2021 Rogue - A home run according to these reviewers

[PalmerWMD]

[PalmerWMD]

And this one:

[PalmerWMD]

and this one..

[PalmerWMD]

And this one

[casperfun]

Looks good, but why not use a real automatic transmission. I prefer less technology like all these self driving aides and used the saved money to make a real transmission instead of using a cvt. There is a reason they were used in golf carts. Nissan really cheapened their cars with these dumb cvt's.

Simulated shifts? How dumb is that crap.

Unfortunately people growing up now will think CVT's are the norm.

Or just go all electric.

Rogue looks nice and tough with it's new bold body, looks; but it still has a whiny cvt, improved it may be. But still,

Hey look at our rogue, oh yeah, we can only still tow our hot dog food cart and not much else.

[AZhitman]

Gonna have to agree with casper - Love the new look (I despise the current and first-gen Rogue), but the simshifting and dismal CVT is just a sham.

[Frzninvt]

Who would buy a Rogue to tow things why is that even a consideration factor. You would get a truck if your intent was to tow things. As for the CVT it is for fuel savings which all manufaturers are now mandated by the Federal Goverment to meet certain MPG criteria get used to it. I will agree however with the simulated shifting what is the point it's a 2.5L with a CVT. Otherwise I think it's a really nice improvement and plan to get one this summer to replace my 2018 SL AWD.

[VStar650CL]

If you want to tow, go a step up and get a Pathfinder instead of a Rogue. The late model Path CVT is an incredible brute rated 6000 lbs, and they aren't kidding. We rarely see problems with them. That belt could almost drive an Abrams tank.

[casperfun]

Well actually I should not of mentioned towing even though it’s last in the class. I’m not even in that category. My for-pah just a tiny thing other owners mention that’s all.

I’m mainly talking about the Jatco transmission that has a bad reputation and has let a lot of people down. I don’t know if it started with that Renault CEO who escaped justice in a cello case was the beginning of the cvt fiasco. But with all the problems with the cvt’s, they do not last as long as the automobiles in the 70’s or 80’s when cars last 200,000 to 300,000 miles like automatic transmissions back in the day or whatever period when automobiles last forever.

Well longer then they seem now instead of the Jatco transmissions.

And gas is actually cheaper. We produce more oil than Saudi Arabia so it won’t go leave us anytime soon.

I know, I know, the earth, we need to go green, blah blah. But for now there is tons of it. Which is no reason we need corn in our gas to mess up our engines .

But let me not digress, just saying the cvt should be more robust like the automatics from the past.

I knew I might upset a Nissan Rogue owner or future one.

Hey I love my Rogue still on it’s original cvt of over a decade. But I’m a lucky one just about to go over 100,000 miles.

But most cuv’s in the rogue category have automatic transmissions offered except for like the suburu.

The rogue is nice, but the Jatco manufacturer is garbage. Rather have the engine manufacturers from back in Nissan’s heyday.

[computerguy]

Call me naïve but I just bought the 2021 Nissan Rogue Platinum and think it is a winner. I test drove the Honda CRV and Toyota Rav4 and neither came close to the Rogue in price or value. The Rogue was a much nicer drive and yes I don't care for the simulated shifting but it's not a game changer. Remember it still acts like a CVT when cruising. When you come to a hill the RPM's slow raise until the engine speed match's the required speed no sharp shifts down like a regular automatic. And by all accounts much better gas mileage will post real world results when I have more time behind the wheel.

[VStar650CL]

I've said these things in other places and other forums, but this post is getting lots of traffic so it's worth posting here. Intro for those who don't know, I'm a Nissan/ASE master tech, 66 years old with 49 spinning wrenches.

CVT's are wonderful machines -- in fact, perpetual motion machines -- but they can never, ever be treated like a conventional A/T. One look at the guts will expose the reason for both: Metal belts riding on metal pulleys. Smooth power delivery under any load conditions. Optimum delivery. No bands, no clutches except forward-reverse (those can last almost forever). Nothing to ever wear out. Every regular A/T has a finite lifespan because it will eventually run out of sacrificial clutch material. No matter how much you baby it, it won't last forever. Your CVT can.

But -- the same lack of sacrificial material is also the CVT's great weakness. The fluid is very special, with enormous film and shear strength, simply because the fluid is the ONLY thing keeping the metal belt from touching the metal pulleys. Once it does, the trans is shot. If it never does, it's perpetual motion.

I was viewing our service records for another forum and discovered there are four cars in our files with 250,000+ miles and no record of a CVT replacement. Two Muranos, a Max and an Altima. One Murano is pushing half a million miles. The customers all share one common trait: They change the fluid like a religion. The old Murano has gone through an engine and has some other pieces that are falling apart (I've worked on it myself like almost everyone in the shop), but the CVT has seen new fluid every 30K since it rolled out of the lot new. I'm sure it will outlive the vehicle. My own '13 Altima gets it every 25K, the wife and I both have lead feet and shear force, along with heat, is the great enemy of the fluid. Drive like grandma and you can probably get away with 45~50K. But I've seen ignorant online comments about letting them go 100K before the first change and I want to scream. The quality of that fluid is the only thing separating your belts and pulleys from tragedy, and if they could talk they'd tell you 100K is plain abuse.

We all wish Nissan would downcost the fluid so a change cost less than a car payment, but I know many of you in this thread love your Nissans and want them to last forever. They won't, but the fact is, your CVT can. That Murano owner has spent less than $4K on changes, far less than the cost of a new trans, and the CVT is like new after driving everyplace from Maine to Alaska. You probably won't drive that far. So don't debate, just give it a kiss and spend the money. Perpetual motion is worth it.

[computerguy]

Casper what are you talking about the RAV4 and Honda CRV have CVT's a long with a few others. Me thinks you are painting all Jatco transmission with the same brush since the new 2nd gen Rogue has come out I see very few issues with the Jatco transmission's. Look into Honda's Automictic in there Odyssey it's was plagued with problems so are all Honda Transmissions crap of course not there can be issues with anything mechanical. Time to get over the CVT thing it.

[casperfun]

I agree all transmissions probably give out which is why we have AAMCO in general.

Hey don’t kill the messenger, I am just repeating what I see and heard through the years.

It just be nice if Nissan offered an automatic option too, I am just showing sympathy to those owners who had bad luck in the cvt crapshoot.

Hopefully things are turning around, but a new outer shell is not the answer if a $4000 cvt has to be replaced will be a normal part of owning one.

[VStar650CL]

It ain't normal, it's neglect. Not that it's all the owner's faults, Nissan (and all the other OEM's using CVT's!) could go a long way simply by doing more to encourage proper maintenance. Not speaking for Nissan or anyone else, but pretending CVT's can be treated like regular A/T's strikes me as a gimmick to keep the "cost of ownership" figures low. Your engine wouldn't live long with oil changes at 25K, and your CVT won't live long with changes at 75~100K.

[casperfun]

Hence the turnaround.

It didn’t help like back in 2008-2009 in the forum Nissan telling us it was a lifetime fluid. Of course the dealerships don’t want our cars to last 300,000 miles so they can sell us new ones every few years.

Hopefully, fewer cvt failures is the new normal now.

It sucks that car manufacturers don’t have transmission dipsticks or oil dipsticks these days for that matter. Filter paper instead of easy screw on oil filter cans, and all the other stuff they make it harder for people to maintain their cars let alone grandma to keep their car in shape.

Dealerships only encourage you to bring their car in to upsell half the time to pay their overhead. I mean if the prices were more fair, I wouldn’t mind.

I actually do close to 15,000 mile oil changes with intent of doing 25,000, but I get the itch and bored so end up doing it earlier. Last time I changed oil was like 18 months ago. Planning to do it soon though.
Amsoil SS so I keep that in as long as I can to get my money’s worth. With an extended synthetic long life oil filter.

I did do 4 drain and fills on my transmission in a 2 month period in the summer of 2017. Did my last one like 20,000 mile ago. And will probably do that every 20-30k.

I do think my transmission will crap out before my motor though.

[VStar650CL]

It didn’t help like back in 2008-2009 in the forum Nissan telling us it was a lifetime fluid. Of course the dealerships don’t want our cars to last 300,000 miles so they can sell us new ones every few years.

Can I hear an amen!

Btw, from a performance perspective, some of y'all have probably noticed that many of these 7-8-9 speed trannies have major issues with cranky behavior and "duh" pedal responses. Getting the load:RPM curves right for 9 speeds is almost a non-Newtonian exercise, even with supercomputers and specialized CAD. Expect more of that, and with all those extra gear-sets, expect the cost of replacements and rebuilds to soar. If nothing else, Occam's Razor says a good CVT is a better answer.

[computerguy]

Gee Casper do you think some of the transmissions have change since 2018? The 2021 RAV4 I drove had an 8 sp not 6 and the Hybrid had a CVT like most Hybrid cars do. I think the cost of a 8 or 9 speed transmissions will cost the same as a CVT don't you. And don't forget most modern transmissions use synthetic oil and it isn't cheap either. By looing at this forum the complaining about the Jatco CVT has dropped off to nothing. I for one like the CVT. Oh by the way I had 2 CVT's replaced under warranty on my 2008 Rogue but it never left me stranded and Nissan was very good about the replacements. I have had a 2014 and a 2017 Rogue not a single problem with CVT or the car for that matter. As a matter of interest look at the problems with the Ford dual clutch transmissions down right unsafe. But again enough said. And if you

[PalmerWMD]

I've said these things in other places and other forums, but this post is getting lots of traffic so it's worth posting here. Intro for those who don't know, I'm a Nissan/ASE master tech, 66 years old with 49 spinning wrenches.

CVT's are wonderful machines -- in fact, perpetual motion machines -- but they can never, ever be treated like a conventional A/T. One look at the guts will expose the reason for both: Metal belts riding on metal pulleys. Smooth power delivery under any load conditions. Optimum delivery. No bands, no clutches except forward-reverse (those can last almost forever). Nothing to ever wear out. Every regular A/T has a finite lifespan because it will eventually run out of sacrificial clutch material. No matter how much you baby it, it won't last forever. Your CVT can.

But -- the same lack of sacrificial material is also the CVT's great weakness. The fluid is very special, with enormous film and shear strength, simply because the fluid is the ONLY thing keeping the metal belt from touching the metal pulleys. Once it does, the trans is shot. If it never does, it's perpetual motion.

I was viewing our service records for another forum and discovered there are four cars in our files with 250,000+ miles and no record of a CVT replacement. Two Muranos, a Max and an Altima. One Murano is pushing half a million miles. The customers all share one common trait: They change the fluid like a religion. The old Murano has gone through an engine and has some other pieces that are falling apart (I've worked on it myself like almost everyone in the shop), but the CVT has seen new fluid every 30K since it rolled out of the lot new. I'm sure it will outlive the vehicle. My own '13 Altima gets it every 25K, the wife and I both have lead feet and shear force, along with heat, is the great enemy of the fluid. Drive like grandma and you can probably get away with 45~50K. But I've seen ignorant online comments about letting them go 100K before the first change and I want to scream. The quality of that fluid is the only thing separating your belts and pulleys from tragedy, and if they could talk they'd tell you 100K is plain abuse.

We all wish Nissan would downcost the fluid so a change cost less than a car payment, but I know many of you in this thread love your Nissans and want them to last forever. They won't, but the fact is, your CVT can. That Murano owner has spent less than $4K on changes, far less than the cost of a new trans, and the CVT is like new after driving everyplace from Maine to Alaska. You probably won't drive that far. So don't debate, just give it a kiss and spend the money. Perpetual motion is worth it.

Sir,

I noticed that the V6 powered CVT vehicles seem to have much fewer complaints than the 4 cyl ones.
Is there a build difference that might account for that?
You said something about the Pathy CVT being especially good?
(Is it just in the pathy, or all V6s?)
And it being Later models. ..
Did you mean since the 2017 Pathy refresh?

Also I believed I saw on the complaint aggregators that from model year 18 the complaints dropped off tremendously across all models.
Anything to that? Or just that the vehicles are mostly still too new?
Did the improved pump I heard about go in, in 2018?

[VStar650CL]

Yah, that's true about the V6 CVT's, they're just plain heftier and harder to beat up. The one in the Path is a special bruiser just for towing, the belt looks like something out of Terminator 2. Like I said, you could probably pull a tank with it. They did modify the pumps and a lot of the control hardware on the '16~'18 Altimas, but the pumps have never been the real problem. Even though Nissan dropped that "lifetime fluid" stuff after a couple years, the OEM's all still want people to think the CVT is equivalent to a normal transmission, not a metal-on-metal device no different from a piston and a sleeve. Until they educate people that changing the CVT oil is as essential as changing motor oil, CVT's will continue to have an undeserved "bad rap". Sad but true.

[PalmerWMD]

Thank you for the prompt answer.
So to dig down a bit.. All model years of R52 Pathy CVT are beefed up like this above the "Normal" V6 CVT?

And all V6 CVT in general are "Beefier" the I4 CVT in same fashion, to include even the CVTs supporting the Altima V6s which is a less expensive vehicle? (I am eyeing some previous gen V6 Altimas.. 16s,17s and the like, hence the ask)

[VStar650CL]

You're most welcome! Yes, the V6 Altimas use the same transmission as the Max with some alterations, and all the V6 CVT's have nastier belts and pulleys than the I4's. Not all the Path trannies are the big boys, only the late model ones. I don't have ASIST in front of me, but I think '16-up if memory serves.

[VStar650CL]

PS - You can tell easily from the tow rating on the Path, the ones with the bruiser trans are all rated 6000+.

[VStar650CL]

PPS - Just a theory, but I believe the I4 CVT's are harder on the fluid than the V6's, not so much a matter of mechanical strength. I think the smaller belt puts higher shear and film loads per square on the fluid, which deteriorates it more quickly. There's no way for me to test that without a Jatco laboratory, but the cross-sections of the belts seem fairly proportional as they get bigger, so I'm pretty sure it's a good guess. That's why my Altima gets changes at 25K. With Mr and Mrs VStar both having lead feet, I'm sure we beat the crap out of it.

[PalmerWMD]

Awesome!!! Thank you!

[computerguy]

Towing rates are not an accurate way to rate a transmissions strength. Towing rates are dependent n other things such as braking power, the vehicles frame, vehicle weight etc. Lets face it a small SUV is not meant to haul large loads.

[VStar650CL]

Let's just say a vehicle rated for 3 tons can't possibly have a weak transmission.

[datechboss101]

OP, those reviewers are correct if it was comparing to its competition **JEEP CHEROKEE**. But overall, the Rogue is still a Rogue. Maybe it has more electrical gremlins than the 17-20 Rogue, or less like the 14-16 Rogues. But they do look great in person. Saw a Rogue Platinum either last week or two weeks ago. I would have honestly traded our in 19 in for the new Rogue if our 16 wasn't totaled.

[Briguy1027]

I think that a lot of people like the way an AT works. However, I really don't care as long as my car gets me from one place to another. My 2008 has about 144K miles on it and I've only had to change the brakes and control arms (you might save a bit by just changing bushings) and the serpentine belt. It has been my most reliable vehicle so far. Anyway, the lack of shifts doesn't bother me, so I have to agree that faking shifts is silly. I do think that a hybrid would be something I'd like to get just to get better gas mileage, since gas is sorta expensive here in California.

[casperfun]

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I didnt grow up in a world where it seems the automatic transmission were failing alot.

It could be because there was no internet back then and I was never aware of it.

Just like I never knew if teachers were sleeping with their students long ago, but because of the internet it seems teachers are having inappropriate relationships with their students left and right.

I'm just wondering if automatic transmissions would get a bad rap back then if there was internet or the world wide web as it was known.

The only reason we have the cvt was to improve gas mileage because the govt was mandating better gas economy, hence the whiny transmission with the fake shifting we have today.

I actually like the shifting of a good v8 oldsmobile back in the day or our v8 GMC van. Not the golf cart feel that they are serving now..

[datechboss101]

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I didnt grow up in a world where it seems the automatic transmission were failing alot.

It could be because there was no internet back then and I was never aware of it.

Just like I never knew if teachers were sleeping with their students long ago, but because of the internet it seems teachers are having inappropriate relationships with their students left and right.

I'm just wondering if automatic transmissions would get a bad rap back then if there was internet or the world wide web as it was known.

The only reason we have the cvt was to improve gas mileage because the govt was mandating better gas economy, hence the whiny transmission with the fake shifting we have today.

I actually like the shifting of a good v8 oldsmobile back in the day or our v8 GMC van. Not the golf cart feel that they are serving now..

Actually CVTs does accomplish more than just better MPGs. They actually reduce cabin noise of all things. I did a decibel reading when we had the 2016 Rogue and I did the same reading test on my (still is currently the main family vehicle) 2017 MDX. Auto trans are getting more complicated with ever new car model. And now we have 10 spd autos; who knows maybe in the future there will be 20 spds in an auto trans.