 | Positives: New styling is way better than the first-gen vehicle, roomy and comfortable interior. |
 | Negatives: Super-boring to drive, overly busy front fascia styling, so-so in-car technology. |
 | Bottom Line: The Rogue will please most drivers who don't care much about driving thrills but want a crossover that's roomy, safe, and easy to operate. |
Driving Experience
The Rogue's driving manners are pretty dull. We're not gonna lie. It's more powerful than its predecessor, but it's still pretty much devoid of any driving fun. Even with the added power, it's not appreciably quicker than the 2021 Rogue. In terms of daily usability for the everyman, it does just fine, but don't look for the Rogue to delight anyone who's looking for a fun driving experience.
Ride Quality: The Rogue is a comfy steed with a soft and compliant ride. It handles irregular road surfaces and pavement gaps with excellence. Just don't expect much in terms of road feel because there isn't any.
Acceleration: Despite the increase in power (201 hp up from 181, 225 lb-ft of torque up from 181 lb-ft), the 0-60 sprint isn't much better. The Rogue hits 60 in 7.8 seconds, about a half a second quicker than the last Rogue. The sluggish CVT is bit of a wet blanket, too, robbing the Rogue of anything resembling responsiveness.
Braking: There's not much pedal feel, but the Rogue's brakes seem fine for the task. They bring the crossover to a stop in a reasonable distance and exhibit no dead spots or mushiness.
Steering: The Rogue's steering is devoid of feel and effort. It's about on par with the rather tepid driving experience.
Handling: The Rogue is one family crossover with which you don't want to enter a corner hot. There's quite a bit of body roll, and it's hard to know where you are in a corner.
Technology
Nissan has a lot of work to do with its in-car tech. Sure, the Rogue has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as voice recognition, but the lackluster infotainment system severely lags behind the competition. On the bright side, it still leans heavily on physical controls, which we love. It's just not as good as systems by Hyundai, Kia, and even Honda.
Infotainment System: The 8" touchscreen has dull graphics and slow responses. It's a small-ish and unexciting screen that can't keep up with the likes of Hyundai, Kia, GM, and Ford. Even Mazda's minimalist system is better.
Controls: One of the Rogue's high points are its physical controls, using knobs and buttons for audio, climate, and steering wheel controls. It makes the crossover easier to use while driving, and we always welcome it.
Styling
Although the Rogue's styling is more dramatic and SUV-like than the last one, we can't say it's more attractive. It's thicker and definitely has more presence, along with a better interior, but some of the details are overdone.
Front: The way bigger V-Motion grille, but its sheer size is toned down by the black coloring. The ib headlight/DRL setup is a bit too much for our liking.
Rear: The back end looks quite good with taillights that overlap the rear haunches and a nice line that spans the width of the rear and underlines the ROGUE text. The double bubble roof spoiler also gives the back of the Rogue some additional character.
Profile: We quite like the side view of the Rogue because it's well-proportioned and not too adventurous with bulges and creases. The wheels fill the wells nicely, and the roof steers away from an overwrought floating version.
Cabin: The 2nd-generation Rogue does a much better job with interior style. It's dark, but at least it's two-tone. The seats look shapely, and we also like the wide center console with the non-piano black trim, as well as the flat-bottom steering wheel.
Comfort
One thing the Rogue does really well is provide a comfortable cabin that's very roomy for a family of five. The seating is well done, as are the interior ergonomics.
Front Seats: The front seats are wide, well-cushioned, and decently bolstered. Long trips should bode well for the front occupants, and the seating position is also very good.
Rear Seats: A big 37.9 inches of legroom means it's one of the best in its class, and it allows tall adults to sit behind similarly sized front occupants. The center position, however, is only for short stints because of the overly bulgy seatback.
NVH (noise/vibration/harshness): The three-cylinder engine gets buzzy at high speeds, which can be annoying, but otherwise the interior is quiet and decently insulated. Road noise and wind noise are minimal, and there are no noticeable interior quality deficit-related noises.
Visibility: Big glass all around means visibility out of the Rogue is very good.
Climate: The climate system works well, and it responds to inputs quickly. The large center and side HVAC vents move air throughout the cabin well and provide good adjustability.
Safety
The Rogue earns very good marks in crash safety from both testing bodies, and it also has an expansive set of safety tech. As a result, families should put it on their list when shopping for a new vehicle.
IIHS Rating: Despite the fact that the Rogue got some slight demerits in the crash tests, it still earned the Top Safety Pick+.
NHTSA Rating: The Rogue earned four stars out of five stars from the federal government.
Standard Tech: The Rogue's full set of standard safety tech is huge and includes a rearview monitor, Automatic Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Intelligent Lane Intervention, High Beam Assist, Rear Automatic Braking, Blind Spot Intervention, Intelligent Forward Collision Warning, Rear Door Alert, ProPILOT Assist: Steering Assist, and Intelligent Cruise Control w/ Full Speed Range and Hold.
Optional Tech: None.
Storage/Cargo
Both the Rogue's interior storage compartments and its cargo hold are very capacious and accommodating. There are ample small gear stowage areas, and the rear should be good for road trips for a family of four.
Storage Space: The Rogue has two sets of front door pockets, a nice center console binnacle, and a medium-sized armrest compartment.
Cargo Room: The Rogue has about 36 cubes of cargo space behind row two and a spacious 74 cubes with the seats folded flat. The load floor is wide and flat, and there are even some deep compartments by the wheel wells.
Fuel Economy
With the turbocharged three-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive the Rogue gets 28 mpg city and 35 mpg highway. 31 combined is fine for the segment, but it's not as efficient as hybrid models from Hyundai, Ford, etc. As yet, the Rogue doesn't offer a hybrid trim.
Observed: 28.2 mpg.
Distance Driven: 138 miles.
Audio
Our SV tester had the stock audio system, and it was acceptable for this mid-tier SV trim level. The sound was clear, but bass and fullness were lacking. At least we didn't notice any distortion.
