2008 Nissan Rogue Review

Introduction
It's not quite to the extent of Moon Unit Zappa or Apple Martin, but the 2008 Nissan Rogue should give its parents hell for its name. While its similarly styled big brother Murano is named after the glass-making island in beautiful Venice, the little Rogue is at best named after a rather dull X-Men character. At worst, this stylish cute-ute crossover shares its moniker with an uncontrolled animal that lives apart from the herd, or a plant that is inferior and unwanted. Do Nissan's marketing folks not have a dictionary in the office?

Powering the Rogue is a torquey 170-horsepower four-cylinder engine that provides smooth acceleration on par with other vehicles in the class. Unfortunately, it is tied to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) -- a design Nissan has utilized with great success in the V6-powered Altima, but needs rethinking here. Feeling like it's partially constructed of rubber bands, the CVT can get maddening on the freeway, constantly raising and dropping revs like a yo-yo whenever the driver moves on or off the gas. It seems that this just isn't the right technology for a small engine.

The 2008 Nissan Rogue is a very good choice for suburbanites who enjoy an elevated driving position and occasionally need the utility and available all-wheel drive of a compact crossover. The Rogue may not be the largest, most family-friendly or powerful compact crossover, and in addition to the aforementioned rivals, you'll probably want to cross-shop models like the Ford Escape, Mazda CX-7 and Saturn Vue. That said, this Nissan sets itself apart from the herd with comfortable, carlike road manners and eye-catching styling. In that way, maybe it's a tad roguelike after all.

Powertrains and Performance
All 2008 Nissan Rogues are powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 170 hp and 175 pound-feet of torque. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is standard, while buyers have a choice of front- or all-wheel drive. In performance testing, a Rogue SL AWD accelerated to 60 mph in 9.2 seconds, which is on par with other four-cylinder-powered compact crossovers. Fuel economy is 21 mpg city and 26 mpg highway for the all-wheel-drive models (22/27 for FWD Rogues), which is again on par with similarly powered competitors.