2020 Nissan Rogue: Aging gracefully

[MUSIC] The Nissan Rogue is a lot like actress Betty White extremely popular but getting pretty old. This is the Japanese auto-makers best selling model in America and by a wide margin it's just too bad this thing has been around in it's current form since about 2014 and in carriers that is a long time. The road could certainly benefit from a redesign or at least a healthy refresh, but age does not automatically translate into awfulness and I will prove it to you.>>As you might have Might have guessed, this Nissan competes with other smallish crossovers like the Honda CRV, Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4 and Volkswagen [UNKNOWN], all of which are newer and arguably better at least in certain ways. Keeping things simple, the Rogue is offered in three trim levels, S, SV, and SL. Each can be had with either front or all wheel drive. 9 exterior colors are offered and there are 2 interior hues. Highfalutin SL models like the tester I've been in this week come with goodies including leather seating surfaces, 19 inch wheels and a premium Bose audio system that regrettably sounds about as bad as an antique phonograph. As you can see the road is quite stylish plus its interior is very spacious. When it comes to hauling stuff. It's also super versatile. Check this out. [MUSIC] One of this vehicles most innovative features is called the divide and hide storage system. Now you can see right here we've got a pretty much flat load floor but I can grab this panel Tip it up, and that reveals a hard plastic surface which is great for storing things like muddy boots or a wet bathing suit. Now if I drop up this here, I can then grab this other panel, slide it up top. That gives you a nifty partial shelf with a little bit of additional storage down below. I can then tip the other panel again upright. Now you've got secure storage under there and some room here to store some taller items quite versatile. Now when you factor in this vehicles for the 2040 split backrest, Nissan says this cargo area can be configured in 18 different ways now, I didn't actually count all of those because no time what I think this solution here would be perfect for families or, Maybe hoarders, drug smugglers or even families that smuggle drugs. Maximum cargo space clocks in at 70 cubic feet with the second row folded. That back bench is also quite high, giving passengers a commanding view. Further increasing versatility, the front passenger seat tips rearward allowing you to haul eight foot long items with relative ease. And you know what else is simple? Liking this video, subscribing to the Road Show YouTube channel and hitting the notification icon doing all of that takes like, what? Two seconds. Plus it doesn't cost you a dime, seriously. We haven't charged since I've been working here. [BLANK_AUDIO] Moving along let's talk tech front and center right on the dashboard we have a relatively small seven inch color display. Now in this vehicle a navigation system is integral as is support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This Nissan Connect Infotainment system looks old but it's actually not too bad to use. It's quite responsive especially when you go to the map for instance, the pinch to zoom is a lot quicker than on some newer systems. This SL model also features keyless entry with push button start, dual zone climate control. A motion-activated lift gate and an intelligent around-view monitor. Nissan Safety Shield 360 is standard on midlevel SV and top shelf SL models and it includes a wealth of safety and security features, things like automatic emergency breaking with pedestrian detection. You get rear automatic breaking, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert Automatic high beams. Nissan's old 2.5 liter in line for still motivates the road. The only engine offered in this vehicle here. And this time tested workhorses not particularly refined. It sounds gruff and Feels a little bit gritty too, but at least it gets the job done. With 170 horsepower and 175 pound feet of torque on tap this vehicles performance is perfectly adequate. Now, don't expect it to outrun some of its newer turbocharged competition, but acceleration is just Fine for normal use. And when you do put it in sport mode, the throttle response is noticeably livelier. Of course I would prefer a six speed manual but I gotta say, I have made my peace with Nissan's continuously variable transmissions. They do a good job of maximizing performance and efficiency plus they will simulate gear changes under heavy acceleration so the engine doesn't drone. Now, drone too much at least. Of course, one major reason automakers love CVTs because they can help improve fuel economy. Now this all wheel drive rogue is rated at 25 miles per gallon city, 32 Highway and 27 MPG combined. how those scores compare favorably to similarly equipped versions of the CRV, escape and Rav4. The Rogue's flattened bottom steering wheel fits nicely in your hands and it feels meatier than a side of beef. And unfortunately if feels just as dead. This crossover steering ratio seems quite Quite slow and it Telegraph's basically nothing to your hands about what the front tires are doing. This is pretty much a no fun zone, just like Arby's. I mean, nobody goes there because they're hungry. You only go to Arby's because you're sad. I've been eating a lot of roast beef sandwiches lately. One important bit of technology I did not mention earlier is pro pilot assist. Now this adaptive cruise control system with lane centering is standard on SV and SL versions of the Rogan. It's a snap to use and extremely effective. It's probably one of the best versions of this technology that's on the market right now. It will seamlessly control vehicle speed based on traffic conditions, speeding up And slowing down, plus it will keep the vehicle locked in the centre of its lane, locked like a heat-seeking missile on its target. Alright I'm about ready to be done with this review and you probable are too. it is freaking cold out here. So let's talk pricing and then wrap things up. A base S model starts at $26,000 and change but this sl version with all wheel drive checked out for $36,095. Both of those prices do include 1045 in delivery fees Like I said earlier, the Nissan Rogue is old, and it's probably outclassed by most of its major rivals at this point. But as with Betty White, there is still a lot to like about this vehicle. You can get it with propiled assist and loads of other driver assistance technology. It's pretty stylish and it's extremely versatile. So I can totally see why they sell so many of these things every year. [MUSIC] [BLANK_AUDIO]