First Impressions: 2008 Nissan Rogue S AWD
- The Rogue has what a lot of small crossover shoppers want: It rides comfortably, and its four-cylinder engine and continuously variable automatic transmission make a good pair by providing acceptable if not overwhelming acceleration. The front and rear seating areas are roomy, but the rear seats can’t recline, which is an odd feature omission. — Mike Hanley, Cars.com reviewer
- I rode with Mike and agree. The ride was impressive, even in the backseat. The cabin is nice and quiet, too. The materials are decent for the stripped-down S trim level we drove, but I saw the evidence in vinyl sun visors without mirrors, no driver’s seat height adjustment and the missing backseat adjustments. Even the outboard head restraints don’t adjust up and down; they’re high enough, but they can’t be collapsed to improve the rear view. — Joe Wiesenfelder, senior editor
- Nissan’s interior quality has come leaps and bounds since the venerable ’02 Altima. Even in our base-model tester, I found plenty to like in the dashboard materials and center controls. As Dave noted in his review, the glove compartment is huge but scrapes your shins because it opens so low. Otherwise, storage provisions are acceptable – the center console is narrow but deep, and the rear seats fold down in one easy step to expand cargo room. On the road, the Honda CR-V seems peppier at lower speeds, but the Rogue catches up on the highway. For an SUV with overall mileage in the mid-20s, that’s entirely adequate. — Kelsey Mays, Cars.com reviewer
- Compared to its closest competition, the Kia Sportage and the Hyundai Tucson, I found the Rogue a step up in interior quality and roominess. The Rogue’s shape was deceptive; from the outside, it looked a lot smaller than it felt inside. I like the unusual styling (think Mini-Murano), but I wonder why Nissan waited so long to get into this game. It’d make my consider list, though, as a small family car or a Suburban dad-mobile. — Patrick Olsen, managing editor
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