I have had my Rogue now (basic S model, red) for just over one year now and I have to say I still like driving this thing like the day I bought it (minus a bit of 'new car enthusiasm' ... but only a bit). Despite some of the various issues people have had I gave found this car to be fun, useful, and dependable. It is reasonably zippy, handles very well, it just grabs the road and has not done anything scary despite my very occasional lapse of judgment. There are certainly other good cars out there, but this one (in my opinion) is definitely in the NOT A LEMON category!

I just thought I would pass along a nod in favour of a decent little buggy, the 2008 Nissan Rogue.

Tellurian

We don't put many miles on our cars....We fly. We just drove from Des Moines to Eastern Nebraska and back and I couldn't be happier. The Rogue handled beautifully, even with 20 to 30 mpg winds on I80. Nice little vehicle. We have traveled short distances in the past with our Jag S Type and our Hyundai Azera. Props to the Rogue!

I've had mine for 14 months now.

No real problems except some think its a target and bump it, got a nail in the sidewall and had to buy another OEM tire because the Continental was not available locally, and the windshield cracked when it was 20 below outside.

Not happy about those problems, but with the exception of the windshield, I can't complain.

Great gas milage, not a truck or a jeep, but a nice ride.

I've also had my FWD SL for 14 months and it is a sweet vehicle. I did have a defective CVT that was painlessly replaced 7000 km ago and since then the car has been flawless, once I've figured out some of the quirks with the CVT such as the locking and unlocking of the torque converter. As long as this vehicle gives me long term reliablility I'll be extremely happy, as it provides awesome fuel efficiency, and the 2.5 4 cylinder is so sweet. I love the fact that Nissan wasn't afraid to make a 4 cylinder the only option, give it lots of torque and horse power AND excellent efficiency. All the competitors are way behind in their 4 cylinder engines, as they'll all tell you that the base 4 cylinder is "ok", but you should consider shelling out a few grand extra and get the 6 cylinder because it is really superior, and what they don't tell you is that it also gets crap efficiency. So I really appreciate that Nissan did some progressive thinking here, realized that 6 cylinders are not necessary and really don't make sense when you design an amazing 4 cylinder like the QR2.5. The competors can keep their 6 cylinders on the small crossovers, I'll support Nissan and their more progressive product. If this was a larger vehicle like a Murano etc then yes, 6 cylinder is ok, but for this size vehicle i think the 2.5 is perfect.

i can very muchly relate to the pleasure of the Rogue. Now I have a toy car in my '00 Focus ZX3 with many performance upgrades (run 12s), 19" rims, killer stereo. this is by far wayyyy faster than my Rogue, handle corners extremely well but I have a lot more joy getting into my Rogue. the Rogue handles well considering the class it's in. the Rogue does have enough get up and go for me. Nissan did an awesome job on this vehicle. I've been very dissatisfied with Ford when I first bought my focus. Poor service, constantly replacing part hence all the performance upgrades (i can vouch for the "Fixed Or Repaired Daily"). I know i'll never go to a domestic name brand again.

I wouldn't expect the Rogue to compete with the much smaller Focus ZX3 (a 3 door hatchback). The Rogue is carrying an extra +800lbs (2600lb for the ZX3 vs. 3400lb approx for the Rogue), 2 extra doors, not to mention the higher center of gravity. The Rogue only has an extra 40hp (130hp vs. 170hp) to move the extra weight. But, the Rogue does have alot more torque at low rpms.

My wife's '02 Protege LX 2.0 is a similar comparison. The Protege will run circles around the Rogue... in both handling and acceleration. But we both prefer the added space and much quieter ride, esp on long trips. The Mazda is quite noisy and has a much firmer ride by comparison.

Not to thread jack, but what do you have in your Focus to make it run 12's? Sorry man, but I find that VERY hard to believe. I come from a sport compact/tuning background...

We got both the Rogue SL and the Scion tC 4.0 at about the same time last year. I realize I'm comparing apples to oranges but when I drive my wife's Rogue I'm immediately impressed with the lack of rattles/squeaks and general body integrity. I'm also tiring of the tC's 5 peed manual......it should have been a 6 speed.