A fierce winter requires fierce preparation, and though crossover vehicles aren’t known for
their off-road prowess, they are expected to tackle the worst that Mother Nature can throw
at them. For this reason, Nissan took a group of Rogue crossovers to the Laurentian
mountains of Quebec for a round of winter test drives. Guest journalists were invited to
take the all-new Rogue out on the icy Mecaglisse all-season motorsports facility in Notre-
Dame-de-la-Merci.
The conditions in Quebec were more than reminiscent of roads in much of the central United
States at the moment, with heavy ice and snow on the ground to challenge the Rogue’s all-
wheel drive system. The Rogue impressed even the most experienced winter drivers, including
the co-owner of the track and facility, Franck Kirchhoff. “I drove this car yesterday, and
even if you drive without studs, only on regular winter tires, you really feel the car, and
the handling is really good. I drive many cars during the winter, and I feel the Rogue is
one of the best.” The Rogue’s used at Mecaglisse were stock vehicles with all-wheel drive
and snow tires, but no other special preparation.
The new-for-2014 Rogue did pretty well on domestic roads as well. Driving Fans spent a week
with Nissan’s new crossover, and there’s a full road test of the all-new Rogue coming
shortly.
