Thinking about getting a Rogue

[mokos23]

Hi, first time poster on here. I have been looking at the Rogue as my first suv purchase. I need an AWD SUV that gets good gas mileage and has all the bells and whistles for under $30K. I researched and saw that the Rogue has it all except for a navigation for under $30K.

Now, I have also been looking at the Outlander, Rav4, and CRV (don't really like Honda anymore). Anyways, what made you decide on Rogue instead of Outlander, Rav4, and CRV?

I was also going to wait maybe until the new 2nd gen Murano comes in, but I don't think I can snatch a well-equipped one for under or at $30K.

Then, I looked at the Infiniti EX35, too expensive and it's smaller than the Rogue!

[jlsatt00]

When I decided on the Rogue, I choose it over the Outlander, Rav4, and Crv for a few reasons. Early on, I decided against the Outlander as I decided I didn't like the interior materials. It was also a disappointment for me to drive. The Crv was ruled out early for a couple of personal preference reasons; it didn't feel sporty and the sales person at my Honda dealer was little more than a Jerk. I did really like the interior on the Crv, but decided against it.

So..it was down to the Rav4 and the Rogue. I almost bought a Rav4 before learning about the release of the Rogue. A couple big factors made me decide the Rogue over the Rav.

1.) I told a good friend of mine how much I liked the Rav before the Rogue was released. She was able to purchase sooner than me and got a Rav. It didn't bother me that she bought it and turned out to help me make my decision. She let me drive her V6 Limited often to help me decide. I honestly liked the feel of the Rogue better, even with the small motor! Her Rav seemed difficuly to manuever after driving the Rogue!

2.) Overall, I prefered the exterior styling of the Rogue best. I have never been a fan of the rear wheel tire, but was going to settle on the Rav if I didn't like anything else better.

3.) I really wanted to find a small suv with some bells and whistles for under $25k. This was easily accomplished with my Rogue. With taxes included I paid under 25. My rogue has everything but a moonroof and leather. This would not have been possible if I had purchased a Rav4 (it would have cost around $27k plus taxes).

Overall, I am very happy with my purchase and love my Rogue.

[Lightforce18]

I also was on the fence on which SUV to get outta the Rav4, the CR-V and the rogue. I test drove all 3, and knew the rogue was the best one. The other 2 felt so slow, and didn't handle as well. My dealer took the took on a ice patch and gunned it on a parking lot with cars. I was like damn this thing handles great if hes trusting it by all his new cars. The interior is nice, I got mine fully loaded for 25,500 so I couldn't pass it up. Only thing its missing is navi. But my tom tom works

[BrianV]

I found the Rogue the best driving of the bunch as well as the most comfortable. It has the most bells and whistles under $30k for sure; too bad they missed auto climate control though

[rrs26ja]

Like most people on this forum, I looked at the RAV4 and the CRV before looking at the Rogue. I found that the styling of the Rogue and what you got for your money made my decision very easy. We have also been a Nissan family for almost 8 years now and can't say enough about Nissan and our local dealer. I liked the options in the SL. If you get the AWD primume package, you get the larger wheels, the Bose 6 CD changer wih the MP3 player, you get Bluetooth which I think works great. Xeon headlights with vertical adjustment is a nice feature. Things I would have liked to seen or had the option to purchase would be. Locking gas door, v6 engine although the 4 seems to have plenty of power with the CVT, and a navigation systems which also isn't a big deal as I have a Garmin. I have had my Rogue since mid December. I would have to say, I don't think there is a better deal out there. I bought the SL with the AWD primume package for $23,455.00 with $25,555 out the door......

[BrianV]

Like most people on this forum, I looked at the RAV4 and the CRV before looking at the Rogue. I found that the styling of the Rogue and what you got for your money made my decision very easy. We have also been a Nissan family for almost 8 years now and can't say enough about Nissan and our local dealer. I liked the options in the SL. If you get the AWD primume package, you get the larger wheels, the Bose 6 CD changer wih the MP3 player, you get Bluetooth which I think works great. Xeon headlights with vertical adjustment is a nice feature. Things I would have liked to seen or had the option to purchase would be. Locking gas door, v6 engine although the 4 seems to have plenty of power with the CVT, and a navigation systems which also isn't a big deal as I have a Garmin. I have had my Rogue since mid December. I would have to say, I don't think there is a better deal out there. I bought the SL with the AWD primume package for $23,455.00 with $25,555 out the door......

Other people have asked for the locking gas door as well. I think you guys just may be misunderstanding how it works. Most of my Nissans for the past 5 years have had no lock or latch, they simply pop open when you press on them. However, when the car is locked, so is the gas door. Have you checked if it can be opened when the car is locked?

My Infinitis were both this way, as was my 350Z. I can't imagine the Rogue isn't. I never checked, just assumed all Nissans were this way by now.

[mokos23]

good deal! I hope that it won't be hard to negotiate one.

btw, how is the pickup and acceleration of the car? i have another 4 cyl, the Acura TSX and it's alright in pickup. does it feel sporty when you drive the Rogue?

[cdmuile]

I also narrowed my choices to those three. The Outlander just seemed bigger to us. A little ponderous,too. Another small item was the lack of vanity mirrors on the interior sunvisors. The Rav4 was a close second choice. I was disappointed with the interior of the Sport model I wanted. It was so dark inside it was like looking out of a cave. I understand the 5 speed auto is giving some problems. The CRV was the first one we looked at as our 04 was totalled last month. My wife loved her CRV but the new one seemed sluggish. Also missed the outside rear mounted spare. We looked at that as a safety plus. The Rogue is quite a vehicle. It's very sportish , not in the Japanese sort of way, but much more European. It wants to leap away from the stoplight! Very entertaining.

[zoieNNe]

I had a RWD car I loved, but had to have AWD – plus, I got tired of always needing Lowe's to deliver! I test drove a ton of vehicles looking for a car-like feel, cargo space, and safety in NE winters. Drove sedans, wagons, crossovers, SUVs - Volvo, Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Jeep - from 21k to 34k - and spent many hours in a number of them. I kept trying to make myself like one of them just so I’d have peace of mind in the snow. Well, the Rogue was the last car I tested, and I just loved it right off. It was the only one that was FUN to drive. It’s very peppy when leaving a light, merging onto the highway, etc., and I don't feel like I'm sitting up in the cab of a semi! I think it’s the best combo of car-like ride and SUV benefits for the price - and what a great price! Throw in its good gas mileage and what's to think about

[SkiHound]

My take largely echos other responses and I've posted much of this before. We wanted something with AWD that would be reasonably economical and get decent mileage. I also commute in traffic and wanted something with an automatic transmission. We looked mostly at the Rav4 (we've owned several Toyotas and have always had good luck with them), the CRV, the Subie Forester, and the Subie Outback. I really liked the Outback except that I felt the standard 4 cyl with automatic was just to lethargic and didn't want the extra expense and premium fuel required of the turbo and 6 cyl options. Test drove the Rav4 on several occassions. I liked the roominess and think we'd have been happy with it but I just didn't love it. It drove and road like most Toyotas with a softer ride but not very precise handling. And performance with the 4 was OK but not inspiring. I'm sure it would have been a very functional vechicle for us. Just didn't really like the CRV and wasn't big on the Honda Salesman so after one test drive I eliminated it. The Forester had potential but is in it's last year of the current model and some things I'd have liked were not available on the models with the standard 4 cyl (e.g. VDC, side curtain air bags). It also seemed to have more wind noise at cruising speed. The Rogue was kind of an after thought. Someone said if I was interested in that kind of vehicle I should at least give the Rogue a test ride. IMO, the Rogue is just plain more fun to drive than the Rav4 or CRV. Handling is pretty tight and it feels a lot more like a sports car. While it won't match a V6 Rav4 in acceleration performance is very good for a 4 cyl. The Bose audio system was another big plus for us. No it won't match a good custom job but it beats the heck out of the sound systems in comparably priced competitors. There's not as much storage as the Rav4 but there is enough for our needs. We've found the seats and ride to be very comfortable on some relatively long ski trips. My biggest concern was rear visibility. With the side mirrors adjusted properly it's not a big issue but I do think you need to be more careful than in some other vehicles. I thought the keyless entry was just a gimmick, but after having it a while it's a darn nice gimmick. As others have indicated I wish there was automatic climate control and there are some other missing options that might be more or less important to some. But that's kind of true of any vehicle in this price range. After 5,000+ miles and several ski trips we're really happy with Rogue.

[mokos23]

Thanks for all the replies!

I'm going to see if I can get a good deal on a Rogue. I want to get a gotham gray SL AWD with a premium package and sunroof and hope I can snatch one for $25-26K, is this reasonable?

Also, I'm also going to look at the new Murano. Do you guys think it's worth it to wait and see how the 09 Murano looks like when it comes into dealerships in Feb? Do you guys agree that I don't think I could get an AWD Murano with Leather and premium package for under $30K as well.

[cdmuile]

Don't know about Il. taxes but I bought mine in Des moines for 27449 out the door, no trade. Every option. No way are you going to get a Murano as described for under 30 grand. Surprise me! Maybe an Il. dealer will sell at cost.

[Rogueman]

26k for an equipped rogue is very good. And i honestly think you cant get a 09 rogue under 30k.

[BrianV]

Don't know about Il. taxes but I bought mine in Des moines for 27449 out the door, no trade. Every option. No way are you going to get a Murano as described for under 30 grand. Surprise me! Maybe an Il. dealer will sell at cost.

Agreed. A nicely equipped Murano (leather, bluetooth, heated seats, HIDs) with AWD stickers at $34,500. Compared to a similar Rogue stickering at $27k. It's a huge delta, but the Murano is bigger and its interior is more Infiniti than it is Nissan (looks like my 07 G35S' interior).

Also, 18/23mpg is pretty weak for a new SUV coming out in 09. 20/25 and I'd have to consider it with the Rogue, but with basically an extra $7k and ~20% worse MPG, I think I'll pass this time around. I think the VQ35 engine they're using "recommends" premium too; I could be wrong, I didn't fact check that.

[cdmuile]

This little Nissan's gas door is open to the public at all times. A locking gas cap (a hastle) would be the only way to go if theft is a concern.

[mokos23]

well, that sucks if the gas door or lid doesn't lock even when you lock the Rogue. people could tamper and put something in the gas tank then.

my father has a G35 and his gas door is open when all the doors are open, but it locks when all the doors are locked. i even tried it out right now. i locked all the doors in the G35 and couldn't open the gas door.

are you sure the rogue doesn't lock the gas door either when all the doors on the rogue are locked?

[MuranoRulz]

well, that sucks if the gas door or lid doesn't lock even when you lock the Rogue. people could tamper and put something in the gas tank then.

my father has a G35 and his gas door is open when all the doors are open, but it locks when all the doors are locked. i even tried it out right now. i locked all the doors in the G35 and couldn't open the gas door.

are you sure the rogue doesn't lock the gas door either when all the doors on the rogue are locked?

As gas prices shoot up around here, there has been alot of siphoning of gas, you almost have to buy a locking gas cap here in the Windy City!

[mokos23]

You know I may just buy a locking gas cap if that is the case then.

Btw on the Rogue can the glove box be locked with a key? I just wanted to know in case I want to store my GPS or valuables when I leave my car in the parking lot when I'm at work or at the mall. I tried to look at the glove box in the interior pictures, but I couldn't tell.

[BrianV]

You know I may just buy a locking gas cap if that is the case then.

Btw on the Rogue can the glove box be locked with a key? I just wanted to know in case I want to store my GPS or valuables when I leave my car in the parking lot when I'm at work or at the mall. I tried to look at the glove box in the interior pictures, but I couldn't tell.

If someone breaks into your car, the chincy lock on a glovebox isn't going to stop anything. I can understand for VALET purposes, but not for parking in a parking lot.

[jsellberg]

I don't like the outlander, I think the RAV4 is too big, and I don't like the price on the CRV for what you get. The Rogue was the answer to my prayers, lol.

[Lightforce18]

If someone breaks into your car, the chincy lock on a glovebox isn't going to stop anything. I can understand for VALET purposes, but not for parking in a parking lot.

This is true is somone is gonna break into ur car hes gonna break the glovebox lock also. just leave the GPS there. Even if u hide it in the glove box the windor suction is still there. Theyll know its in the glovebox either way.

[zesty2b]

I have a Gotham Gray 4WD SL, premium, leather, moonroof. Drove the CRV and the RAV4. Didn't even consider the Subarus after having gone through 4 of them over 18 years. The CRV seemed underpowered to me. The RAV4 V6 had all that nice power, but handling was not as smooth, I found the seats far less comfortable and am not a fan of the rear door opening to the side. It also cost more. I had a ceiling of $25,000 and I could get the Rogue fully loaded for that. I kept going back to drive the RAV again to be sure, but I just liked the Rogue better for the comfort, the smoothness of the trannyand the ride, and the price. Yeah, it holds less cargo, but I didn't need the larger cargo space. I have yet to take it on a long highway trip, so we'll see if it satisfies there as well. I wish it had daytime running lights and a locking gas cap, and a locking glove box as well, but at least it doesn't have a spare tire hanging off the back!

[allthatjazz]

well, that sucks if the gas door or lid doesn't lock even when you lock the Rogue. people could tamper and put something in the gas tank then.

my father has a G35 and his gas door is open when all the doors are open, but it locks when all the doors are locked. i even tried it out right now. i locked all the doors in the G35 and couldn't open the gas door.

are you sure the rogue doesn't lock the gas door either when all the doors on the rogue are locked?

Does anyone know if the Canadian model would have have a gas door that is locked once the rogue is locked. Or, is this feature available only on the SL AWD w leather/tech package?

[websfear]

Does anyone know if the Canadian model would have have a gas door that is locked once the rogue is locked. Or, is this feature available only on the SL AWD w leather/tech package?

No, as far as I know, no rogue has a locking gas door.

[philipa_240sx]

Correct. No Rogue model in Canada or the US has a locking gas door.