What We Love About The 2025 Nissan Rogue
While dealers struggle to sell various models and electric car sales wane in the US, the compact SUV segment is as competitive as ever. The Nissan Rogue doesn’t quite hold its own in sales with the top-sellers like the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, but it does have a place in the top 10 best-selling passenger vehicles of 2024 in the US.
We recently spent some time with the latest Rogue, and we think it has a lot to offer. Here’s what we loved about it, what we think Nissan needs to improve on, and what left us scratching our heads.
Read our comprehensive test drive review of the 2025 Nissan Rogue
here
.
What I Loved
Value For Money
This year, Nissan has pushed the line that it has six vehicles available with a starting price of under $30,000. The Rogue is in a segment that demands either a particularly attractive starting point, or a lot of value for money. For 2025, it starts at $29,230, which is just a tad more than that Toyota RAV4, but both are more than Kia’s Sportage at $27,190. In terms of standard features on the base model, the Nissan compares well to the RAV4 pound for pound in features, but the Rogue comes with some key features like aluminum wheels rather than steel wheels, push-button start, and Blind Spot Warning as part of Nissan’s standard Safety Shield 360 system. As a value proposition, the Rogue hits the spot, but it’s not a slam-dunk in any direction.
Family Comfort
While still being small in size, a compact crossover still needs to be able to get a couple of adults and a few kids around without prompting a screaming match because of elbows digging into ribs. The Rogue is a five-seater crossover, so there isn’t oodles of space, but it has plenty of leg and elbow room in the back for a pair of gangly teenagers and even full-size adults. However, bear in mind that if you want the kids to be able to charge their electronic devices, you’ll either need to move up from the basic trim or invest in some long USB cables. Cargo space isn’t best in class, but it’s still plenty for most big grocery runs and weekends away.
Areas To Improve
The Lack Of Fun Or Engagement
If a fun and engaging driving experience is on the list of important features, then the Mazda CX-5 or even the CX-50 is the top of the tree in the segment. But, there should be something fun about driving a vehicle in the 21st century, even if it’s not something non-driving enthusiasts can put their finger on. The Rogue is pleasant to drive, but for anyone that likes to get there quickly, hustle on through the city or on their way home, it doesn’t offer much.
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The Off-Road Trim
Our recent test drive was with the Rock Creek trim, seeking to take advantage of the current enthusiasm for getting away from the pavement and finding camping spots, hiking spots, and general pursuits away from the hustle and bustle. Unfortunately, while the Rock Creek trim includes all-wheel-drive, a good set of all-terrain tires, an off-road mode, a hill descent control setting, and a new camera system with off-road views, there’s no suspension upgrade or lift. That severely limits where it can go, as just a single big bump on an easy trail can cause a scrape or real damage. Instead of spending $35,420 on the Rogue Rock Creek, it makes a lot more sense to spend $34,920 on the Subaru Forester Wilderness with its better all-wheel-drive system for slippery surfaces and an extra inch of ground clearance.
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A Mixed Bag
The Infotainment Setup
An eight-inch infotainment system is standard with wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. This is a missed opportunity. It’s 2025: everyone has a phone capable of wireless Auto or CarPlay in their pocket. If that’s what someone wants in a base model, and the vast majority who are shopping base models want that, they should skip everything we’ve talked about so far and start with the Hyundai Tucson at $28,605. For those looking at higher trims within the Rogue lineup, a larger 12.3-inch screen is available and runs the double-edged sword that is Google Built-In. We day double-edged because it’s brilliant, but it also puts the largest data mining company in the world directly and permanently into your car. As a system, it’s intuitive and works well with the 12.3-inch reconfigurable digital gauge cluster and worth making sure you get the heads-up display – it’s one of the simpler yet most useful we’ve used at this price point.
Powertrain Lineup
This is the big one – and an obvious one if you’ve been following our commentary or the automotive news lately. We’re genuinely impressed by the Rogue’s turbocharged 1.5-liter, three-cylinder engine. It competes well in the segment with great torque and 201 horsepower, which is just 2 hp short of the RAV4.
The Rogue’s fuel economy of 33 mpg combined is solid on paper and – bear in mind this is purely anecdotal – we got even better on our week-long test drive. However, if you want a bit more punch or even better fuel economy from a hybrid powertrain, you’re out of luck. The RAV4 offers a hybrid powertrain and a plug-in option, too, with the benefit of an all-electric range. This would make the Rogue even more appealing.
The Big Takeaway
The 2025 Nissan Rogue has as much to like as there is that we think Nissan needs to improve on. That makes it a hard sell in the face of tough competition from the likes of Subaru, Mazda, Toyota, and the Honda CR-V. If you want a clearer picture of whether or not we think Nissan has done enough with the 2025 Rogue, be sure to check out our test drive review.
