Late to the cute-ute party, Nissan hopes its Rogue act will gain it some much-needed attention. The Japanese automaker's offering, set for debut at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show, will be designed to tackle well-established models likeToyota's Rav4 and the Honda CRV. But Nissan hopes Rogue's bad-boy image and edgy design will appeal to young males, rather than the female buyers that dominate the soft-roader segment.
Nissan has been an active player in the SUV market, with models like the Pathfinder, Xterra, and Armada, but it's been slower to embrace the booming crossover market. Crossovers have outsold traditional utes for the first time this year, a gap expected to continue growing as consumers demand more car-like features and better mileage, even at the expense of off-road performance.
Given a sneak peak at Rogue, TheCarConnection.com discovered a design blending the more stylish elements of Nissan's only current crossover, the Murano, with the more functional Audi Q7. The Rogue was clearly influenced by the Qashqai concept that Nissan has been showing in Europe for several years and recently put into production.
Based on the same platform as the new Sentra - the "Global C" architecture developed jointly by Nissan and Renault - the prototype is a virtual carbon copy of the actual production Rogue. It's due to market late in 2007 as an '08 model, according to Nissan officials.
The new Rogue will be powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, rated at 170 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque, and mated to the Xtronic continuously variable transmission (CVT) that Nissan is fast proliferating throughout its lineup. Sporty paddle shifters will mimic manual-style shifts.
There'll be both front and all-wheel-drive configurations available, as well as Rogue S and SL packages.
In keeping with recent trends, Nissan will add a number of advanced safety features to the Rogue, including Vehicle Dynamic Control, the automaker's version of electronic stability control, as well as anti-lock brakes, dual front and side-impact bags for the front seat and roof-mounted bags for both rows. The all-wheel-drive package will incorporate yaw moment control in a system designed to resist rollover.
Though the first-generation crossovers were the ute equivalents of stripped-down econoboxes, the segment has undergone significant changes over the last decade. The latest cute-utes, like the RAV4 and CRV, have become not only more stylish and sporty but are decidedly more feature-laden.
The Rogue won't be the exception. It will boast a large array of storage compartments, and a healthy mix of standard and optional features. The latter list includes a smart key ignition system, Bluetooth hands-free cellphone link, satellite radio, and an MP3-capable Bose audio system.