Shoppers in the market for a Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4 after September 2007 will have one more dealership to stop at. Better late than never, as they say, so Nissan is bringing a small crossover SUV to market for the 2008 model year, called the Rogue. The Rogue carries a family resemblance to the rest of the Nissan lineup-the car lineup that is. The styling is decidedly soft, unlike the butch Xterra and Pathfinder.
Indecisive buyers will like the Rogue, since there are no difficult powertrain choices. All Rogues will come with a 170-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder and CVT transmission. Optional steering-wheel-mounted paddles will mimic fixed gears at the driver's wish, and the Rogue comes with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
The Rogue comes in two flavors: S and SL, and then things turn quickly more challenging for those who have a hard time making decisions - there are a number of cool options to choose from, including the aforementioned paddle shift, heated leather seats, intelligent key, Bose sound system, Bluetooth hands-free system, a trip computer, and HomeLink Universal Tranceiver.