Refreshed Rogue should keep bestseller status
Mid-cycle makeover includes subtle styling changes, added safety tech
Completely redesigned in 2014, Nissan’s bestselling vehicle has now matured, and when measured in automotive years that means it has reached middle age. So to keep it looking fresh, for 2017 the Rogue receives a mid-cycle makeover that includes subtle changes throughout.
You almost need to take a second look to notice the new fascia, on which the biggest difference is the slightly wider V-shaped grille that drops deeper into the bumper. Out back you need a trained eye to notice the equally subdued changes; the rear bumper now sports a diffuser-like trim piece, and there are new LED tail lights.
The same trim levels — S, SV and SL Premium — return for 2017, with front- and all-wheel drive available in the S and SV, while the SL has standard AWD.
You’ll find new trim materials and available colour combinations inside, as well as a new flat-bottom steering wheel, while a restyled shift knob now has a leather boot and slides to the left for manual gear changes.
Seats are available only in cloth in the S and SV, while the SL Premium gets standard leather trim, which is especially attractive in the new tan finish of my SL Premium test car. The new materials contribute to a slight reduction in interior sound levels, and the cabin is refreshingly quiet on the highway, with just a bit of tire noise making its way past the wheel wells.
The Rogue offers optional third-row seating for pint-sized humans, but if this extra saddle space is a necessity in your family, you should get a bigger vehicle. If not, you can nix the rearmost seats in favour of the added 906 litres of storage space.
Behind the second-row seats is Nissan’s clever Divide-N-Hide cargo system, which has a removable shelf in the rear cargo hold that conceals item placed beneath it when the liftgate is closed, and provides an additional flat surface to make stacking items easier. The rear storage compartment can be configured 18 different ways.
Lifting the hood reveals the same engine and transmission combination introduced in the first-generation Rogue in 2008. And the numbers haven’t changed on the 2.5-litre in-line four; it still produces 170 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of peak torque. The only transmission available is a CVT.
Although this powertrain struggles somewhat noisily to get the Rogue moving quickly past slower traffic, it redeems itself by returning good fuel economy.
Fuel consumption numbers have not yet been released for the 2017 model, but there’s no reason to believe the new Rogue shouldn’t do at least as well as the current model’s rating of 9.1 city/7.1 highway (L/100 km; FWD), especially since curb weight has dropped a few kilograms throughout the model range.
Seat heat for first- and secondrow passengers is now standard across the trim levels, and a heated steering wheel is optional. There’s a new hands-free power liftgate that rises and lowers in response to a kicking motion below the rear bumper, standard on the top-of-the-line SL Premium and optional on the SV. Remote start is also available on the SV and SL for those cold mornings (yes, we know how environmentally unfriendly this practice is), and activating it automatically turns on steering wheel heat, seat heat, exterior mirror heat, front and rear defrost, and the climate control is set to 24 degrees Celsius.
New driver aids include intelligent cruise control, which automatically maintains a safe distance behind other vehicles and can slow to a stop and resume the preset speed (between 32 and 144 km/h) in traffic, as long as the vehicle ahead doesn’t stop for too long, in which case you’ll have to resume speed manually. Also available is lane-departure warning, whose chimes signal you’re drifting within your lane, and lane-departure prevention that helps keep you in your lane by applying the brakes accordingly. These advanced driver aids are only available in the top-level SL.
Returning driver aids include forward emergency braking that automatically stops the vehicle if it senses a risk ahead, but for 2017 it includes pedestrian detection. There’s also blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert.
The Nissan Rogue, despite its suggestive name, is more of a middle-of-the-road CUV rather than a class leader. It’s a good enough value to lead Nissan sales in Canada, and it excels in interior space and its comfortable cabin. And, barring any unforeseen revelations from Natural Resources Canada, it boasts the best fuel economy in its class.
Pricing will be available shortly before it arrives in dealers in November, but 2016 models range from $24,948 for the base S, to $35,548 for the SL Premium.