You’ve got to wonder about the wisdom of letting Nissan’s marketing people pick an English noun for the name of a vehicle. They’d be much safer sticking with invented words such as Altima, Maxima and Versa.

Yes, using an English word worked with Pathfinder, which is a great name for a go-anywhere SUV. But perhaps Nissan missed the mark in 2008 when it called Pathfinder’s new smaller brother “Rogue.”

Maybe they read only the second definition of rogue in my Canadian Oxford: “a mischievous person; esp. a child.”

That’s kind of cute and invokes a spirit of fun – which matches both the Rogue’s looks and its driveability. But the other dictionary definitions of rogue just don’t fit. Let’s examine them, one by one:

“Dishonest or unprincipled?” I don’t think so. This Rogue is about as honest and straightforward a vehicle as you’ll find. All controls feel quite familiar and are easy to use – from the big round knobs that regulate the manual HVAC system to the cruise control stalk on the steering wheel and the paddle shifters positioned atop its central spoke.

“A stray, irresponsible or undisciplined person or thing?” No way. The Rogue AWD is about as responsible as a compact crossover can get with four-wheel ABS and traction control, a tire pressure monitoring system, dual stage front and side curtain airbags and a rollover sensor and as standard equipment.

And undisciplined? Not with a standard vehicle dynamic control system and intuitive all-wheel drive that sends torque to the wheels with the best grip. Under acceleration, it’s in AWD but then shifts to FWD when cruising speed is reached for better fuel economy. Sounds pretty disciplined to me. And if you need to get out of heavy snow or mud, there’s a switch on the instrument panel that locks in AWD.

“An inferior or defective specimen among many acceptable ones?” Not true, either. The Rogue is just as capable as its competitors from Honda and Mazda, Toyota and Mitsubishi. Proof of that is in the awards it’s won, including Best New SUV/CUV under $35,000 in 2008 by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada and Motor Trend’s 2008 Sport/Utility of the Year.

“A wild animal driven away or living apart from the herd and of fierce temper?”

About as wild as the Rogue gets is the racket its continuously variable transmission emits under hard acceleration – an unfortunate trait shared with the CVT in the Nissan Versa. And living apart from the herd? The last time I looked the Rogue seemed more than welcome among its fellow Nissans on dealer lots. And the only thing fierce about the one I’m testing is the fuel consumption of its 2.5-litre DOHC inline four.

That engine with CVT is the only powertrain available across the Rogue lineup – both FWD and AWD models. The Xtronic CVT, incidentally, is a much happier sounding unit when you put the shift lever into manual mode and then use either it or the paddle shifters to navigate through six virtual gears.

Rogue has a longer wheelbase than some of its competitors, so there’s generous space for five, both fore and aft. That wheelbase also gives it a smooth ride on its 17-inch tires and, thanks to its drive-by-wire throttle, it responds quickly to the driver’s right foot and slaloms easily through the twisties with its electric power steering.

The driver’s seat is quite comfy and everything is within easy reach with one exception: to scroll through the functions shown on the driver information centre (DIC), you have to either reach around – or through – the steering wheel. A button located on the centre stack, or the wheel itself, would be handier.