EXTERIOR

While I'm not wild about the Rogue's looks, it is a unique-looking vehicle, and I respect that. The grille has a perforated, hole-punched look. It leans much more toward a sporty look than the utilitarian looks of its competition such as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.

Whatever I think of the looks, the Rogue does a nice job with the kids. The doors aren't too heavy or wide, so my kids could open them with ease and get in without incident. Parking-lot door dings and struggles to close the doors once the kids are in the car are a rarity in this five-seater. However, the step-in height will be a little high for preschoolers. The doors are a perfect height to get those infant carriers in place or buckle up your child without chronic head-bonking.

The Rogue's cargo door is easy to reach and operate. This may sound strange, but the liftgate stays low enough when open for shorter people to reach it easily. It's not too heavy, either, so I didn't have to figure out how to leverage my body weight to close it in one pull. For this, I thank you, Nissan.

The Rogue has a 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and uses regular gas. A front-wheel-drive Rogue gets an EPA-estimated 22/27 mpg city/highway. The all-wheel-drive Rogue gets 21/26 mpg.

    See also:

    Precautions on supplemental restraint system
    This Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) section contains important information concerning the following systems: - Driver and passenger supplemental frontimpact air bag (NISSAN Advanced Air Ba ...

    Connecting iPod
    To connect an iPod to the vehicle so that the iPod can be controlled with the audio system controls and display screen, use the USB jack located in the center console. Open the protective cove ...

    Rear window defroster switch
    For more information about the rear window defroster switch, see “Rear window and outside mirror defroster switch” in the “Instruments and controls” section of this manual. ...