New addition
Several relatives and friends of late either have announced or are expecting new additions to their families.
I don't have any news like that to report, BUT there is an addition of sorts....
I actually thought hard about a small economy sedan of some sort this time, but decided against after considering Houston's ongoing pothole problems (I wonder how my friend Cathy hasn't lost her wonderful Mini in one!), bad-driver problems (I want some metal around me, thanks), and the need to haul gear to the woods from time to time. After lots of research, the Rogue won out among utility/crossovers in terms of the combination of price, features, mileage, likely reliability, etc.
As an aside -- For anyone in the Houston area considering a Nissan vehicle, I highly recommend dealing with Steve Hipshin, the internet sales manager at Tom Peacock Nissan in far north Houston. His price quotes and service blew away the competition, and there was none of the pressure or other distasteful stuff that sometimes finds its way into the process.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/10/08 08:16 | Other | Technorati
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Comments
Very nice! And in stainless steel, too. Ken will be envious. =)
Posted by anne @ 09:26 on 08/10/08
Ha ha ha ha ha, but alas, no icemaker! :)
Posted by Kevin @ 09:28 on 08/10/08
Stainless, oh too funny!
Very nice, however an ice maker would be nice too!
Posted by whilo @ 11:31 on 08/10/08
That should be a very nice vehicle. I like my X5, but I'm convinced my next vehicle will be a turbodiesel-hybrid. The new BMW 5 series TD-H has better fuel economy than the Prius. The new X5 TD-H has a little lower fuel ecomomy ratings since the turbodiesel is a 3ltr 6 cyl, instead of a 2 ltr 4 cyl on the 5 series.
Posted by Carlin @ 17:28 on 08/10/08
Some of those turbodiesel engines seem really slick, but for some reason they seem much bigger in Europe than here.
I've heard good things about the turbodiesel you can get in the Jeep Patriot in Europe, but no go here in the U.S.
I looked at the Jeeps (Patriot, Compass) that offer their 2.4L world engine mated to a CVT, but they just didn't seem to offer quite the performance or mileage of the Rogue's 2.5L/CVT combo (which I am really liking), and were only a little cheaper than a comparably equipped Rogue. If the turbodiesel were available here in the Jeeps, that might have been interesting....
Those turbodiesel-hybrids are really sweet.
Posted by Kevin @ 22:28 on 08/10/08
Congratulations, Kevin! Boy or girl? Does it have a name yet? How many miles to the gallon (City/Highway)?
Wendy will never be lost in a pothole. I drive slowly enough around Houston that I see them all in advance and steer around them. It's quite easy if you're concentrating and not talking on your cell phone.
Famous last words.
Posted by Cathy @ 13:43 on 08/11/08
Stainless steel? I was thinking titanium. Congrats, I hope it works out well for you. Now the question is, were three good friends to borrow the vehicle, and slay four deer, would the critters fit in the "way-back" with room to spare? I don't know, but they would in a Cherokee/Liberty/Patriot, with ease.
Can't picture you as an "enviroweenie," but fuel costs are pinching us all, badly.
The R Man
Posted by The R Man @ 16:07 on 08/11/08
Cathy: A boy (I think). No name as of yet. Any suggestions?
FuelEconomy.gov lists 22/27 for the fwd Rogue, although people on various forums and such seem to be reporting slightly better mileage than that. That's welcome compared to Bob's 13/14 mpg in town (thanks, Bill White, for all those not-synchronized lights!).
I'm pretty darn careful on Houston roads, but I still often find bad potholes -- most often because for some reason, we dig up roads, pour gravel in, never get around to patching the road properly, and it creates huge holes that one doesn't expect and that are hard to see until you've buried an axle in one. I hate that. Which reminds me -- I need to pester 311 and the Mayor's email about one such hole that's nearly two weeks old now near work. *grr*
R: Actually, I think you'd be surprised at the room in the Rogue. Edmunds lists the cargo volume of Rogue and Patriot, and Rogue comes out slightly ahead, largely owing to the fact it's a bit longer. Now, in terms of usable space, the Rogue's curves may cut it down a bit, making it a draw. The 03 Liberty had an advantage in overall cargo capacity with the seats folded down, but the luggage space with the seats up was also comparable (again, the Rogue is slightly longer than that Lib as well).
I actually liked that the Pat/Compass were shorter, but they are a bit heavier and I didn't like their engine/CVT combo as well. Hope I made the right call! :)
Posted by Kevin @ 08:12 on 08/12/08
Nice, looks like a Murano after a diet. I really like the Murano's but the gas milage is just so/so. I'm betting this will be much better.
Posted by Cory @ 09:45 on 08/12/08
The curves do appear to cut down on usable space, from the Rogue I've looked at that is often parked across the street from work, oddly, a couple cars over from a Patriot. Odder still is to compare the dimensions of the Rogue to my folks' '02 Explorer-the Rogue isn't *that* much smaller, really, and the 22/27 fuel-economy numbers are more impressive, actually slightly better than a plain-jane 4-cylinder Ranger/B2300; the country's lone compact truck these days.
For now, though, 17 MPG in town and no car payment works for me.
The R Man
Posted by The R Man @ 13:31 on 08/12/08
The turbo dieseles I'm talking about also have electric(hybrid)motors to accompany the diesel to improve fuel economy and drastically increase off the line takeoff.
Posted by Carlin @ 17:38 on 08/12/08
Carlin: Yep. Those are some sweet machines. I hope they -- and turbodiesel engines more generally -- catch on here.
Posted by Kevin @ 22:27 on 08/12/08
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