2010 Nissan Rogue review

The 2010 Nissan Rogue is the little brother of the Nissan Murano crossover, a vehicle that I used to own. The Rogue's distinguishable look has been around since 2008, and it still looks interesting. However, I happened to be a little lukewarm on the looks, which is odd since it looks similar to the Murano, but these looks don't translate well to the smaller version.

My test car, a Rogue SL with all-wheel drive, had a foufr-cylinder engine that gets you where you need to go. What stood out about the Rogue is its continuously variable automatic transmission. There's no subtle jerk with the change of gears; it's a seamless transition from one gear to the next. But the Rogue's CVT didn't sit well with me because it was loud. It felt like I was riding the clutch


there is none


rather than admiring the finesse of a smooth transmission. At certain speeds the transmission couldn't decide where it was most comfortable, and so it follows that I couldn't either. I spent a lot of time in manual-shift mode to circumvent this problem. I wish the CVT's performance wasn't so weird.

The base Rogue starts at $20,460 and the Rogue SL with all-wheel drive trim starts at $23,300. My test car was priced at $27,295.

See also:

Shifting
After starting the engine, fully depress the brake pedal and move the shift selector from P (Park) to any of the desired shift positions. WARNING Apply the parking brake if the shift selector is ...

Proficient Driving
The Rogue typifies the small-crossover driving experience. Its steering wheel turns with a light touch at low speeds and tracks reasonably well on the highway, and the sole drivetrain — a 2.5-li ...

Folding rear seat (if so equipped)
Interior trunk access For models without a rear center console, the trunk can be accessed from the passenger side of the rear seat for loading and unloading, as shown. (1) Push down on the bu ...