I am looking seriously at a Rogue AWD SL. I have only test driven a Ford with a CVT and it was OK but different (of course). I just felt somewhat disconnected as far as acceleration feedback although I couldn't seriously complain about acceleration in general. Have owners here "gotten used to it" or "coped"?

When I was researching potentials vehicles, I kept on coming across reviews stating "engine drone" with the Rogue. After test driving, I still didn't understand what the reviews meant. I was pleasantly surprised with the acceleration and handling. After driving the Rogue for awhile, I began to realize what the term "engine drone" felt like. As the Rogue accelerates it runs through the gears adequately, however, once driving speed is reached, the Rogue shifts to a high gear ratio to maintain low RPM's. Accelerating at this speed (say at 40 mpg), causes the transmission to gradually lower gear ratios for adequate acceleration. The "engine drone" is felt during initial acceleration at the higher gear ratio. The phenomena is Similar to starting out in 5th gear in a standard transmission vehicle. This being said, the ability to override the automatic transmission with the paddle shifters eliminates this "engine drone" phenomena by manually shifting to a lower gear ratio. Which, by the way, makes the Rogue a fun SUV to drive. Hope this helps in your decision process.

One of my major hangups about seriously considering the Rogue was the CVT. This was mainly due to ignorance and lack of personal experience.

The test drive I did quickly alleviated it. The Rogue performed MUCH better than a 4cyldr RAV-4 and CR-V under similar conditions.

After owning it for almost a week, I don't give it a 2nd thought except when doing 50-60 mph and noticing the sub 2k RPM. No wonder it gets such great gas mileage!

The so called "engine drone" is in no way a fault. People have become used to the audio feedback of hearing their engine increase in RPM as they accelerate, but this transmission is smart enough to keep you in the optimal RPM for the specific operating condition, thus optimizing both fuel economy AND power. I believe people are just accustomed to hearing the engine change when they accelerate, and they perceive this as a lack of power, when it is in fact better than a regular transmission.

The paddle shifters make this vehicle so much fun! I love being able to drop quickly from 6th or 5th down to 2nd and blowing by someone! My brother in laws jaw dropped when we blew several cars on the interstate.

The CVT is the future of car transmission.
Better fuel mileage than the automatic gearbox, as good (supposibly) as the manual without all the shifting (you can still drink your coffee, hold your phone, a book, or the hand of your love one while accelerating).

They could not put it on cars earlier because of the torque of the engines (it exists on snowmobiles and karts for decades).
Audi and Nissan were the first two to bring it to the cars, and it seems that Nissan is the one who worked the most on it.

The CVT was introduced on the Murano but only the FWD as the AWD model has too much torque to handle (3.5l engine).
For the Rogue, it is the second genration of CVT you have, electronically control for better performance and fuel mileage.
And for me who come from the manual shifting world (can not drive an automatic car, sorry), I was concerned at the beginning, but it is fun after all.

Probably the best non-manual car I ever drive. I definitely not regret it.

Auto press comments about the Rogue CVT have been very positive:

Automobile Magazine said, "the example in the Rogue is one of the best we've driven - you could almost forget it's not a conventional gearbox."

Car and Driver said, "the wide spread of gear ratios and the smooth power delivery do seem a better idea than the four- or five-speed conventional automatics of the competition."

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2008 Nissan Rogue SL, AWD, Venom Red, Black Leather Pkg, Prem Pkg, bumper protector, splash guards, floor mats