 months of ownership and 7,000 miles, here are my impressions:


DRIVING THE 2014 NISSAN ROGUE:

This thing is going to seem sluggish in the beginning if you are looking for pickup, but as it breaks in and adjusts to your driving style, you will notice the acceleration gets MUCH better. The turning is something that cannot be compared. It's SO SMOOTH. The Rogue has power assisted steering that is "loose" when you're parking and at slower speeds and then it "tightens" as your speed increases ... nice feature. Everyone I let drive it comments on how smooth and easy it is to maneuver. The ride is QUIET and very smooth. The stabilization features seem to work well when both hitting bumps in the road(Active Ride Control) and making turns(Active Trace Control). The car also has a hill assist feature that slows you down as you descend, which helps you maintain control of the car. You can turn it off if you prefer to fly down hills, but I like to leave it on.

GAS MILEAGE:

I took her on a trip from Long Island, NY to Salisbury, NC (roughly 1,200 miles round trip) and was averaging 29 MPG. Otherwise, I average 23 MPG (30% around town and 70% highway), which is significantly better than my CX-7, which was a 4 cylinder turbo and got 17-18 MPG. The gas tank could be bigger. I have to fill it up every 290 to 310 miles. Then again, that would probably add weight, which would lower the mileage, so ...

STYLING:

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the styling ... it's aggressive in all the right places and implies luxury where it counts. The design choices and materials are definitely top notch. HOWEVER, I did notice that the leather tends to wear quickly ... it's already showing wrinkles. Before having the seats replaced from the dealer mess-up, I had used my heated seats on high and noticed that this seemed to increase the visibility of wear. I think perhaps the heat coils underneath are responsible for that, so I do not use the high setting anymore with the replacement seats, just in case my theory is correct. Some of the finishing was not so great and my Rogue is actually in the shop right now after extensive interactions with Nissan Corporate. They are currently replacing the passenger-side switch plate in the door, because it was not flush with the door handle and you could actually see in between the seam! In addition, the interior cargo light was not flush with the ceiling. For example, you should not be able to see up into the light from the side where the light meets the ceiling - it was actually hanging down a bit. I noticed some minor defects in the paint along the seams of the vehicle exterior. For example, on one corner near the passenger-side taillight, you could see a rough spot just on the edge where the paint must have settled. Minor, but there.

TECHNOLOGY:

You are not alone with the crashing of the Nav system, fellow owners. That's the main reason it's in the shop right now. They are doing diagnostics on the Nav and have actually reset it and updated the firmware to see if that corrects the issue. When I first got the car, it appears they did not do the prep properly and there was a shipping mode fuse that was not seated properly (it disables the extra electronic features during shipment), so the entire entertainment unit would occasionally not even turn on or even light up when I started the car. After they fixed that, the unit would still occasionally crash and reset itself (which is NOT good if you're in the middle of a trip with the nav guiding you).

When it's working, I find the tech really simple and easy on the eyes, especially the user interface. It's clean and thoughtful, unlike most of the nav systems I've seen in other cars where the map looks like a kid's drawing. The info screen between the gauge cluster is a nice touch. I love customizing what I see on the nav screen vs. the info screen. Most of them are useless (why do I need to see a picture of the car or need to know when the turn assist or stabilization is working?), but more options are better than none.

NissanConnect is pretty much useless. It's slow and they haven't developed ANY other apps to work with it since its launch; i.e., iHeartRadio (which barely works), Facebook (which is so slow WHEN IT WORKS that you're better off checking your phone at a light), and for the Android users, Pandora (ironically, this works great). I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why my iPhone has to be connected for NissanConnect to work in its entirety. That is, you only see album artwork and are able to view playlists when the iPhone is physically connected through the USB (hopefully it doesn't crash when you connect it) - NOT the case with Android - it actually plays better with Android phones, but no album artwork. Text messages can be READ to you (must enable notifications on your iPhone), but can ONLY BE SENT on an Android phone AND rather than you being able to say what you want the text message to be, you can only choose between standard or custom messages you've created ahead of time when the vehicle is not in motion. Such responses are "Can't text. I'm Driving, etc.". There is also an auto-response feature where you can assign one of these responses, but again ONLY with an Android phone. Be careful with setting up the phonebook. I had to play with my iPhone settings, because on occasion my car would say it's calling one person and start dialing ANOTHER person (which could get awkward). I find the settings work correctly when you leave all GROUPS unchecked, but then check All Contacts. If you check the groups "Phone Favorites" and "Phone Recents", this is what seems to confuse the car's phonebook. Again, you can find this under the "i" next to "My Rogue" in your bluetooth setting.

As a side-note, I've had the 2014 Altima S as a loaner car, and NissanConnect works better with iPhone on this model - not sure why it would be different?

CONVENIENCE:

The sound system rocks and the input options are excellent. The power lift gate is an option I never would have imagined liking so much, but it came standard with the SL and now I am happy to have it. There are THREE DC outlets available on the vehicle, which is great (one next to the USB, one in the center console, and one in the rear cargo area). I DO NOT KNOW HOW I LIVED without the AroundView Monitor. I LOVE IT!!! My only gripe is that if you try switching camera angles too quickly, it will lose signal and state, "check signal" or something like that and will not work until you put the car in park and try again. Also, if it's raining, the water tends to pool at the bottom of the lens, thus distorting the viewing angle. I would also enjoy a fullscreen rearview option without the around view when cycling through cameras. The dual climate control is VERY responsive. In the winter, the system delays itself until it is hot so that you don't have cold air blown at you. Nicely thought out, Nissan! The automatic headlights work very well with one issue ... the sensor is RIGHT BELOW where the inspection and registration sticker go (at least, in NY). When the dealership put the stickers on, it was blocking the sensor (clearly, they are not rocket scientists) and the headlights would be on ALL THE TIME. I had to replace the stickers higher so that the sensor would not accidentally get tripped. Now it works fine. Not the best idea for design though. The Divide-N-Hide storage in the cargo area is really cool ... not gonna lie. I have fun playing with the different configurations to see which works best. And I like that I can hide stuff below that I don't want visible (whether for security or aesthetic purposes).

NISSAN:

My interactions with Nissan Corporate have been much more enjoyable than any I have had with Mazda. I have a rep that calls me and knows any issues or concerns I have had. We know each other by name and they are very interested in making sure their customers are satisfied. When I say my car was in the shop for the Nav, it's because Nissan scheduled a specialist to come down from Connecticut to review my issues and correct them. That's saying quite a lot and will definitely have me staying with Nissan for many years to come if they keep treating me with such consideration.

SUMMARY:

All in all, this has been a bad dealership experience, which has let to an excellent Nissan Corporate experience, which is what matters most. I have since begun using the dealership closer to me for service, which is where I was originally going to purchase the vehicle and we seem to jive well. It's a smaller dealership, with more attention granted to its customers. That is really what I needed. The dealership where I actually purchased the car made me feel like a number as soon as I drove off the lot.

The car is an excellent remake and I have no worries about it being the first year. The quality is there. It is a well-thought-out crossover and I made the right choice (still questioning not spending the extra and waiting a few more weeks to get the premium, but Che Sara). Technology is dodgy in cars to begin with, but the Rogue hits the mark where it counts and I'm hoping the update they're giving me corrects the minor crashing issue and potentially speeds up the NissanConnect. Maybe Nissan is doing too much all at once and will catch up soon. Regardless, I'm much more comfortable in this SUV than any vehicle I have ever driven.

[intex45]

Kind of off topic, but is anyone planning to renew their sirusXM subscription? I'm worried the maps/navi feature will be completely useless if I don't re-up....

[Loungelurker]

You can purchase just the weather and maps stuff for I think 4.99 a month. I think it is 18.99 for everything.

[mag318]

I bought my 2014 Rogue SL AWD w/Premium Package in March, and that after getting in on the early ordering special Nissan offered. I opted for the Graphite Blue and Almond leather. I had a 2008 Rogue SL that was one of the best and most trouble free vehicles I've ever owned. The 2014 with the redesign made a good vehicle great. I just broke 3000 miles and couldn't be happier as I've had zero problems so far. I love the styling and the interior is both comfortable and functional. The tech package has been flawless and I really like the around view monitor for parking. My highway mileage at 70 mph has been 33.1 mpg which will only improve as the engine really breaks in. I've gotten comments from others on how good the daytime running lights look when they see me approaching. It this Rogue turns out to be as good as my previous one I'll be very happy over the life of the vehicle, so far I love the thing.

[1019throw]

Kind of off topic, but is anyone planning to renew their sirusXM subscription? I'm worried the maps/navi feature will be completely useless if I don't re-up....

You still have full navigation. You won't get the weather, stocks, fuel prices, etc.

If you are interested in Sirus, don't re-sign up. They will call you, then send you a few letters with a big 50% discount. I opted to not use it, but if you want it you will get a good deal if you wait.