I rolled into year 2014 aboard a likable product, the redesigned Nissan Rogue all-wheel-drive crossover.
The second-generation Rogue compact shows a crisp and more muscular exterior style.
There is nothing roguish about its interior; it’s been softened and offers seat comfort on a level of a more expensive product.
Many rank the revised Rogue right up there with the new Jeep Cherokee, Subaru Forester and Honda CR-V.
For a lack in performance, I can’t place it quite that high. Beneath the hood is a 170-horsepower 4-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission.
Steer into the center lane of a busy Speer Boulevard in Denver and, from a stoplight, the Rogue’s high-revving power search will alert drivers on either side that the Nissan is being worked hard to keep pace. Head up a steep incline out west on I-70 and the drone of the CVT will alert occupants of the Rogue of the same effort.
My reservations aside, though, the Rogue is well-received. A total of 160,000 sales in the country this year make it the second-best-selling model of the Nissan lineup. Only the Altima midsize sedan outsells the Rogue.
The Rogue arrived in the U.S. in 2007 as an ’08 model, rounded off in finish similar to the larger Murano crossover.
I last drove a Rogue in 2011. The ’14 model is 2 inches wider than that one; while its wheelbase of 106.5 inches has been increased a half-inch, it is an inch shorter in overall length. Production of the Rogue has been moved from Japan to Smyrna, Tenn.
Most Rogues in Colorado are equipped with all-wheel drive, and, with the push of a button can be locked into four-wheel drive at low speeds. Even with the AWD setup, the Rogue carries one of the highest-earned EPA estimates for compact SUV/crossovers – 25/32 miles per gallon. I averaged 27.2 in a fairly even split of city/highway driving.
The new Rogue is based on a platform developed jointly by Nissan and its partner, Renault. It rides comfortably with MacPherson-strut front suspension and multilink rear. Tires are Dunlop Grandtrek 225/60R18s.
Highlighting the interior are firmly supportive leather seats with well-cushioned armrests for the doors and center console and a wide-sweep-look instrument panel. The second-row seats will slide fore and aft as much as 9 inches.
Cargo space behind the second-row seats is a generous 39 cubic feet. Available is a third row of seats, but for a model this size, that’s kind of a stretch, isn’t it? The cargo area can be divided into a three-tiered shelving system with Nissan’s Divide-n-Hide setup.
Camera eyes at the front and back and beneath the sideview mirrors give the driver an all-around look in the display screen, as well as the normal rearview camera.
Base price for the Nissan SL AWD is $29,420 and increased to $32,295 with the addition of a power moonroof, power liftgate, LED headlights, blind-spot and lane-departure warnings. Bose audio with nine speakers and touchscreen navigation which responds to voice commands are simply designed.
Among standard features are heated front seats, dual-zone automatic temperature control, SiriusXM satellite radio and Bluetooth, tilt/telescope and leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob.
A look back
Thirty-five years ago this month, I reviewed in The Denver Post the 1979 Pontiac Bonneville Brougham four-door sedan. Excerpts:
The Pontiac Bonneville Brougham isn’t quite as high-priced as some other luxury cars built by General Motors; it ranks, though, among the finest in terms of comfort and ride quality. The 1979 light blue Bonneville quickly warmed up to its early-January task – performance in cold weather and snow, which have been daily routine for car tests this winter. Pontiac’s 350-cubic-inch-displacement V-8 engine didn’t hesitate a bit in the cold. Equipped with a four-barrel carburetor, the 350 wasn’t overly powerful, but smooth and quiet and a pleasure on the road. Its gasoline mileage figures were 17.7 on the highway and 12.6 in town. Pontiac’s cruise control has no “resume-speed” feature, as competitive makes have. The Bonneville gives an unusually soft ride. Luggage capacity in the good-sized trunk is 20.3 cubic feet. Total price of the Bonneville was $10,486.18. Among options are white-sidewall steel-belted tires $133, Delco-GM AM/FM stereo radio $239, wire wheel covers $116, remote-control deck-lid release $25, power door locks $122 and the four-barrel carb $125.
