Motor Trend describes Ride on Rogue as Brutal!

[rogueortiguan]

Motor Trend posted a new review of the Rogue online. Generally positive review but the reviewer described the ride as brutal? Any owners feel the same way?

[ajayme44]

Coming off a 2006 leased Infiniti G35 and getting a AWD SL Rogue, I would categorize the ride as firm not wallowy like an American SUV or even an SUV like a Pilot or CRV Honda. I like to feel the road as I don't want a mushy ride. So if that is brutal then I'm fine with it. I have over 100 miles and have done a variety of drives from in town over pot holed Dallas roads to longer drives out in the country. No complaints

[philipa_240sx]

It's just one person's opinion...

Some like their cars nice and smooth riding. I prefer the firmer ride and better handling of the Rogue. BTW, my tires were inflated to their maximum pressure of 44psi upon delivery. I didn't realize it for a couple of weeks and was wondering why the ride was a bit harsh at times. Dropped it to 33psi as per the door jamb sticker and it was much improved. I wonder if the reviewer bothered to check his tire pressure!

[RogueSeeker]

It is a firm ride, but not bad. Much smoother than what I was used to experiencing in my F-150.

I test drove some high end SUVs while shopping (04 RX330 and an 04 FX 35) and while those rides were better than the Rogue they weren't worth paying a new Rogue price for a used vehicle.

Just for a goof, I test drove a loaded 07 Sante Fe Limited. Now that was a bruttal ride. It was rough on even smooth pavement!

Take it for a spin and see what you think. I think it's a great vehicle for the $$.

[kerrton]

If you take one message away from this forum about the Rogue, I think it should be "the Rogue is an awesome all-around vehicle for the price". You can compare it to luxury CUV/SUV's that cost $10,000 extra, or more, and it may not be quite as good in any one individual area, but it'll still beat even luxury vehicles in others such as fuel economy!!! Nobody can compete with the Rogue when it comes to the overall balance of GREAT fuel economy, decent utility (people and cargo), price tag, GREAT looks, GREAT interior comfort and beauty, fun to drive and Nissan quality. Not even the RAV4 or CRV can claim to have this balance, although they may be slightly better in one or more individual areas. IMO, You can't get another all-around great balanced machine like this for the price, I spent a year of my life researching this and that is my final conclusion, as I just picked up my Rogue 2 days ago. Good luck.

[marKram]

Here's the quote from the review:

Quote »It's ride quality. If you're older than about 26, having inelastic portions of your body paint-shakered into a quivering blur is no longer amusing. Worse, your Red Bull gets all frothy. Warning: Any occupant needing either a child seat or reading glasses has no business in this car. The ride is simply brutal.[/quote]I love people who exaggerate. The ride might be a little firm to some but that's about it (in my opinion). Personally, I think the review is "simply brutal". My Red Bull got all frothy while I read it.

[kerrton]

Yeah, all that review proves is that the reviewer is not very good at their job. The idea is to evaluate vehicles based on real-world criteria so that normal consumers get good input when deciding what to purchase. Any normal person riding the Rogue would not agree with this reviewer. The ride is slightly firm and that is by design to get a little bit of sporty handling. If the Rogue had really soft suspension it would suck on cornering, and so this reviewer would've probably blasted it for that, so I don't think you can win if the reviewer decides ahead of time to write a flashy negative review with some stupid humour to draw attention to themselves. I'm glad I didn't read this review when I was researching.

[SkiHound]

The ride is firmer than competitors like the Rav4 or CRV but it handles better and feels more like a sports car than either. We've done a few long trips and both my wife I think it's very comfortable. I certainly wouldn't describe the ride as brutal.

[Ticmxman]

Quote » It's ride quality. If you're older than about 26, having inelastic portions of your body paint-shakered into a quivering blur is no longer amusing. Worse, your Red Bull gets all frothy. Warning: Any occupant needing either a child seat or reading glasses has no business in this car. The ride is simply brutal. What a buch of bull ----. the rogue rides much better than a lot of vehicles and I love the lack of body roll while taking a corner. Mine rides better than my wife's 03 Accord.

[paulvanharte]

They must have been smoking something!! They always rave about the CRV and RAV which I am sure are nice vehicles, but I think they are both boring vehicles!!Paul

[trusty_getto]

Before my Rogue, I used to drive an Infiniti Q45 luxury sedan, and my father had an Infiniti X35. The Q45 was too soft, and the X35 was way too stiff and bumpy.

I like the handling on my Rogue better than both. It's firm, but not bumpy, and it handles much more like a car than like an SUV.

But then again, I'm not a professional driver testing out Porsches and Ferraris week in and week out. Perhaps if I were, I might have unrealistic expectations about a $23K production vehicle.

[cdmuile]

These auto review guys!!! Brutal ride? Really. Have those guys ever heard of tire inflation? 5#, plus or minus PSI, can make all the difference in the world with modern tires. My ride is fine, thank you, at 33# PSI. Play around with the inflation numbers and you'll find your sweet spot.

[philipa_240sx]

Yeah, all that review proves is that the reviewer is not very good at their job. The idea is to evaluate vehicles based on real-world criteria so that normal consumers get good input when deciding what to purchase.

You hit it dead on. I've read reviews about many cars that are very opinionated. IMHO, a good reviewer removes his/hers personal bias and writes an honest review based on what the average joe would expect out of a vehicle in that class.

For example: If the reviewer complains about the high step in height because they have a bad hip, it's no reason to condemn the vehicle. Instead, they should look beyond that and determine that the target buyer (30-40 yr olds) would have no such issue and not dwell on thier own problem.

Same goes for the whole CVT arguement. Some car reviewers dislike CVT's due to thier characteristics... they have grown used to conventional transmissions and anything different is automatically discounted as 'abnormal'. But if you take the technology as a whole, it's impact on performance and fuel economy, remove the preprorammed notion of how a conventional transmission should behave, then a CVT makes perfect sense. A good friend of mine (who is very car savvy and has raced Formula Ford's for years) commented on how he finds conventional automatics 'weird' now that he drive a CVT equipped Versa!

BTW, one of may favorite reviewers is Jil McIntosh at http://www.canadiandriver.com. She is usually very objective, mostly unbiased and very practical. She wrote a decent review of the Rogue and pointed out some of the visibility issues we all know of. Overall I would say her review was right on the money. Read the full review here:

http://www.canadiandriver.com/...e.htm

[gi'me]

But then again, I'm not a professional driver testing out Porsches and Ferraris week in and week out. Perhaps if I were, I might have unrealistic expectations about a $23K production vehicle.

Well said.

I'm 15 years behind the state of the art. I dumped my 12-year old, jiggly, Ford Taurus for the Rogue. I can't feel any bumps in the roads. Any new vehicle will feel better than the brutal examples that I've been saddled with for the past 15 years.

[ajayme44]

I forgot to mention the same thing about the tire pressure. Mine too was delivered with about 44 lbs. Changed it to 33 and it made a big difference.

[ntwrkd]

Motor Trend posted a new review of the Rogue online. Generally positive review but the reviewer described the ride as brutal? Any owners feel the same way?

Url is Here....

http://www.motortrend.com/road...rogue

[tellurian]

I just read the review, generally it is quite favourable. I have to agree with others opinions about the writer's style. I don't think that this person should be reviewing ... anything (maybe it was an off day). It reads like an editorial, not a review. The ride is obviously not "brutal" and his colourful comments (re: red bull fizzing up) are just silly. I am suprised that no one has commented about the last paragraph on the 2nd page. Who is this clot? Does he write for fashion magazines? A couple of quotes:

"And that's just the point: Someone like you wouldn't be caught dead...""The Rogue's about being seen in...""Showing up with snowboards on the roof..."

It is a silly review by someone who obviously had their mind elsewhere than on the job at hand. I have read many better (real) reviews (expressing both positive and negative opinions). I am not a Rogue cheerleader or a team Nissan flunky, But I do like my Rogue, I am surprised that they could put it together for $23.2K (in Canada). I can't say I've been brutalized, nor shaken, nor stirred ... just satisfied. It fits my dog in the back, it goes when I step on the gas, it stops when I hit the brake. The babes haven't flocked around yet but I don't think they will ... that would be for the RAV and CR-V owners I would bet <*grin*>...

[kerrton]

I don't know, the CRV looks like a Grandpa-mobile, really boring mini-van like styling, just brutal. The Rogue is definately the coolest looking of the three, the RAV4 looks ok but it is more boxy and typical of the SUV style, rather than the crossover. Good choice with the Rogue

[Ticmxman]

At least the review was spot on regarding the quickness and handling of the Rogue. I just got back from a run thru the twisty hills of North Georgia after watching the Tour De Georgia bike race and was amazed at how easy it was to maintain speed thru the corners. The Rogue has very little body roll.

I'm betting the Rogue that was tested had 44 psi in the tires. I bet it did ride rather rough.

[wftright]

If I go with a Nissan, I'll likely end up with the Murano. I drove one today, and the knee room in the front seat was nice. If the Rogue had that much knee room, the Rogue would be my first choice. However, the notion that the Rogue had a rough ride is silly. The ride was great.

[jsellberg]

lol.. i pretty much concur with the general census.

and i think the ride is pretty damn smooth? then again i went to my precious from a ' 99 4wd grand vitara.. enough said.

[Tony_Ringo]

Brutal, not so! The ride I think is nice and firm, I do like the fact that the Rogue drives more like a car then a big clunky SUV. I am coming out of a 2006 350z that had more trouble then I would care to shake a stick at soooo the ride is alot smoother and quieter then my Z

[Goblin]

Too funny! Their candy asses should drive a Dodge first and then drive the Rogue. Brutal, the Rogue is not!