2009 Nissan Rogue

2009 Nissan Rogue Hi! I'm Dave Thomas of Cars.com, and we’re here at the 2009 Nissan Rogue. Now, the Rogue gave you last year as an all-new model for 2008 and not much to change for 2009 but the Rogue remains on the list of four of the compact SUV’s on the market and we’re going to show you why it’s a great buy. The Rogue starts around $20,000.00 and all with the drivers only $1200.00-outfit on either the base S trim or the higher level SL trim which we have here. Among the competition fewer less money, basically the super force starts just under $20,000.00. We’re just talking a couple of hundred bucks here or there but that force sort of does come with standard on all wheel drive so it’s a bit better value but really there’s not much out there that’s cheaper than the Rogue. Like the Honda CRV, the Nissan Rogue only comes with a four-cylinder engine. This one plugs out 170 horsepower. It’s actually pretty preppy. It’s fun to drive. But, get this, it gets really good gas mileage, 22 miles per gallon in the city and 27 miles per gallon on the highway and that is better than Honda CRV or better than the Superforce or better than the Mitsubishi Outlander, so it’s really efficient and it’s fun to drive. One nice thing about the Rogue is its interior. For $20,000.00 compact SUV it’s pretty, up scale inside. I’d say it’s a step up for the Mitsubishi Outlander or the Toyota Rav4, and it’s definitely on part of the Honda CRV. And that’s saying something for this Rogue. The only beef about the interior is its spaciousness or lack of spaciousness. Now, the seat has the height adjustment but it has all the way down as you can see the level of the window here is almost at my eye level. That’s truly disconcerting as a driver. I’m 5’10” so if you're taller than that you might be uncomfortable on the driver seat. Obviously, shorter drivers, you probably won’t have that problem. If you’d like to recline, you probably won’t have that problem either. But, I have to sit the way I like it and I'm a little uncomfortable. Unlike the front seat, I actually find the backseat pretty comfortable. I have a plenty of new room. As you can see, the front seat is exactly where head of the driver. And I had a room are little less than I’d like but there is a sun roof and that’s cuts in the head room. I actually had my baby seat right here in the center for a number of days. It fits great back here as with your passengers along the side of it, so if you have a small family it’s a really good option. One of the main reasons I got a compact desk review like the Rogue over a Sedan, it’s for the cargo room and the utility. However, even though this 28.9 cubic feet back here, that’s well below the competition. So people that have a lot of stuff especially bulky items, you're really going to miss out because it’s not that tall back here. If you just carry luggage and other kind of everyday stuff groceries, you're not going to have a problem. A year after its debut in the Rogue, it’s still the top and one of the most competitive segments in the industry. It’s kind of I like going for it, too especially, that affordable price, available all wheel drive and a just earn the top safety pick awards from the IIHS, which is a great thing. So if you don’t have a lot of cash and you need a compact SUV, the Rogue should definitely be on your shopping list.