Nissan Rogue Visibility

jbmc11

The rear seat headrests that do not detach severely restrict visibility from the rear view mirror. This is a big safety issue in my opinion. Detachable headrests have been around for years. Why not here?

cdmuile

I didn't notice that until you mentioned it. Much as I like the Rogue, it seems the interior design team got to the back seat area and called it a day. There's a lot lacking back there. All headrests should definitely be removable/adjustable. Who would even have thought to look at that before buying?

jbmc11

The editors write that the CVT on the Rogue behaves badly on highways as the driver speeds up or slows down. Any personal experiences?

ticmxman

Hogwash. Look for more reviews. From Car & Driver "Highway cruising is where the Rogue and its transmission work best." The CVT does work differently you will hear the motor while accelerating but you will on most any 4 banger. The Rogue is very quiet at highway speeds and the CVt creates a smooth ride the majority of the time. I gues if you drive it like a sports car the motor/CVT combo could drone a good bit but if you drive in a normal manner its a non-issue. Good info at these sites:

http://forums.nicoclub.com/zeroforum?id=215
http://nissanrogue.org/?gclid=CPm0gZuo644CFQWzgAodDw3EKQ

http://www.cars.com/go/crp/research.jsp?section=reviews&crpPage=reviews.jsp&make- id=36&modelid=4082&year=2008&myid=&acode=&mode=&aff=national

Car & Driver review: http://www.caranddriver.com/roadtests/14137/full-test-2008-nissan-rogue-sl-awd.h- tml

Also there is shootout of small crossovers in the latest issue of C&D the Rogue had the highest ratings in the powertrain part of the test and took 3rd out of the ten contenders overall and was rated the most fun to drive.

cdmuile

I read that negative review about the Rogue CVT before buying. I took two different demos about a month apart onto I-35 and I-80. Drove each about 30 minutes. That reviewer must have gotten his test notes mixed up. No drone, no searching, no lugging. Mine handles beautifully on the interstates.

slimhiggs

I own a SL AWD -- purchased in October. Here in New England, it has been well tested in foul weather and performs just as I had hoped. It's snappy with negotiating uphill on ice and snow. For a 4, it is pretty peppy. My ONLY complaint is with the lack of rear visibility. I have to extend my body via the brake and look back for most rear driving (parking, backing in and so forth). I'm also a lot more careful as small children and low objects (rock walls, hydrants) can be invisible. The high [non-permissible content removed] end of the Murano is exactly why I purchased the Rogue but still finding visibility out the back to be a distractor.

ohiobuck

It is possible to add a backup camera to the Rogue. Mito is the company that makes self dimming rearview mirrors that come with compass and homelink options. The mirror in the Rogue Leather Package is a Mito.

Mito also makea a version that includes an LCD display, behind the glass, that can display the signal from a rearview camera. I was recently quoted a price of $625 to add such an installation but decided to wait until Mito comes out with a vesion that includes both the Homelink buttons AND the LCD display. They have promised to do this in 2008.

jbmc11

The rear headrests prevent a good look of the road in the rear view mirror while going forward. Just sit in the driver's seat at the showroom.

ticmxman

The rear headrest are not a problem for me. Maybe they are if your short, I'm 6' 3''.

roguer08

Yes, it is true -- the rear window is somewhat small and back seat headrests do obscure the corners. This has been true of headrests in every car I have owned for 20 years except that those other headrests were removable. But you wouldn't take them out unless you never have passengers in your rear seat. And with passengers, their heads obscure the rear window. So nothing new here. A Rogue improvement, in my opinion. are the side view mirrors which are big enough to more than compensate for reduced rear window visibility. Set correctly, they provide good visibility for passing, turning, etc while going forward. I tend to like to turn around and look out the back to back up, however, and that means having to look out each rear side window as well as the rear window to check for pedestrians and vehicles. It hasn't been a problem, just an adjustment. I am 5'5".

danjay13

Or, if you have no passengers in the back, just fold down the rear seats. If you have passengers, then their heads will be in the way anyhow.

ketchyann

Had a 2001 Ford Explorer and prior to that an Aerostarr and Windstar.

Wanted to try a foreign made this time, but as I was a little concerned about missing riding "seated high" so I went with the two year lease.

While overall I am very impressed with my Rouge (much better gas mileage - doing about 24 miles per gallon) I am a little concerned about it's "blind spot".

Twice (and I've only had the car one month!) I very nearly missed a vehicle coming up on my left!

Now of course I did notice the rear window was very abbreviated even in the showroom and during the test drive, but I honestly didn't think with the use of the side-view mirror that it would be that big a deal. In "real life" driving tho, it's definitely posing a problem.

I'm hoping (as I do like the vehicle a lot) I wonder if by 2010 Nissan will have addressed they this, and I can BUY a new Rouge.

Also, is it me (having driven a slightly lumbering Explorer for so long) but does the Rouge have a tendency to "over steer" just a tad?

Thanks.

Ketchyann

dcwestby

two words, blindspot mirrors...

I dont know why people seldom bother to get them, their very cheap to get and they can usually save you from putting your neck out of joint and hitting others.

On every car I've had, I've put blindspot mirrors on them. On cars like the rogue, they should prove invaluable to get.

Again, its as simple as peeling paper off and sticking the mirror on, or are most people too lazy to even do something as simple as that? [I'm not criticizing you personally, just 80% of drivers out there].

renogeorge

I like the Rogue back window a lot. It gives me a lot of privacy. When backing up I lift myself up in the seat and have no problem.

pitkeys

Re rear vis: Spots mirrors are a must on our Rogue 08 SLawd, even though we drive with reat seats down most of the time, I agree that it's like the design team took a holiday break when they got to the B pillar. (Fixed headrests, cloth armrests, for example.) However, I do think the side vis is good in the Rogue. And yes, the outside mirrors are usefully larger, which also helps with the spots.

Re bad behavior changing speeds on highway: Not seen that at all. Ours so far plays no tricks on us. In fact we find it to be a better highway ride than our previous RAV4 Sport V/6.

jezmia

hi, I read your post and you mentioned that you had just leased a nissan rouge for 2 years. I want to get a rouge, but not sure if leased or buy as I would hope that in two years there would be more options for gas efficient cars. Anyway, would you mind sharing your lease terms, down payment, monthly payment, mileage, etc.thanks!

jbmc11

I'm afraid you sent this to the wrong person. I non selected the Rogue because of the visibility problem.

aclion

I really want to buy the rogue, but am concerned about the rear visibility. I'm expecting my first kid, and can't push down the seats.. have you gotten used to it?

jbmc11

The rear seat headrest issue was a deal killer for me. I wound up buying the Toyota RAV4 Sport. Evidently Nissan has not yet provided removable/adjustable headrest for the newer Rogue models and must suffer from this design flaw.