Nissan Rogue adds comfort
David Booth: This road test actually started out as one of our new “Duet” features. The idea was to pit the new Rogue against its larger Murano sibling, and determine which offered the best value in Nissan’s (sort of) compact SUV lineup.
However, it quickly became obvious that despite being smaller, cheaper and less powerful, the Rogue would so completely dominate the aging Murano that it would be the crossover equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. So, yes, the new Rogue is so good, it won its first comparison without having to fire even a single spark plug.
Nadine Filion: And hands down it does, especially over its own past generation, because of a lot more and better technology. There’s a more-comfy cabin, more sound attenuation, a more refined powertrain, and even better road manners.
Not that the last generation of the Rogue, with us since the 2014 model-year, didn’t succeed in those areas. To the contrary, I always thought this compact Japanese SUV was unfairly unloved, maybe because its smaller Kicks and Qashqai siblings got all the attention.
Nissan took an already techno-wise and spacious vehicle — remember, the past generation could be had with three rows of seats, and added nice touches for 2021 — for example, a heated bench for the rear passengers, and head-up display for the driver. It now also has storage compartments worthy of its utilitarian nature, and I particularly loved its floating console.
The only bad thing is that you really need to overlook the new exterior. Although the past silhouette morphed into anonymity over the course of the years, it was composed of fluid lines. Now, it’s getting its sharp-and-square cues from, maybe, a Frigidaire. There’s nothing sexy here, and even the Toyota RAV4 looks better.
DB: Well, for one thing, I like the new exterior, more than the previous model you laud so much. More important to me, because I spend a lot more time driving a car than looking at it, is that the interior is so much more pleasing. The materials used are far superior than the outgoing Rogue, and the build quality more refined. And, dare I say it — and this is where initial thoughts of a Murano comparison got squashed — much more luxurious, more so than the old Rogue and even a bit more, and maybe a lot more, than the current Murano. The new Rogue’s interior is quite impressive.
Not quite as spectacular, but still deserving of praise, is the Rogue’s powertrain. Available in both front- and all-wheel-drive variants, all new Rogues are powered by the revised version of the previous-gen’s 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-banger. Nissan says that, as a result of a new exhaust manifold and variable intake valves, it’s up some 11 horsepower (to 181) and six pound-feet of torque (to a symmetrical 181 lb-ft). There’s less noise, vibration and harshness, and it feels, dare I say it, almost sophisticated, mostly because the CVT transmission has been recalibrated for less-annoying shifting and better manipulation of engine rpm. It doesn’t boast a turbo because it doesn’t need a turbo.
NF: I totally agree in regards with the CVT. It’s one of the most disciplined continuously-variable transmissions I’ve ever tested, so much that I thought Nissan had actually gone back to a traditional automatic. Married with a revised CMF-C/D platform Nissan claims is more rigid makes for more assured, if not outright sporty, road manners.
That brings me to this other area where there’s a notable improvement: Nissan’s “Intelligent” all-wheel drive. While past Rogues offered a lock mode, Nissan says the new enhanced system can now control torque more accurately, predict front wheel slippage more quickly, and is now paired with a drive selector that offers five different modes: sport, snow, standard, eco, and off-road. It was good enough that we survived your “cowboying” through Toronto’s first real snowstorm this year of 15 centimetres.
DB: Cowboying? All I did was drift the rear end a little. You’re getting frivolous in your old age.
NF: C’mon, Dave, don’t project your geriatric tendencies on me…
DB: Seriously, though, the new Rogue’s all-wheel-drive system is more than up to its intended tasks. Indeed, that’s my take on the new Rogue overall. Like its predecessor, it’s more than functionally adequate, as robust as sport-cutes get on this side of a Land Rover, and able to tackle all the terrains and conditions its clientele is likely to throw at it.
The 2021 version is much improved in how it makes you feel. It’s more luxurious, more comfortable and, dare I disagree with you yet again, more pleasing to the eye. Indeed, my one complaint is that, at least in the fullyloaded Platinum version we tested, its price tag comes perilously close to $40,000. That’s not cute at all.
NF: I agree with your penny-pinching assessment, since the top-of-the-line Platinum we test-drove didn’t even boast ventilated seats. Yes, it did have a fantastic 12.3-inch digital-dashboard gauge cluster, pleasing to the eye and with numerous and practical customizations. But as you say, for close to 40 grand, I would have expected something special, such as electrification, where Nissan does have some expertise. Just saying.
That said, know that even in its base S version ($28,498 for FWD, $30,798 for AWD), the 2021 Nissan Rogue is a super-well-equipped vehicle. I personally hate when a manufacturer limits its advanced driver-assistance systems to top-of-the-line versions, so we congratulate Nissan on joining Toyota and Honda in its good-corporate-citizen footsteps by making its Safety Shield 360 standard on all Rogues. That includes blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and emergency braking with pedestrian detection.
But even if the base version of the Rogue is fairly wellequipped, I would still move one step up the ladder to the middle-trim SV, starting at $31,998, since it brings the panoramic roof, intelligent adaptive cruise control, and Around View Monitor. This bird’s-eye back-up camera is one of the best on the market, and a must for those who, sometimes, are too distracted by their Motor Mouth to pay attention while driving.