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:

    2011 Nissan Frontier review
    Full-size trucks are a chore to drive in the city — we know; we've done it — so we wanted to see how Nissan's midsize Frontier would handle an urban environment, as well as a junkyard run to g ...

    Towing load/specification
    *1: The towing capacity values are calculated assuming a base vehicle with driver and any options required to achieve the rating. Additional passengers, cargo and/or optional equipment will ...

    2009 Nissan Cube review
    Scion's quasi-iconic xB has finally encountered some lookalikes in the 2010 Kia Soul and 2009 Nissan Cube. Both cars hit the market last spring. I've spent considerable time in all three, and am r ...