Why Are Nissan Rogues So Cheap?
The Nissan Rogue made quite a stir when it first hit the auto market in 2007. With many trim levels on offer and affordable price tags, its popularity grew over the years. But so did its problems. And those problems make older Nissan Rogues cheaper. Today I’ll share where the Nissan Rogue went wrong in the past, what they’re doing right now, and which models you should probably avoid when choosing a new SUV.
Contents
- Why are Nissan Rogues so cheap?
- Are Nissan Rogues safe to drive?
- What makes this SUV stand out?
- Trim levels
- What issues do Nissan Rogues have?
Only in the past few years did the car manage to shake off most of its troubles and offer consumers a valuable SUV crossover. These days the Nissan Rogue is the automaker’s best seller.
Why Are Nissan Rogues So Cheap?
To say that the Nissan Rogue is ubiquitous is putting it mildly. For a compact SUV with so many features, the car is quite affordable compared to other car makes of the same caliber. The latest model has a starting price of $23,000. The reason for this low price tag has to do with the Rogue’s checkered past as well as its fast residual value depreciation.
Since the 2008 model rolled out, the Rogue has had its fair share of trouble. The most reported problem had to do with the transmission. The vehicle tended to lose acceleration over time. Then there were the brake malfunction problems, the wiring harness issues, and the inaccurate fuel gauge complaints among others. There were even recalls of the car in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018.
But perhaps the main reason the popular Rogue is so cheap has to do with the steep drop in its resale value. For a popular SUV, the Rogue loses value for the first two years after purchase. Although its resale value tends to stabilize after that, the vehicle is not considered a safe investment especially if you plan to sell it or trade it in for another vehicle.
How Safe is the Nissan Rogue?
Safety on the road has become the main focus for automakers in the past few years. Even basic trims come out with advanced safety measures to protect the driver and passengers in the car. While the first-generation Nissan Rogue had many safety problems, the second-generation Rogue improved on safety and introduced many features.
Besides the standard safety features, the Nissan Rogue has blind spot monitoring, an automatic emergency braking system, high-beam assist, active lane control, and rear automatic emergency braking. So much so that the IIHS awarded it the Top Safety Pick in 2022.
Are Nissan Rogues A Comfortable Car?
In terms of comfort, the Rogue is surprisingly spacious and comfortable for a compact crossover SUV. The rather austere padding on the seats increases the legroom in the second row seating to about 38 inches with plenty of headroom for tall passengers. The cargo space is around 39 cubic feet. However, if the car comes with third-row seats, that will limit the legroom and cargo space considerably.
What Makes the Rogue Stand Out Among Other SUVs?
An affordable price is not the only feature that gives the Nissan Rogue an edge over other SUVs. Year after year, every new model adds new features to the vehicle. Here are the top features that make the Rogue the bestseller that it is.
- Speed: Although SUVs of this caliber are not known for their speed, the Rogue still satisfies car lovers with an itch for speed. It goes from zero to 60 in 8.7 seconds and achieves a top speed of 125 mph. It’s not the fastest SUV on the road, but it’s not the slowest either.
- Intelligent AWD System: The Rogue has an all-wheel-drive system that can detect when one wheel is losing traction and adjusts the traction of the other wheels to keep the car stable even on unpaved roads. That said, this is still an SUV with no low ratio that needs good roads.
- Five to Seven Seats: Most standard and trim levels of the Rogue have 5 seats. The seats are comfortable even with medium padding and both the headroom and legroom are quite comfortable. Some versions have an extra row of seats to accommodate up to 7 passengers.
- Fuel Economy: Fuel economy is front and center in the design of the Rogue. On average, you can expect 26 mpg when driving the SUV in the city. On the highway, you can get about 33 mpg. If your commute combines both highway and inner city driving you could average 29 mpg on a good day.
- Reliability: The reliability of the car is a subjective matter. But with all its safety features and the improvements in the second-generation Rogues, it’s safe to say that this SUV is quite reliable.
Nissan Rogue Trim Levels
The second-generation Nissan Rogue rolled out in three trim levels. The first is the standard version Rogue S. The second level is the Rogue SV while the Rogue SL is the top-tier version of the car with all the bells and ribbons.
Among those features you get keyless ignition, adaptive cruise control, a 7-inch infotainment system, 19-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, Bose audio system, and driver assistant features to name but a few.
Does The Nissan Rogue Have Any Issues?
Although no SUV is problem-free, the Nissan Rogue started its journey with plenty of issues. The first-generation Rogue had so many issues, many auto experts predicted that the car had no future. Many of these issues were fixed in the second-generation models. Here are the top issues that Rogue owners complained about.
- CVT Failure: CVT stands for continuously variable transmission and the Rogue had a CVT slipping problem. The 2022 model got a fully revamped CVT with varied gears and 32 percent less friction.
- Noisy Suspension: The suspension in the Rogue sometimes makes squeaking and popping noise. The cause of the noise is the strut-bearing assembly.
- Inaccurate Fuel Gauge: Between 2008 and 2018, the Rogue had a faulty fuel sensor that gave you the wrong fuel reading in the tank. This often happens when the car reaches the 60,000 mile milestone.
- Auto Braking: This problem popped up in the 2018 model where the Rogue would brake on its own. Owners noticed this problem when the car reached the 15,000 mile mark.
- Wiring Harness Failure: A recurring issue with first-generation Rogues especially in models 2008 to 2014. The floorboard of the vehicles leaked which got the harness wet and caused the wiring to fail.
Which Nissan Rogue Models to Avoid?
In general, you should avoid first-generation Rogues with models 2008 to 2016. The 2018 model is also plagued with problems. The safest models to buy are 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Why are Nissan Rogues so Cheap?
The Nissan Rogue is a compact crossover SUV with plenty of safety features, spacious legroom and headroom, and an affordable price tag. The car had lots of issues in the past but the second-generation Rogues have managed to resolve most of these issues.
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