2019 Nissan Rogue Review

　　

zzdcar' Expert Review

byDan FrioReviews Editor

　　Dan spent many years covering the go-fast, look-good, get-loud corners of the automotive universe. First, he served as editor of enthusiast magazines AutoSound and Honda Tuning, then as executive editor at SEMA News, the publishing arm of the trade group that produces the annual SEMA Show (yes, that show). As a contributor to zzdcar, he now likes to keep the volume low and the speed limit legal, providing expert car-shopping advice to drivers looking for the perfect match.

　　

What's new

Expanded availability of advanced driver safety aidsPart of the second Rogue generation introduced for 2014

　　Although the word "rogue" summons images of a reckless, swashbuckling character (Bronn from Game of Thrones, perhaps?), the 2019 Nissan Rogue isn't that kind of car. Being a small crossover SUV — and a fairly innocuous-looking one at that — the Rogue is about as mainstream as it gets.

　　

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2019 Nissan Rogue S 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.04 per gallon for regular unleaded in North Dakota.

Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　$130/mo  for Rogue S

　　Rogue S

　　S 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl CVT) - $25,020 MSRPS 4dr SUV w/Prod. End 10/18 (2.5L 4cyl CVT) - $25,020 MSRPS 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT) - $26,370 MSRPSV 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl CVT) - $26,440 MSRPSV 4dr SUV w/Prod. End 10/18 (2.5L 4cyl CVT) - $26,440 MSRPSV 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT) (Most Popular) - $27,790 MSRPSV Hybrid 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT) - $27,700 MSRPSV Hybrid 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT) - $29,050 MSRPSL 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl CVT) - $31,490 MSRPSL 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT) - $32,840 MSRPSL Hybrid 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT) - $31,640 MSRPSL Hybrid 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT) - $32,990 MSRP

　　vs

　　$183/mo

　　Avg. Midsize SUV

　　We do give Nissan plenty of credit. The Rogue has all the key qualities that buyers expect of a small crossover, including excellent comfort, top-notch safety scores, and spacious room for people and cargo. Seventy cubic feet of cargo space helps make the Rogue one of the more versatile small SUVs on the market, while upscale cabin materials give it a classier feel than its price might suggest.

　　On the downside, the modestly powered four-cylinder engine and sluggish continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) struggle to get the Rogue moving when you want swift acceleration. Nor does the Rogue offer the same kind of handling spirit that you'll find in its competitors from Ford, Honda or Mazda. We're also not fond of the dated-looking infotainment system, but standard smartphone integration does alleviate the issue somewhat.

　　In the grand scheme of things, the positives greatly outweigh the negatives. The Rogue might not be Bronn's kind of vehicle, but for just about everyone else it should be a fine choice for a small SUV.

　　

What's it like to live with?

Get to know the Nissan Rogue even more. Learn about day-to-day ownership from our editorial experts' long-term test of a 2014 Rogue SL AWD. We know it is Nissan's best-selling SUV. How was the fuel economy? How much can you pack in the cargo area for road trips? Is it comfortable? Learn this and more from our test. Note that the 2019 Rogue has better interior materials, smartphone integration, optional advanced driving aids and a hybrid trim, but our coverage of the 2014 model is otherwise applicable.

　　

zzdcar' Expert Rating

6.9 / 10

　　

Trim tested

　　Each vehicle typically comes in multiple versions that are fundamentally similar. The ratings in this review are based on our full test of the Nissan Rogue SL (2.5L inline-4 | CVT automatic | AWD).

　　

Scorecard

Overall	6.9 / 10
Driving	6.5
Comfort	8.0
Interior	7.0
Utility	8.0
Technology	7.0

　　

Driving

6.5

　　Performance is low on the totem pole. The engine rarely delivers as much acceleration as you want, and the CVT automatic's sluggishness doesn't help matters. The brakes are squishy and the steering wheel gives you little sense that it's connected to the car. Handling is surprisingly decent.

　　

Acceleration

5.5

　　Outright performance isn't a priority in this class, and drivers will feel the limits of the Rogue's meager power levels when merging onto the highway or attempting a pass. A 0-60 mph time of 10.1 seconds is slower than any vehicle in the class. At least the engine feels responsive at city speeds.

　　

Braking

6.5

　　It stops smoothly as pressure buildup after the initial bite is intuitive. Our tester came to a stop from 60 mph in 127 feet — about average — and exhibited lots of noise from the antilock braking system. That, along with a somewhat squishy pedal feel, makes real-world panic stops a bit stressful.

　　

Steering

6.0

　　The steering is overly light at low speeds and doesn't increase as you move from the center position. Only a modicum of feedback keeps the wheel from feeling like a dead fish in your hands. Effort is mildly heavier at highway speeds, which helps the SUV feel stable.

　　

Handling

7.0

　　The Rogue doesn't reward you with thrilling dynamics, but it doesn't fall apart in a set of corners either. Body roll is evident but not excessive in the Rogue, unlike some other small crossovers. Midcorner bumps deliver an unrefined shimmy through the cabin.

　　

Drivability

6.0

　　The standard transmission mode performs well enough except when you want a little extra power where the CVT takes a bit too long to give you what little power the engine can muster. Eco mode dulls throttle response far too much, while Sport mode makes the pedal overly sensitive to inputs.

　　

Comfort

8.0

　　Most will be happy with the Rogue's enveloping seats and quiet cabin. If wavy roads aren't on your commute, you'll find the ride pleasant too.

　　

Seat comfort

7.5

　　The Rogue has comfortable front seats. You should be able to drive for hours at a time, though we prefer the headrests to be less intrusive. In back, the rear seats are a little high off the floor but provide good thigh support and are adjustable for recline.

　　

Ride comfort

8.0

　　The Rogue delivers a comfortable ride in most circumstances. No harshness is transmitted to passengers over poor roads. Road undulations are the Rogue's only weakness: They make the ride feel bouncy, and it takes a second for the car to settle afterwards.

　　

Noise & vibration

8.0

　　Engine noise is nicely suppressed at cruising speed, and even wind and road noise is kept at low levels. The engine doesn't sound great at full throttle — there's more noise than actual forward propulsion. All in all, the Rogue is an impressively quiet car.

　　

Climate control

8.0

　　The dual-zone climate system keeps the cabin at a balanced temperature. Rear air vents circulate air for backseat passengers. Both the steering wheel and heated front seats get warm without being hot.

　　

Interior

7.0

　　First, the highlights: The cabin is quite spacious, so four tall passengers can sit in comfort. Large openings also make it a cinch to enter and exit. However, outward visibility is poor, it takes a while to find a comfortable seating position, and there are too many misplaced buttons.

　　

Ease of use

6.0

　　Buttons are the Rogue's undoing. The physical buttons surrounding the touchscreen are on the small side, and the relatively tiny screen is easily cluttered with its own virtual buttons. Other buttons, including steering wheel heating, are inexplicably located next to the driver's left knee.

　　

Getting in/getting out

8.5

　　Taller drivers might brush their legs against the low-mounted steering column while getting in and out. Otherwise, it's easy to enter and exit the Rogue. Lots of rear legroom plus the front seat's positioning in front of the middle pillar makes it easy for rear passengers to get out. Most won't have to duck to get inside either

　　

Driving position

6.0

　　The driving position isn't great. The lack of thigh adjustment naturally makes for a compromised driving position, and the forward-tilted headrests make you adopt a greater level of seat recline than you might typically use.

　　

Roominess

8.5

　　The cabin offers a good sense of room. Even tall rear passengers can sit behind long-legged front occupants. The rear outboard seats feel a little narrow, and you might rest your shoulder against the middle seat. The 40/20/40-split rear seat slides fore and aft.

　　

Visibility

5.5

　　The low beltline is consistent for front and rear side windows, so you can easily see out the sides. But the rear three-quarter view is abysmal due to a small quarter window and a substantial rear pillar. It's all too easy to lose track of a car in the blind spot.

　　

Quality

6.0

　　Even in this top-tier trim, it's hard to overcome a feeling of cheapness due to the overabundance of hard scratchy plastics. Well-padded faux leather coverings make it better than a Mitsubishi Outlander, but it's not as good as a Honda CR-V, and not even in the same category as the Mazda CX-5.

　　

Utility

8.0

　　There's tons of room for stuff behind the second row. The two floor covers lead to interesting and useful cargo configurations, too. Interior storage cubbies are lacking, and the rear armrest solution is a little silly and not practical if you have a lot of stuff in the cargo area.

　　

Small-item storage

6.0

　　There's not much room below the center stack for small items, and the USB port/12-volt outlet module takes a chunk out of the under-arm storage bin. At least door pockets are decently sized. Lower the rear-seat armrest to use the cupholders and you expose your elbows to whatever cargo you're hauling. Not the best solution.

　　

Cargo space

9.0

　　At 39.3 cubic feet, the Rogue's cargo area is the largest in the class by a hair. It's very useful thanks to a low load height and Nissan's Divide-N-Hide system, which features dual floor covers that be configured in multiple ways. Small items might slide around on the plastic floor underneath.

　　

Child safety seat accommodation

7.5

　　Four lower car seat anchors are exposed for easy access, but the leather surrounding them is stiff. The roof-mounted tether is easy to access, while fabric covers the two tethers at the bottom of the seatback. On the plus side, you can reach these tethers without removing the cargo cover.

　　

Technology

7.0

　　The real highlight is Nissan's ProPilot Assist system, which bundles several useful and intuitive driving aids. Everything else is a mixed bag — the audio system sounds good but the speakers rattle, while voice controls are good at recognizing speech but the menu structure is confusing.

　　

Audio & navigation

6.0

　　The Bose audio system sounds pretty good, delivering defined bass where other competing systems sound muddy. That said, we had speaker rattle at higher volume with bass output in its default setting. The nav system is functional but the small screen makes it difficult to decipher detailed info.

　　

Smartphone integration

6.5

　　There's a single USB data port below the center stack, plus another charge-only port under the armrest. Even though this is a large, family-friendly SUV, there are no ports for backseat passengers.The Rogue offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, something that other competitors don't.

　　

Driver aids

8.5

　　Adaptive cruise is fairly intuitive and manages changing traffic conditions well with smooth acceleration and braking inputs. And the steering assist feature stays engaged even if you need to steer counter to its logic. The lane departure warning system is overly sensitive but can easily be turned off.

　　

Voice control

7.0

　　The system doesn't really support natural speech detection — you pretty much have to follow a rigid and complicated menu structure. But voice recognition is good, even if it didn't always recognize restaurant names. Directional information is provided (2.2 miles to the left, for instance), which is rare in this class.

　　

Which Rogue does zzdcar recommend?

　　The middle SV trim with the optional Premium package should hit the sweet spot for most buyers looking to handle commuter, family and recreational uses. The SV offers the more desirable features from the top SL trim, without the SL's larger wheels that can detract from the ride quality, while the Premium package adds useful features such as a surround-view camera system, navigation and a power liftgate.

　　

2019 Nissan Rogue models

　　The 2019 Nissan Rogue is a small crossover SUV available in three trim levels: S, SV and SL. The smaller Rogue Sport model is reviewed separately. A Rogue Hybrid is also available.

　　Most Rogues come standard with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine (170 horsepower, 175 pound-feet of torque) paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) that sends power to the front wheels. All-wheel drive is available as an option. The Rogue Hybrid is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor (176 hp combined output) and either front- or all-wheel drive. It's available only in SV and SL trims.

　　Standard features on S trims include 17-inch steel wheels, 40/20/40-split folding rear seats that also slide and recline, a rearview camera, a 7-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth, dual USB inputs, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration, and a four-speaker CD player with satellite radio. Safety features include blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, automatic high beams, lane departure warning and lane keeping assist.

　　The SV trim adds 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, a hands-free-opening liftgate, heated side mirrors, keyless entry, push-button ignition, rear privacy glass, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated front seats, a power-adjustable driver's seat, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and a six-speaker audio system. Additional driver safety aids include rear parking sensors and reverse automatic braking.

　　Several of these features are also available for the S trim level via the optional Special Edition package.

　　The top-trim SL includes 19-inch wheels, foglights, leather upholstery, a heated steering wheel, driver-seat memory settings, a surround-view camera system, an integrated navigation system, NissanConnect emergency and convenience services, and a nine-speaker Bose audio system. The SL also comes with ProPilot Assist, a combination of semiautomated driving features that includes stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, which can bring the car to a complete stop and start again, and steering assist, which keeps the car centered in its lane.

　　Several of the SL's features, such as ProPilot Assist, are available on the SV. Options for the SL include a panoramic sunroof (also available for the SV) and LED headlights, while the Platinum Reserve Interior package adds quilted tan leather upholstery.

　　

2019 Rogue Highlights

Type: SUVHybridSUV

　　Trim: SSVSV HybridSLSL HybridS

　　

Base MSRP	$25,020
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	29 MPG
Cost to Drive	$130/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	39.3 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles