Road Trip: Route 66 in Nissan Altima and Rogue

The second day of travel had our team carving through the Ozarks of Missouri, with Hooker’s Cut showcasing a fantastic section of the original Route 66 concrete still in use.

Before heading down into Oklahoma, Route 66 nips the corner of Kansas for all of 11 km. At an old service centre on the outskirts of Galena, we found “Tow Tater”, the decrepit tow truck that inspired “Mater” from Cars. Parked beside is his buddy “Red” the fire truck. The enthusiasm shown for this discovery by everyone in our group reinforces the ageless appeal of the film.

Not far up the road, a quick stop at the Route 66 Welcome Center in Baxter Springs, KS introduced us to Dean “Crazy Legs” Walker – a friendly old fella’ who volunteers as the official ambassador for the Center and just happens to be double-jointed and bow-legged, enabling a freakish party trick.

Day 2 – Hooker Cut in Missouri; “Red” and “Mater” in Galena, Kansas; Dean “Crazy Legs” Walter of Baxter Springs, Kansas. Click image to enlarge

Day two wraps up in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the Campbell Hotel. This place proved to be the best surprise of the trip, with the unassuming exterior giving no indication of the unique and creatively decorated accommodations inside. Situated near the University of Tulsa, this hotel should be on the list of anyone travelling through the area looking for a surprisingly luxurious experience despite the fair cost.

By this point in the trip, my driving companion and I had amassed over six hundred kilometres and several hours in each the Rogue and Altima. We were impressed with each Nissan’s ability to devour long distances with ease and efficiency on either divided highway or secondary routes.

Fuel consumption averages hovered around low 7 L/100 km for the Altima and mid 8’s for the all-wheel-drive Rogue on this trip – not bad at all considering the pace at which my lead-footed co-driver and I were travelling.

More impressive is the comfort of each of these rigs. Nissan’s representatives on the trip were making a pretty big deal about the “NASA-inspired Zero Gravity seats” found in each the Altima and Rogue. While it might sound like a bunch of marketing hype, the reality is that even after several consecutive long days behind the wheel, our group all seemed to agree that the seats were working. Nobody complained of aches and pains, and the stress points on the back, thighs or derriere caused by long hauls in most car seats were non-existent here. Well done, Nissan.

Day 2 – Route marking in Kansas, night driving in Oklahoma. Click image to enlarge

The success of the Altima and the Rogue on this trip comes more from what the cars didn’t do, rather than what they did do. Out on the open road, both vehicles are quiet and feature infotainment systems that are easy to figure out and offer decent sound quality. At times the zoom in and out touchscreen “buttons” were finicky, but otherwise, the system is fairly quick to respond to commands and offers just enough actual buttons and knobs to keep operation simple.