2023 Nissan Rogue Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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Stylish design
Comfortable front seats
Standard advanced safety features
Cons
Uncomfortable back seats
Poor voice recognition system
Questionable value for money
Does the popular Nissan Rogue have what it takes to compete in the hottest SUV segment on the continent in 2023?
Car companies typically don’t take design chances with their most popular products. That’s true of the latest Nissan Rogue, which has proper proportions, handsomely chiseled styling, and just the right amount of SUV detailing to convey a rugged sense of purpose. It is an appealing vehicle, and that’s critical considering that people don’t buy cars, trucks, or SUVs that they think are ugly.
The 2023 Nissan Rogue lineup includes S, SV, SL, and Platinum trim levels, and prices range from $30,898 for the base S FWD (front-wheel drive) to $43,748 for the Platinum, not including a $1,920 destination charge. The new Midnight Edition package is based on the SV trim.
Our test vehicle was a US-specification vehicle in Platinum trim. It had all-wheel drive (AWD), two-tone paint, a frameless rearview mirror, floor mats, a cargo area protector, interior accent lighting, exterior ground lighting, illuminated kick plates, and a first-aid kit. The Platinum’s $43,748 pre-fees asking price is edging toward the most affordable version of the Infiniti QX50, the compact crossover from Nissan’s luxury brand, which starts in Canada just below $50,000. However, the Rogue’s Platinum trim does offer a long list of upscale upgrades, perhaps most evident in its soft, supple, diamond-pattern leather seats. Many surfaces that the driver and front passenger may touch are soft, and the controls and materials meet the quality standards of the compact SUV segment.
When the current-generation Rogue went on sale as a 2021 model, it had Nissan’s familiar 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). For the 2022 model year, Nissan yanked that drivetrain out of all but the base trim, replacing it with a new turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine featuring the automaker’s exclusive variable compression design. Known as a VC-Turbo engine, the powerplant’s combination of variable compression ratios and turbocharging is supposed to give drivers impressive performance when needed and great fuel economy the rest of the time.
Nissan says the 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder makes power specs of 201 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 225 lb-ft of torque from 2,800 rpm to 4,000 rpm. The CVT includes paddle shifters, and the engine powers the Rogue’s front wheels unless you get the optional AWD system, which is standard on all but the base trim in Canada. All Rogues offer Eco, Auto, and Sport driving modes. Additionally, AWD versions have Off-Road and Snow modes. Remote engine starting with climate system interior pre-conditioning is also available.
We prefer the new VC-Turbo powertrain to the Rogue’s 2.5-litre four-cylinder, and even though the plateau of peak torque output is a short one, the Rogue feels responsive in urban and suburban driving situations. In addition, the CVT rarely calls negative attention to itself, though its simulated gear changes can feel too dramatic. Unfortunately though, the drivetrain lacks passing power on the highway.
Some people may also not like the engine’s character. It has an unusual note encroaching on the cabin and issues some vibration through the accelerator pedal when the driver pushes down on it. These traits are almost certainly related to the three-cylinder configuration but may come across as a lack of refinement to some drivers.
As for fuel economy, Natural Resources Canada says our test vehicle should have returned 7.7 L/100 km in combined driving. On the evaluation loop, it averaged 8.1 L/100 km, falling short of expectations. This has been our experience with VC-Turbo engines in the past and is not surprising to us.
Nissan equips the Rogue with brake-induced ride quality and cornering enhancements. Intelligent Trace Control helps to keep the SUV on the intended cornering line, while Active Ride Control aims to ensure a smooth ride. The Rogue employs a strut-type front and multi-link rear suspension design, and our test vehicle had automatic brake hold, hill start assist, and large 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 235/55 tires.
Remarkably, the Rogue blazes over local speed humps at 50 km/h without any excess body motion or suspension noise. It is composed over sharper speed bumps, too. However, on roads with undulating pavement, there is more lateral and vertical body motion than is desirable. In addition, the all-season tires provide modest grip and produce quite a bit of tire slap on patched pavement. In all situations, the steering feels lifeless in the driver’s hands.
Nevertheless, our test vehicle generally demonstrated a good balance of ride compliance and body control, leading to a secure, consistent handling character. You can put some trust in how the Nissan Rogue will behave in a given situation.
Many people choose a compact SUV instead of a midsize car, and that’s understandable. They’re higher off the ground, making them easier to enter and exit while providing better visibility from the driver’s seat. Add available AWD and extra ground clearance for added confidence when driving in snow, plus a larger and more practical cargo area, and vehicles like the Nissan Rogue can make more sense than a car such as the Nissan Altima.
So, the 2023 Rogue is a replacement for the traditional family car, and it works well for this purpose. Four people fit with ease, and you can carry a fifth person when necessary as long as they don’t mind squeezing into the middle of the back seat.
Our Nissan Rogue Platinum test vehicle had all of the goodies, including a triple-zone automatic climate control system and a dual-panel panoramic sunroof. An eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and four-way power front passenger’s seat came wrapped in premium semi-aniline leather upholstery with diamond-stitched inserts. Both were heated, and our test vehicle also had a heated steering wheel. Unfortunately, Nissan does not offer ventilated front seats in the Rogue.
Both front chairs boast Nissan’s Zero Gravity seat designs, which means they’re crafted to mimic the natural support astronauts feel in space. That might overstate their effectiveness, but they certainly are comfortable. Height adjustment for the front passenger would be nice to have, though.
Outward visibility is good thanks to the Rogue’s large side mirrors and thin windshield pillars. Oddly, Nissan places the ambient interior lighting control button inside the split-top centre armrest storage bin. Otherwise, the Rogue’s controls and layout are simple and straightforward.
Still, we have an unusual complaint about the Rogue. Its remote keyless entry fob is black plastic with subtle markings defining the four buttons on it. Unfortunately, those markings are also black and it is almost impossible to feel the buttons under your fingertips. Walk up to the Rogue in low light with this low-contrast key fob, and you’ll also find yourself whipping out your smartphone’s flashlight to see which button you need to use. Even when standing in your home after dark, the glare on the plastic fob can make it hard to tell which button does what when all you want to do is make sure your SUV is locked up before going to bed. The design represents a frustrating lack of thoughtfulness.
The Rogue’s rear doors open to a nearly 90-degree angle, which is great when you’re loading or unloading kids in situations where there is room to use them. Our test vehicle also had rear climate controls, air conditioning vents, USB charging ports, side window shades, and heated outboard seats.
Even for adults, the back seat is roomy. Unfortunately, the seat itself is not comfortable. The bottom cushion is mounted low and lacks leg support, and the test vehicle’s diamond-shaped quilted pleats felt like sitting on bubble wrap. The disappointing rear seat comfort stands in stark contrast to the impressive driver’s seat comfort.
Storage space is plentiful throughout the Rogue. However, most locations are unlined, so items placed within them could cause unwanted noise, vibration, and harshness.
An available hands-free power liftgate rises to reveal up to 1,028 litres of cargo space behind the Rogue’s back seat when a moonroof is installed. Nissan’s Divide-N-Hide feature is available, allowing owners to configure the cargo area in six different ways. You can expand the cargo space using remote levers located in the cargo area. They fold the back seats down to create as much as 2,064 litres of cargo volume. Underfloor storage areas are included as well.
Recently, Nissan introduced a new widescreen infotainment system in the refreshed 2023 Altima sedan. The automaker must rush that feature into the Rogue as soon as possible.
For now, the Rogue uses an older version of Nissan’s infotainment system, which uses a standard 8-inch or available 9-inch touchscreen display paired with stereo volume and tuning knobs and easily accessible main menu buttons.
The test vehicle had the larger 9-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth connectivity, satellite radio, wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, NissanConnect services with access to a Wi-Fi hotspot, and a navigation system with a door-to-door function via a smartphone app. It also had a wireless smartphone charging pad and a decent-sounding Bose premium audio system.
The voice recognition technology couldn’t handle anything outside of finding the nearest Starbucks. We asked for directions to the closest Chipotle, and it gave us “Pho Ly” and “Pho Lee” as the places to choose from. Another request for directions to the closest hospital, spoken in an urgent tone, as though someone needed help immediately, resulted in a list of destinations, including general practitioners, an urgent care, a veterinary office, and a local assisted living centre.
In addition to this impressively featured infotainment system, the test vehicle had a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation display and a head-up display (HUD). Both worked well, though our test drive took place during a series of rainstorms, so we never tried viewing the HUD through a set of polarized sunglasses.
There is no shortage of safety features on the 2023 Nissan Rogue. Standard equipment includes 10 airbags, a rear-seat reminder system, and Safety Shield 360. That collection of driver assistance and collision avoidance systems includes forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, rear automatic braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, and automatic high-beam headlights.
Rogues equipped with NissanConnect services include a short complimentary subscription to automatic collision notification, emergency assistance calling, and safe teen driver technology, including vehicle speed, driver curfew, and geographic boundary notifications. Additionally, you can get a surround-view camera, active blind-spot monitoring that can try to prevent unsafe lane changes, lane-keeping assist, and a driver monitoring system. If you have trouble parking, you’ll want the front, side, and rear sonar to help you out.
As you upgrade to higher trim levels, you can also get ProPilot Assist with Navi-link on the 2023 Rogue. This combines adaptive cruise control with lane-centring assistance, and as long as the driver is holding the steering wheel, it works at highway speeds.
We used ProPilot Assist on city highways, and in the Rogue, the technology works well. Due to a lag between pushing the activation button on the steering wheel and a confirmation from the vehicle, we had some initial trouble turning the system on. But otherwise, it impressed us with its accuracy and ability to operate in the background (aside from regular dings and chimes as it acquired and lost sight of vehicles ahead).
Importantly, during this evaluation, ProPilot Assist’s lane-centring technology did not cause driver irritation. In addition, when changing lanes to pass slower vehicles, the system accelerated the Rogue with a sense of urgency to get back up to speed. We also liked how clearly the digital instrumentation confirmed that ProPilot Assist was active, and the lane-departure warning system’s steering wheel vibration and orange blinking line display on the HUD is well considered. If there is anything to complain about, it’s that braking action with ProPilot Assist active can be more abrupt than is desirable when other vehicles cut into the gap ahead.
As far as 2023 Nissan Rogue safety ratings go, the SUV earns a Top Safety Pick+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2022 calendar year. However, you should note that in updated versions of the small overlap frontal-impact test and the side-impact test, the Rogue falters, earning Marginal and Acceptable scores, respectively.
According to crash tests performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 2023 Rogue earns a five-star overall rating. However, it gets four stars each for the driver and front passenger in a frontal-impact collision.
The Nissan Rogue is competitively priced, though as evidenced by our test vehicle, you can upgrade it beyond what is reasonable for the compact crossover SUV class.
Unfortunately, when you seek “value add” in this vehicle, you’ll come up empty-handed. For example, Nissan’s three-year/60,000-kilometre basic warranty and five-year/100,000-kilometre powertrain warranty are nothing to write home about, and the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, and Toyota RAV4 all come with efficient hybrid powertrains or, in the case of the latter two models, plug-in hybrid drivetrains.
These three alternatives are not the only competitors the Rogue faces, but they are the most popular ones that challenge Nissan’s ability to remain near the top of the sales charts. Without a better value proposition, electrified powertrains, improved infotainment, and modifications to enhance its safety ratings, the Rogue could find itself giving up established ground in the years ahead.
Note: Images show a US model.
