Overview & Reviews

Like many of the two dozen or so compact crossovers on the market today, the Nissan Rogue seeks to provide the all-weather capability and commanding driving position of an SUV, along with the maneuverability and fuel efficiency of a typical car. It does this quite well, and it also adds bold, son-of-Murano styling to make it desirable for its form as well as its function.

Although the Nissan Rogue has never delivered an especially inspiring engine and transmission combination, performance has always been passable, and the current generation is notable for its stellar fuel economy. The second-generation Rogue also has a spacious interior with a large cargo hold and, rare for this class, an available third row of seating. Earlier Nissan Rogues weren't as roomy, but they were more nimble to drive through turns. Overall, we think a new or used Rogue presents a compelling overall package that merits consideration alongside traditional segment leaders.

Current Nissan Rogue
Completely redesigned for 2014, the current Nissan Rogue is a compact crossover SUV with seating for five or seven, depending on how it's equipped. Compared with the previous Rogue, it offers a much larger backseat, significantly more cargo capacity, higher fuel economy ratings and a longer list of safety features.

All Nissan Rogues are powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 170 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is standard, and buyers have a choice between front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations. With either drivetrain, fuel economy ratings are above average for this class.

The Rogue is available in three trim levels: S, SV and SL. Standard equipment on the base S includes 17-inch steel wheels, air-conditioning, a rearview camera, Bluetooth, iPod/USB connectivity and a four-speaker sound system. The SV adds 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, keyless entry and ignition, a power-adjustable driver seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, smartphone integration features and a six-speaker sound system. The SL comes with all that plus 18-inch alloy wheels, foglights, heated mirrors, leather upholstery, heated front seats, voice controls, a 360-degree parking camera system, a navigation system (with a 7-inch touchscreen) and a nine-speaker sound system.

Key options include a two-passenger third-row seat (S and SV models only), a power liftgate and a panoramic sunroof. Optional safety equipment includes a blind-spot warning system, a lane-departure warning system, a forward collision warning system and "moving object detection" (which works in conjunction with the multi-view parking cameras).

One thing we always liked about the original Nissan Rogue that has carried over to the second generation is the smooth ride quality. Neither the steering nor the handling is particularly sporty, but most buyers will appreciate the Rogue's relaxed demeanor. In reviews, we've found the Nissan's 2.5-liter engine adequate to the task of commuting. During harder acceleration, there's a noticeable growl from the engine as the CVT maintains a constant high engine rpm to provide the motivation needed for passing and merging. This makes for a noisier cabin environment than in some competitors.

Otherwise, the Rogue's cabin is a pretty nice place to be. Materials quality is high, and everything is put together with care. Nissan's available infotainment interface is quite easy to use as well. Seat comfort is excellent in the first two rows, and thanks to 9 inches of fore/aft adjustment, the 40/20/40 second-row seat is adult-friendly. The available third-row bench is a kids-only proposition, but the fact that Nissan offers one at all gives the Rogue a leg up on its rivals from Ford, Honda and Toyota.

Used Nissan Rogue Models
The first-generation Rogue debuted for the 2008 model year and was produced through 2013. After 2013, this Rogue continued on as the Nissan Rogue Select (reviewed separately), which is identical save for its abbreviated options list.

The original Nissan Rogue used the same 170-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine as the current model. All versions were offered in both front-wheel- and all-wheel-drive configurations, and a CVT was standard.

First-generation Nissan Rogues were available in two trim levels: S and SV (known as the SL from 2008-'10). You got the basics with the S, including keyless entry, air-conditioning and full power accessories, along with an iPod interface. However, things like privacy glass, a rearview camera, Bluetooth and satellite radio were available either within an option package or on the SV. Higher-end items like heated leather seats, a navigation system and a Bose sound system were available as options on the SV as well.

Like the current crossover, the first-generation Rogue offered a smooth, comfortable ride. Handling was actually a bit sportier than on the current version, while acceleration was fairly quick for a small four-cylinder crossover. However, engine noise was a persistent annoyance during passing maneuvers, as the CVT kept engine revs high to maximize the available power.

Styling is a subjective matter, of course, but to our eyes, the first-gen Rogue cut a rather dashing profile compared to its compact crossover brethren. Rear visibility consequently suffered, as did cargo capacity and rear-seat accommodations. Although this Rogue represents a good value as a used vehicle, shoppers needing room for child safety seats or a large dog will likely find it short on space.

Changes to the Nissan Rogue were minimal during this generation. It received minor styling updates for 2011, and trim levels and option packages were reshuffled over the years. For 2010-'11, the Rogue was offered in a Krom Edition model, which added larger wheels and cosmetic enhancements, including centrally located exhaust outlets.

User Reviews:

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  Lemon Rogue - 2009 Nissan Rogue
  By dcfc - October 1 - 1:13 am

  Car taken back to Nissan today. They were forced to take it back after it was titled Lemon by the BBB.Had 2 replacement transmissions by 5000 miles and still had same problems. Rogue also had air con replaced. Leaked transmission fluid, etc. See Forums on this site for further info.

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  Reality with MPG - 2014 Nissan Rogue
  By jadecan - September 30 - 6:11 am

  I love my new Rogue! It drives so quiet and smooth compared to the Honda I had! I am hearing a lot of concerns about the Rogue not living up to the MPG. With any vehicle the MPG are based on a standard way of driving the vehicle. If you hit the highway and put your gas pedal to the floor and drive 75-80 every where you go, yes, you will be lucky to get 24-25 mpg- its a 4 cyl. engine that you are making work overtime. I believe the standards used for all vehicles for highway testing is 60-65 mph. With normal acceleration- no noise! I have been averaging about 30 mpg on the highway when doing the speed limit.

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  09 rogue sl awd - 2009 Nissan Rogue
  By Keryn Lazar - September 27 - 12:45 pm

  We bought a rogue as first new car in 09. Car has had zero issues in 5 years other than routine maintenance.

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  Scary start of owning a new car - 2010 Nissan Rogue
  By fun2driveguy - September 24 - 10:00 am

  Well, the car itself seem to be great, that is until after only 104 miles, I get a check engine light. Yes that right the car has 104 miles on the ticker and we already are experiencing issues. After my "man check" of all fluids etc. I find there is almost no oil in the car. Dont they fill this up at the factory! Either way the nice people at the dealer have taken my new car and I am now stuck w/ versa for the weekend. What a great start. Other than that the awd version is a much smoother driver than the fwd. If you have the choice go awd.

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  Rides Like a Dream and Cheap at the Pump - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By Mister Digger - September 24 - 10:00 am

  Its now only one week old and I already have 1100 miles on it. Everything about this car has exceeded my wildest expectations, and it took me three months to decide. I needed something larger and more comfortable than my 2009 Elantra Touring without sacrificing much fuel economy or my beloved iPod interface. Well, the fuel economy is even BETTER (27-31 MPG on the highway without poking along), the ride almost feels like a Lincoln Navigator, the road noise is very little (just enough to provide feedback), and the touch screen iPod interface and stereo system is even better than the Hyundai. The back up camera works in reverse gear and is also a great feature. So is the trip computer.

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  Best of the rest - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By harry - September 24 - 10:00 am

  First I am 6 ft 2 inches and fit comfortably in this vehicle, the steering wheel is great and fits in the hand perfect. I also have a Buick enclave at 48k it costs 20k more but the Nissan is the car I drive every day. The nav is fantastic, response is precise and exact. While the enclave is my luxurious ride I must say I wished I saved the 20k and bought two of these. This is the best all around car in its class and a deal for the price.

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  Nissan Rogue S with 360 package - 2010 Nissan Rogue
  By jimmy - September 15 - 7:00 pm

  Have had the car only a week but love it so far. The variable transmission is just great. The ride is quite and comfortable.The car came with 48 lbs of air in the tires and after I adjusted them to the recommended 33 lbs the car seems to ride even smoother. The backup camera is a nice feature but is very wide angle and things seem very far away when actually they are close. You have to use common sense and not rely on just the camera when backing. Some little things that I did not realize when purchasing the car was no front bumper and the gas fill is on the right passenger side and has no lock on fuel door. I am afraid of the damage if I hit something with the no bumper front end.

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  Adequate but disappointing; not a CR-V/RAV4 beater - 2016 Nissan Rogue
  By M. McLoughlin - September 10 - 2:35 am

  I bought a 2016 Rogue SL AWD with Premium Package. I sold the Rogue to a Honda dealership five days after I picked it up and bought a CR-V Touring instead. I bought the Rogue because I wanted a blind spot monitor and the forward collision warning/brake assist. I also thought the Around View Monitor would be great to have. Although I thought about other higher-end small SUVs like the upper-trim CR-V and Toyota RAV-4, it seemed like a no-brainer to go with the Nissan because of its more aggressive aesthetic and the fact that you can (and I did) buy a top-of-the-line model for around $26,000 sticker price before taxes and fees, $5-6 k less than youd pay for the others. I liked it during the test drive. I liked it far less once I started driving it 60 miles roundtrip to work two days later. The pros: nice styling, nice materials inside, sliding and reclining rear seat, the Around View Monitor system is FANTASTIC and I wish every car had it, blind spot monitor works well (though the audible warning isnt loud enough to be heard at highway speeds or with the radio on), beautiful dash, a lot of customizable features and settings, gorgeous panoramic moonroof, useful electric lift gate, intuitive infotainment system, and, of course, the very reasonable price. Unfortunately, the cons outweighed these by a lot. First and foremost, the forward collision warning/automatic braking feature did not work. At all. Utterly useless. I took it back to the dealer, which told me everything was "to spec" and my expectations for the system were too high. I said thats fine, but in that case let me take the car for a spin with a Nissan technician who can show me how it works. Which I did. And to the technicians embarrassment, he could not get it to work either and could not explain why, though he did admit that the system as presently constituted was "pretty much useless." I took the car to another, more reputable Nissan dealership 40 miles away, and the very honest service director there told me that hes been getting a lot of complaints from Rogue owners about the same system, and Nissan hasnt come up with a fix yet, let alone acknowledge the problem. That really turned me off to the car, because you dont want to feel like a sucker making monthly payments on a car in which not everything functions properly -- especially something thats advertised as a crucial safety feature that can protect you and your children riding in the back seat. Besides that, the highway MPG was lower than advertised; the acceleration was lousy, even in "sport" mode; the brakes didnt feel powerful enough; the CVT was noisy and idiosyncratic; you could barely feel the seat-heaters; the engine was too loud and whined at highway speeds; the Moving Object Detection system wasnt sensitive and didnt detect half the moving objects that passed the car -- or detected them too late; the steering at low speeds was rough and annoying; there wasnt nearly enough room for my legs (Im 61") and I couldnt find a comfortable position in my seat; there was no automatically dimming rearview mirror despite this being the "top-of-the-line" trim, which makes you feel like you got ripped off; not all of the window buttons on the drivers side are illuminated, which also makes the car feel cheap; and the center console, though it has room for two average size cups, is otherwise useless if you want to lay something flat on it like a cell phone. I knew I would feel like a chump if I kept this car and that I had to sell it before I put any more mileage on it. I went to a bunch of dealers -- Toyota, Honda, Hyundai -- and test drove their compact SUVs. I ultimately bought a CR-V; the Honda dealership bought the Rogue from me. I didnt like the CR-Vs styling as much as I liked the Rogues -- but I liked everything else more. (And in fairness, I miss the Around View Monitor, and always will. Its so cool.) Since my first priority is safety, I have to praise the Hondas Sensing package, which has adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, and a forward collision warning/automatic braking feature that actually works. The engine is peppier and quieter, the ride is better insulated from road noise, the brakes are more powerful, its easier to fold down the rear seats, the infotainment system is more confusing but has more options as well, the steering is secure and well-balanced, the seat heaters really warm you, the keyless entry system is more advanced, and overall it just feels like a higher quality car -- I dont feel like Honda cut any corners or ripped me off on anything to save a buck (e.g., forward collision warning, automatic dimming rearview mirror). I realize that the CR-V trim I ultimately purchased was more expensive than the Rogue. However, you can get a CR-V for roughly the same price as the Rogue with all of these features except navigation and active safety. Do your homework before buying!

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  Nissan Rogue Rocks - 2011 Nissan Rogue
  By lainie1 - September 9 - 11:35 pm

  I have only had my Rogue for a couple weeks, but am extremely pleased with the comfort and ease of handling. I was worried because Ive never driven a larger vehicle, but the Rogue is easier than my cars which included Mazdas & Fords. Mine has the backup map which I love and the SV package. Love this vehicle and highly recommend it. I drove 130 miles before the gas measure moved off full!

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  I love this car - 2008 Nissan Rogue
  By Amanda - September 1 - 11:40 am

  The Rogue is a wonderful vehicle. It meets most of my criteria for an suv, but its so much more fun to drive. Buy one today! It has tons of standard features that in other cars you must pay extra for. I love the stability bars in the front and rear that allow great cornering. I love the 170 HP too. Love it!