Rogue performance in mountains great

[sirbikesalot]

I recently traveled to the mountains in western NC and got the chance to take my Rogue up and down highway 181 a few times. For those of you who aren't familiar with that road it is the one that 7 time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong trained on after recovering from cancer and helped make him the rider that he is. It is very long, steep and winding. People die on it every year. I saw one guy who lost control of his sport bike and go off the road into the woods (he was ok).

I decided to see what my Rogue could do. Going uphill I stayed between 70 and 80 mph, trying to break it loose a little in the sharp corners. It handled beautifully, hugging the road. It has great road feel, and felt predictable in corners with good steering feedback - I didn't feel like it oversteered or understeered - was fairly neutral.

I had it revving solidly in the 5000 to 6000 rpm range as I accelerated uphill. I really wanted to see what it could do. I was very impressed by what this 4 banger could put out. It IS a 4 cylinder, right?

I passed several vehicles and some redneck in a truck tried, and failed, to pass me. In terms of performance, the CR-V and RAV-4 got nothing on the Rogue.

Going downhill was a little different. It turns out that the Rogue must have an attitude sensor that automatically kicks up the revs after a certain grade. This is how they do engine braking with a CVT. But it annoyed me a little because I was trying to go as fast as possible downhill (you have to know I am a downhill mtn biker). So I ended up putting it in neutral and letting the brakes do the work or accelerating out of it. I think the brakes got really hot, because I could smell them and they started to get that rough, shimmying kind of action.

Off road on the forest service roads the AWD handled great. I did not feel like I was going to lose control or start sliding on the gravel and dirt. It felt almost like a rally car. It handled water crossings easily as well.

Overall I couldn't be happier with my Rogue and I'm glad I chose this over the CR-V and the Subaru Outback.

[philipa_240sx]

Going downhill was a little different. It turns out that the Rogue must have an attitude sensor that automatically kicks up the revs after a certain grade. This is how they do engine braking with a CVT.

Nope, it does closer to sea level as well. You just need a decently long hill to feel the effect. It senses an increase in speed when the throttle is not depressed and gears down.

Glad you enjoyed your trip. I hope you didn't cook the brakes too bad!

[dave230]

I was up and over the mountains in and around Lake Placid over the weekend. I was behaving myself as far as speed limit (see roof rack thread), but I did note that the CVT was very smooth and pretty much invisible... power was even, car felt great whether going up OR down, and there's some pretty decent grades up that way. I didn't even think about it till I spotted this thread today.

The Rogue looked pretty good parked outside EMS in Lake Placid with the boat on top! One guy stopped and asked me how I liked it... he's getting ready to downsize from a Tahoe.

[philipa_240sx]

One guy stopped and asked me how I liked it... he's getting ready to downsize from a Tahoe.

I just had someone who is driving an Expedition asking me about the Rogue as a replacement as well!

[SimLex]

Great to hear! I will be heading to the North GA mountains in late June, so hope to have the same experience. I don't have my Rogue yet, but should be getting one in the next few weeks. I may end up with 2WD instead of AWD though.