[Dualis]

Nissan's Rouge Sport made it onto the list for 2018 Motor Trend SUV of the Year contest. It'll be up against a few other hard hitters and I honestly don't think it'll take home the award as much as I like the car. Thoughts?

OTHER 2018 SUV OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS:

Audi Q5
BMW X4
Buick Encore
Buick Envision
Chevrolet Equinox
Jeep Compass
Maserati Levante
Mazda CX-5
Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe
Volkswagen Tiguan
Volvo V90 Cross Country

 

[StanH]

It seems like Rogue will have a tough time against such serious competitors. As for me, the most powerful contenders would be Audi, BMW, and Maserati. Anyways, I'm gonna cheer for Nissan!

 

[Dualis]

A point against the Rouge is its engine output, which will definitely seem lacking compared to something from Maserati and they seem to have written it off already.
For an overall well rounded package that's still affordable, maybe the Mazda CX-5 is the one.

 

[StanH]

I wonder how will they decide which car is the best. Do they have different categories like: Interior, Exterior, Powertrain etc., or it's going to be Motor Trend readers' voting?

 

[NissanDriver]

Don't know the criteria but from what I have noticed it seems they look for which model made the most significant impact on the market, not just with sales but with innovation, advancements, how it is compared to its immediate rivals, the list goes on. Basically they follow the general consensus of what those that really understand the industry are thinking.

 

[Dualis]

I'm not sure if the Rouge Sport is really all that innovative even though it is a great daily driver. Maybe the Volvo V90 Cross Country could win, it has the level of luxury people are increasingly looking for and you can take it on some mild adventures.

 

[StanH]

Bad news, guys... Motor Trend has released the list of 2018 SUV of The Year Finalist. Unfortunately, Rogue isn't there. Here is the list of finalists.

Volvo XC60
Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Chevrolet Traverse
Honda CR-V
Land Rover Discovery
Subaru Crosstrek
Volkswagen Atlas

I'm okay with all finalists except Chevy Traverse, In my opinion, there were better SUV contenders than Chevy. What do you guys think?

 

[Dualis]

I'm more surprised by the Subaru Crosstrek, though it could be due to bias. The front's design has nothing on the Rogue Sport and its acceleration is said to be pretty slow.

 

[StanH]

Agree. I don't like Crosstrek design too, however, I really respect its amazing CVT transmission and off-road capabilities, in my opinion it's way better than Nissan's.

 

[Dualis]

It may have a better approach angle, but the Subaru Crosstrek paid for it in front bumper design, which looks odd to me.

 

[StanH]

It may have a better approach angle, but the Subaru Crosstrek paid for it in front bumper design, which looks odd to me.

I like Crosstrek's rear end though. I hope they will do something to its front bumper for the next generation, then I might consider it as an option.

 

[NissanDriver]

I like Crosstrek's rear end though. I hope they will do something to its front bumper for the next generation, then I might consider it as an option.

You might like its rear end but that styling is quickly becoming old. Compare it to past Subaru's and current Subaru's, and you'll quickly see how holding on to it could be bad for the brand.

 

[KYRGYZ]

I like Crosstrek's rear end though. I hope they will do something to its front bumper for the next generation, then I might consider it as an option.

that is XV which is 1st gen, 2nd current gen is a bit different

 

[Joe Schweigert]

I realize this is an old post, but when you're looking at the original list and then at the finalists - the only one that comes anywhere close to the list price of the Sport is the CX-5. For some of those on the list, you could buy 10 Sport's and still have change left over!


The rest of them are either so far out of the Sport's classification or are considered luxury cars. Most of them have resale value measured in tiny fractions of their initial cost after one or two years and are useless for anything but garage queens. Most are so over engineered that it's impossible to work on them without a fully staffed auto emergency room. If you were to actually buy one, forget about doing even routine things. When you have to pull the head off the engine to get to the water pump.....


I stumbled across this series of videos and, if you can put up with his voice (sort of like fingernails on a chalk board) he's got loads of info to share! His list of 10 Worst Cars and the reasons he chose them is based on 50+ years as a wrench monkey. I loved his take on trucks! :smile2:


Anyway, he runs a series called 'Rev Up Your Engines' and here's a link to one of his clips - he's a blast!