Guess who finally got a Rogue!

[Eikon]

My wife and I picked up a used 09 Rogue today. I'm so happy to have the space and versatility of the Rogue! For the last couple years I've felt a little strange spending so much time in this Rogue forum and not having any personal knowledge of the car. Finally that has changed.

We got a used blue 09 FWD S with only 8300 miles on it. Nissan Certified used gives it a nice long powertrain warranty (granted the cvt is already a long warranty). Also got a very nice interest rate, and free oil changes for 3 years. Price was $16,200 and I think they gave me enough in trade value to pay off my loan on the old car. So i'm pleased.

I'll snap some pictures later and post them up.

[Roguemonster]

Congrats!

[cdmuile]

That's a really pretty color blue. Enjoy your new ride!

[philipa_240sx]

Congrats... See what happens if you lurk long here long enough!

BTW... I'm still the mod for this forum... you can't have it back!

[Eikon]

Congrats... See what happens if you lurk long here long enough!

BTW... I'm still the mod for this forum... you can't have it back!

Thanks!

I wouldn't think of trying to usurp your power here. I think you're the best forum moderator on all of NICO, so I look forward to owning the Rogue and knowing I'll be able to count on you and this forum to take good care of me.

[otto888man]

Congrats

[kerrton]

Eikon that is sweet, glad to have you on as a legitimate Rogue owner!

Since you got the S model there a few mods you might consider like adding light to the hatch area.....as a matter of fact I bet this forum has some info that could help you out!!!

[philipa_240sx]

For those that don't know...

Eikon was moderating the Rogue forum before me. He brought me on board during the spring/summer of 2008... and I have been here since. Hence my earlier joke!

Cheers!

[Eikon]

Ok.. so here's my first question about the vehicle.. and clearly it will take me a little time to get used to the CVT, but I have a question about what is "normal" or not for acceleration.

From a stop, the Rogue takes off quickly from the line (not race car quick, but quick enough). If I keep steady pressure on the accelerator pedal, it remains at that quick pace up to about 20-25 mph. Then for some reason, it really slows down it's rate of acceleration from that point up to about 40 mph or so. Then once you hit 40 or more, it seems to pick up the pace nicely and accelerates like that 175hp motor should.

I'm a bit annoyed by that dead spot in acceleration between 25 and 40. You have to really mash the gas modulate the acceleration in that period

Is this normal?

My guess is no.. I don't think it's an engine issue, but rather a learned pattern by the cvt transmission computer. My guess is that the previous 8000 miles driven on this vehicle were done on mostly city streets with 25 mph speed limits, and the user accelerated up to 25 and then let off on a very regular basis.

I'm going to disconnect the batter for the night tonight. That should clear the memory of the trans computer and reset the "learning" pattern so that it can start fresh and pick up my driving habits rather than the current set.

Has anyone else had this experience?

Thanks

[kerrton]

My Rogue is "tuned" the same way, although it isn't something I'd call significant, but then again I drive pretty conservatively. It feels underpowered to you because the CVT has selected a very high gear ratio, but in my experience the sensation of lack of power is just that, a sensation/perception of sluggishness because you don't hear the engine rev up like you're used to. Even though the rpms are low, you're still accelerating at a decent rate. But again, this is a matter of personal opinion what is "normal" or acceptable performance.

There are of course times when I drive a little more aggressively and I get a momentary hesitation in the band that you mentioned, but pressing on the accelerator a little harder is all it takes to wake up the CVT and let it know that I don't want to drive like a granny at that moment in time, and it gears down and rpms come up!

So the bottom line is the CVT takes getting used to, but I don't think you've got a problem and re-setting the memory might improve things....let us know how that goes.

[Roguemonster]

I had the same issue on faster roads and feel it's a learning curve to get out of it.

First, the engine is noisy on takeoff, so you don't give the pedal as much gas as you might otherwise. The Rogue assumes you've hit cruising speed and drops the transmission.

Solution...Hit the pedal harder.

I basically push the pedal about halfway down and let the thing get up to around 3000-3500 RPM and maintain that to cruising speed. The Rogue sounds like a float plane taking off, but it's fine (and WAY fun). You're not hurting anything.

I've gotten to really love the CVT once I've gotten used to it. I drove a slushbox rental recently and HATED the transmission.

[philipa_240sx]

The CVT always wants to 'upshift' for best fuel economy. The dead spot you are describing appears normal... at least from what I have seen.

Another thing... acceleration is very deceiving as the engine rpms rise then hold... yet you still accelerate.

The CVT takes some getting used to... that I can agree on.

[Eikon]

I disconnected the batter for the night. It's not like I had any radio presets to lose yet, lol.. So why not! I'll take it for a spin later and report back as to the effectiveness of the experiment.

Bought my first accessory yesterday... I ordered a rear bumper guard. I am 100% certain that we would scratch the heck out of the rear bumper pulling golf club bags or other stuff out of the back, so having that covered will be very nice!

Anyhow... loving the Rogue so far. Wish I had the money available to get some new wheels for it, but someday..

[philipa_240sx]

Eikon,

The Rogue has the standard Nissan 5 lug pattern with a 40mm offset. Wheels from many other FWD Nissan's are a good fit... ie. Altima, Maxima, etc. If you find a cheap set of 'take-offs' that might be a good bet. RWD Nissan/Infiniti wheels are tricky... the offsets are too low. Also, the Rogue has VERY long front spindle bolts... some wheels are too shallow and you will not be able to put the hubcaps on. Test fit before you buy.

[Eikon]

So, my 18x9 +17 GramLights won't fit very well? lol.

I'll have to save those for a 350z someday.

I have my eyes on a set of 03 Maxima wheels from another NICO member, they won't be the nice permanent set that I want, but they will do the job for a while.

The battery reset didn't help the acceleration dead spot, but i'm adjusting to it. I think I'm a pretty conservative driver, so I think the vehicle adjusts to make the best fuel efficiency possible. That's a good thing!If I do want to get on it to merge onto the highway or something and I give it more gas than normal, it accelerates perfectly all the way with no lag. Just part of getting used to the cvt.

I love it so far!

[going rogue]

You can also try pressing the overdrive button on the side of the shifter.

[philipa_240sx]

If I do want to get on it to merge onto the highway or something and I give it more gas than normal, it accelerates perfectly

That's it, just give'r her more gas!

Honestly, I don't understand the flak the CVT gets... After driving one for 2 years I find conventional autos are strange! It weird driving a car with abrupt gear changes!

[kerrton]

I totally understand why the CVT gets lots of bad reviews; it's because the car testers are always out to push it hard and to the limits, and when you do that the CVT is much different than a conventional auto like everyone is used to. And when you push it hard, the CVT does hold the revs high and I can understand why a lot of people don't really care for this.

But, most of us don't drive our vehicles like race cars, myself included, so the CVT is pretty good. I don't count myself as someone who "loves" the CVT, but I find it to be pretty good and considering the fuel efficiency gains I get I've always considered it a good all around package.

On the highway is where I especially like the CVT. When you hit a bit of a hill or high headwinds, the CVT can make a minor adjustment resulting in a slight increase in rpms and you really never notice it - nice and smooth. In a conventional transmission it's 4th or 5th (or 6th if you have a 6-spd), no in between and when it downshifts it shocks the hell outta you. And if certain conventionals are really bad, I've got a Dodge Nitro at work that will constantly downshift and rev to 4500 rpms, then upshift to overdrive, then you hit a slight hill and it'll downshift and scream at you - it's constantly jerking around and screaming at you!!

So the Rogue CVT is great on the highway, IMO, and ok around town. I don't care for the torque converter lock and unlock surge that you get when driving conservatively with a light foot, but hey it's an ok tradeoff for all the benefits.

The one thing I've NEVER complained about is the Rogue's ability to accelerate when you want to. I won 2 races on the weekend by at least 6 car lenghts with the Rogue and I didnt even use full throttle, it accelerates REALLY nice and fast when you want, like Philip said, you just have to push down on the throttle alittle bit and the CVT responds really nice!!!!!

[harryg]

^ what cars were the races against??

[kerrton]

Oh good question! They were two stupid old red neck sports cars, the first was my brothers mid-90's Firebird, he bought it because it had "lots of power" and a nice sized V6, this thing was pathetics and the Rogue beat it without the need for full throttle (I baby my cars, so this was a good thing).

The other car was this ridulous early 90's trans am, it was in perfect condition so you know this guy lives for this car, and loves it more than anything! Too bad the Rogue had to destroy it by about 2 car lengths over about 3 city blocks.

I know, the competition was pretty weak but still, the Rogue isn't a muscle car and I had it loaded with all kinds of kid stuff so it was fun to beat some loser cars like the old trans am.......I had fun!!

[harryg]

haha nice this things a beast!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...lated

[Eikon]

Finally uploaded a few pictures





Again, nothing special.. it's the base model.. no alloys, no roof rack, no nothin.. But I like it a lot so far!

[casperfun]

Well you do have the pinstripes!

I had that same style on my 1990 pearl glow maxima.

[philipa_240sx]

Eikon,

Spend some time reading the FAQ. A few things you might want to do maintenance/appearance wise:

1) Get a clear bra/film installed on the leading edge of the hood.2) Get similar film in 1" wide strips installed on the lower edge of the door jamb, read more here:

zerothread/307234

3) Like all vehicles with rear disc brakes, the Rogue's rear brakes need to be cleaned and serviced at least once per year. You can read my great technical article (shameless pat on the back) here:

http://www.nicoclub.com/archiv....html

Have fun and enjoy your Rogue!