Rogue's Hood is so heavy.

[insomnia816]

I think alot of Rogue owners has the same feeling as I do. That is, the Rogue's hood cover is so heavy that you would need at least two hand to lift it up. My co-worker just bought a second hand Nissan Murano and when he showed me his engine compartment I was like wow, that was piece of cake! The hood was supported by two pistons arms just like the trunk release. He lifted the cover with ease and no extra forces required as the hood can be lifted with one hand. Now I don't know why when they designed rogue at first place didnt though about it, or could it be the reason that rogue's hood is too heavy for the piston to support the weight?

[harryg]

The hood is a little heavy but I can lift it up with 1 hand and i feel "safer" since its a little heavier and can take more impact even though there's the crumple zones...the pistons were most likely left out due to cost cutting by Nissan...the rear hatch has them and its pretty heavy (even though you dont notice because the struts are opening it up)

[Nick 568]

My pretty basic trim 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 had a spring-loaded hood which was great and totally maintenance free. But they took up a lot more space than pneumatic actuators would take up.
I agree that this was mostly left out due to cost. The Rogue is a pretty basic car, and most the people who buy it probably don't want to spent a lot on maintenance, and the pneumatics are just one more thing to replace right after your warranty runs out, lol.

[casperfun]

I don't think it is alot on maintenance. On my 1990 Nissan Maxima, it too had those piston type shock thingy-a-ma-jigs on each side of the hood to keep open and I only had to replace them once in the 16 years I owned that particular car. And the replacement happened on the 15th or 16th yr.

Yes, I believe it was left out by Nissan to save money somewhere since it was not on the Rogue. It was convenient to have on the Maxima. It kinda sucks that a $20,000 vehicle in the early 1990's will have them but a $25,000 Rogue in 2010 would not.

Talk about progress and modern technology.

[takeshi]

Now I don't know why when they designed rogue at first place didnt though about it, or could it be the reason that rogue's hood is too heavy for the piston to support the weight?

It's the Rogue's pricing segment. Hood dampers can be designed to accommodate hoods of different weights and I know I've seen them used on hoods that are far heavier than the Rogue's. I don't know if they exist for the Rogue but for my other car there are aftermarket hood dampers.

It kinda sucks that a $20,000 vehicle in the early 1990's will have them but a $25,000 Rogue in 2010 would not.

My $30K car from 2006 doesn't have them.

[philipa_240sx]

It kinda sucks that a $20,000 vehicle in the early 1990's will have them but a $25,000 Rogue in 2010 would not.

Talk about progress and modern technology.

Yes, but there is more than just the cost of one part to consider...

Designers and engineers have to develop a car to fit into a certain price range. Not only are there basic production costs, but engineering costs, crash testing, emissions regulations, production tools, etc. All of these costs have escalated due to the ever increasing safety and environmental regulations. If you cannot build a car that will sell at a profit.... well look what happened to GM and Chrysler.

Back in the 90's Nissan was hemorrhaging major cash... to the brink of bankruptcy. Why? Too many models based on different platforms, not enough parts sharing, and ever increasing engineering costs to support these unique models. It took Mr. Ghosn and some very painful cost cutting to pull Nissan from the brink and make it profitable again.

The first series of cars borne from Nissan Revival Plan (NRP)... like the '02 Altima, were stripped down for maximum profit. The interiors left a lot to be desired, initial reliability was spotty, but they got the job done... they made Nissan money.

We are now seeing the second generation of cars under Ghosn's tenure... the ones that have gotten Nissan back to it's engineering prowess:

- 370Z
- GT-R
- Leaf
- 4th gen Altima
- 5th gen Maxima
... and many others

All of this despite the fact we have endured a major recession... one that has already put a dent in new model development, but Nissan is in a stronger position to recover.

I for one am not complaining that the Rogue lacks fancy hood support struts. It drives well and has been as reliable as my other Nissan's!