Rogue

Make
Nissan
Segment
SUV

Nissan Concierge has been around since 2018 when it was offered for three years to Altima Edition One buyers. Three years later, the service is now available on all models equipped with the telematics control unit and Nissan Connected Services. We recently spent a week with a fully-loaded 2021 Nissan Rogue Platinum model set up with Nissan Concierge, and during our time with the car, we learned what Nissan Concierge could do and why more consumers need to know about it.

What Is Nissan Concierge?

Nissan Concierge is essentially a personal assistant that lives in your car dashboard. Just press the headset icon on the navigation screen, and the car connects to a live concierge who can take care of nearly any request. The concierge helpers "will do anything that is legal," Denise Barfuss, senior manager of marketing and operations at Nissan Vehicle Connection Services, told CarBuzz. The concierge can also be reached by phone or by text and have destinations sent directly to the navigation system.

Nissan offers a six-month concierge trial with new vehicles. Then the service costs $8 per month, including remote engine start/stop, horn and lights, data wipe, vehicle status, My Car Finder, destination download, and journey planner. Barfuss said Nissan has an "outstanding enrollment rate from the included trial" that is well above the industry rate.

She added: "We see a trend. These are the regular users who use the trial multiple times per week. These clients are frequent return purchasers."

Trying Out The Service

Our Rogue arrived days before the Super Bowl, so we decided to use Nissan Concierge to prepare for the big game with some delicious food from local small businesses. We kicked off the weekend by ordering from our local pho restaurant. Our first concierge, Romero, helped us place an order that was ready to be picked up when we arrived. The next day, Romero assisted us again to order water, ice tea, and protein bars for contactless curbside pickup. This also gave us a great chance to try out the Rogue's clever Divide-N-Hide storage, which can segment the trunk into two sections to stop smaller objects from rolling around.

While we could have made either of these orders ourselves, it was more convenient to have the concierge place the order and make the payment over the phone so we didn't have to hang on the phone or spend more time in the store. In a post-Covid world, this is perhaps the greatest convenience of the Concierge service. It's also worth pointing out that Nissan Concierge can also have orders shipped to your home, office, or any other address.

The First Hiccup (Discovering The Best Feature)

Our first hiccup with the service came over the weekend, through no fault of Nissan's. This error also helped us uncover the hidden gem of the Nissan Concierge. While out running errands, we asked the service to find us a sushi restaurant nearby for takeout. Our concierge Julia found delicious sushi that we thoroughly enjoyed, but we discovered an issue the following morning.

The restaurant had double charged us for the food and didn't reopen until noon the next day. Rather than sitting on the phone to request a refund, Nissan Concierge handled the call for us. Imagine never having to sit on hold with customer service and having a concierge take care of it. That's proper convenience.

Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl Sunday finally arrived, and we wanted to enjoy gluten-free pizza during the game. Pizza restaurants were bound to be crowded, so we dialed Nissan Concierge early in the morning to make sure our order would be ready for pickup right at 5 o'clock. Of course, the order was filled right on time, so we had plenty of time before the big game.

We also tested the service's ability a bit further by asking the concierge to find us Kansas City Chiefs gear on the day of the big game. Nissan Concierge quickly tracked down a store that had available NFL jerseys and hats, called ahead to make sure both were in stock and available, then reserved both for us to pick up.

Endless Possibilities

We barely scratched the surface of what's possible with Nissan Concierge during our brief time with it. With Valentine's Day coming up, we can imagine many owners using the service to brainstorm a list of local restaurants with available outdoor seating to maintain social distancing. Nissan Concierge would also come in handy when visiting a new city. In fact, you can call ahead to ask the service to create a list of fun travel/eating spots in a new city rather than do the research yourself.

Some people will never see the benefit of a concierge service. For others, $8 per month might be a bargain. Barfuss even divulged that around 10% of Nissan Concierge subscribers have never used it before and "just want peace of mind." Technology in car dashboards is growing more advanced with each passing year, but we still see a place for human-centered services like this.