I am interested in the Rogue but it is very important that my next car be good in the snow. We have a Mazda3 with snow tires that cannot get up the incline of our driveway when there is a little snow or ice on it, yet our Forester is out in one try. We are trading in the Mazda since we need 2 snow cars. I like everything about the Rogue, but my husband wants to make sure the tires/wheels are going to be good in the snow. Everything I have read on this site tells me that the AWD owners love their car in the snow. Here is my concern. Nissan website says the Rogue SL tires are 225/60/17 but the S are 215/70/16; what I read online on sites explaining tire sizing state that 17 inch wheels are mostly useless in the snow. Can anyone talk more about this and if this is a true statement. Is the S a better way to go with the 16 inch dimension? I am confused because I have heard so many positive comments on the website. Thanks for any light you can shed for me.

Well Emma,

I too own a Mazda3 and am looking at a Rogue for the very reason you mentioned :-) The Mazda3 was the worse car I have EVER driven on the snow. Plain and simple. I ended up having to buy 800 dollar tires for that car, just to get a a little traction.

Anyway, I test drove a Rogue last week, in the snow here in Wisconsin. And let me tell you; You have nothing to worry about. Made the Mazda3 seem like it performs like Fred Flinstones vehicle in the snow :-)

That's reassuring because I love the look of the Rogue. Will you be buying the Rogue? And was your test drive with the SL AWD? THank you for sharing this good news!!

I bought my Rogue in December and had the stock tires (17 inch) for 3 weeks. They were horrible in the snow. So I bought 17 inch steel rims and Toyo G02 Observe tires. They are fantastic! We got 31 cm of snow on Friday and while everyone around me was stuck, we got out, no problem!

I should say though that the hubby thought the Rogue did fine in the snow on its all season tires, but I wanted the added peace of mind of the snow tires and therefore it was my decision to get them, not a joint decision.

Drove it through a few snow storms, no problem with the stock Dunlop 17" tires on my SL AWD. I imagine a set of snow tires could be better, however, it is not absolutely necessary.

i have an SL AWD (came with continentals) and it worked amazing in the snow monday, with the roads not plowed or salted. my only problem is that AWD lock doesnt stay on the whole time. if you go above like 15 it will shut itself off after a few mins. so annoying.

jsellberg wrote:i have an SL AWD (came with continentals) and it worked amazing in the snow monday, with the roads not plowed or salted. my only problem is that AWD lock doesnt stay on the whole time. if you go above like 15 it will shut itself off after a few mins. so annoying.

AWD lock turns it self off after 15mph. Its only meant to be turned on if ur STUCK in snow. The AWD system itself will automatically turn on when its needed. snow conditions etc... Dont use awd lock unless ur stuck in a spot and cant get out.

As for the rogue, mine drives amazingly in snow. Its been snowing in Chicago alot this winter, and I plow right through everything with my AWD and stock tires.

i kept thinking that the whole time (that it'd turn itself on if it needed it) but then another part of me (considering this was the first time ive ever driven in the snow) wanted it on all the time because i figured i'd have better traction? i don't know. girl logic. next time i'll know to trust the car more.

Today we got a good 6" of snow with more coming in western Illinois. I just drove to a store and back and the Rogue with stock Continental tires on my AWD SL went thru it easily. It was actually fun driving in snow this deep for the first time, I'm impressed.

if you want more infor about the performance of the Rogue in snow,read this thread: zerothread/294472

Emma,We have had an AWD vehicle in the garage for years starting in 1988! This Rogue is really something. I don't know if it's the Nissan AWD system or the CVT transmission, but the correct(proper?) "gear" is always chosen. Looking at the road conditions, speed and RPMs, The optimum performance is always there. It's probably a combination of design and tranny. Good job Nissan.

Good morning!!! After hearing all the positive feedback on the Rogue in snow, my husband and I bought our Rogue yesterday here in Maine (where it has been snowing continuously for days!!!) We managed to get our Mazda 3 to the dealership and drove home in the Rogue. Great test drive with snowy roads. I must say so far I love this car!! Even my husband, who was hesitant to go non-Subaru, was impressed when driving it and felt it had really good control in the snow! This morning I drove it out of our icy uphill driveway and it didn't miss a beat!!! I am still figuring out all my available features.. but already wonder how I ever got along without an Intelligent key in the past -- that is really cool!!!I am also surprised there is no lock on the fuel door.. but I also agree those locks are pretty flimsy and even I could break into one in seconds!!!

Congratulations on you purchase. Did you buy S or SL? To do donuts on the snow you should turn VDC off. Here's my old video with my audi a4 http://video.google.com/videop...dex=0

THank you. We got a Venom Red SL... with AWD. Nice video!!! although it has a Damien feel to it!!! We will have to find ourselves a parking lot to do some practicing in the snow!

congrats on the purchase, welcome to the Nissan family!

Thank you very much!!! We got to experience our new Rogue again in the snow Saturday night. On our way home from dinner, we hit the edge of the paved road which set our Rogue into a slide!!! My husband accommodated for that, and instantly the Rogue straightened itself out and continued on. Our passengers in the back seat were quite impressed with my husband's driving, but he told me later he believed it wasn't him.. but the Rogue and its superior handling!!!! He said it instantly accommodated for the loss of traction.
Modified by Emma at 7:56 AM 2/11/2008

Yesterday we had a snow storm here, and so I decided to meet up with my friend who got an FJ at this warehouse and take the car for a spin on the snow… I experienced 1 slippage on the way there, and once I got there I took of VDC and I had a blast.. The car handles very well in snow, also got a lots of drifting done which was fun..