We purchased an SL about 8 months ago. She-who-must-be-obeyed has it as her daily driver. She absolutely loves it. And I have to admit, so do I. Granted, we're both pro-Nissan and have been for some time, so there is undoubtedly some cognitive dissonance going on. Nevertheless, what I perceive to be the value proposition with this new Rogue (particularly the SL) has me questioning the relevance of the Murano we also currently have (which is our third one, BTW); so much so that it's about to be replaced with a full-size pickup.
In all fairness, we have no child seats with which to contend as our kids are solely the four-legged variety. Also, neither of us has aspirations for NASCAR/F1/etc, so we find the power to be more than sufficient, highway passing or otherwise. I personally have found there to be far too much emphasis on the nuclear acceleration capabilities of new vehicles these days anyway -- why in the world do I need 300 bhp in ANY vehicle?
Is it a fantastic vehicle? IMO, yes, especially at it's price. Is it perfect? No. Complaints? More like minor quibbles:
- I don't like the tilt/telescopic mechanism. The one in the Murano is much better.
- A little more sound insulation would be nice. It's not bad, but I think they could have done better.
- I agree with the Xmas lights analogy regarding the daytime LEDs.
- I wish it had the Homelink garage door opener system integrated -- I've become fond of them (and the associated lack of an ugly opening device clamped on a visor).