2019 Nissan Rogue Road Test and Review

2019 Nissan Rogue hero ・ Photo by Ron Sessions

Offering a "just-right" size for the wants and needs of a lot of today’s customers, the 2019 Nissan Rogue is now the brand’s top-selling vehicle This compact SUV’s surprising roominess and its generous level of standard comfort and convenience features give customers a lot of bang for the buck. It competes head-to-head with the similarly sized Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 for the title of the best-selling SUV in the U.S.

Including the $1,045 destination charge, front-wheel-drive versions of the well-equipped base Rogue S are $25,845, the midlevel SV $27,265, and the topline SL $32,435. All-wheel drive is a modest $1,350 upcharge.

Getting the Job Done

The Rogue is powered by a 170-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 175 lb-ft of torque. That’s modest power for a compact SUV tipping the scales starting just below 3,500 lbs, enough to push it from rest to 60 mph in about nine seconds. Thanks to simulated gearchange steps programmed into the Rogue’s Xtronic continuously variable automatic transmission, the engine doesn’t drone incessantly. It will stay at higher revs when accelerating or merging onto a high-speed freeway or interstate. But around town and during most driving, engine speed is varied. That’s a good thing because the Rogue’s 2.5-liter sounds gravelly when pressed hard.

Front-wheel-drive Rogues receive a good-for-the-class EPA estimated 26 mpg city/33 mpg highway/29 mpg combined fuel-economy rating; all-wheel-drive models drop to 25 mpg city/32 mpg highway/27 mpg combined. I saw an indicated average 29.6 mpg over about 200 miles of mixed suburban/freeway driving in an AWD model. A 176-horsepower gas-electric hybrid version is available in the West Coast, Mid-Atlantic, and Rocky Mountain regions, which boosts mileage by 5 to 6 mpg. 

Photo by Ron Sessions

Nice Neighborhood

As with many other small crossover suvs based on passenger-car mechanical components, the Rogue combines a carlike ride and driving characteristics with a slightly elevated driving position and generous cargo capacity. There’s an attractive wraparound instrument panel, a D-shaped sport steering wheel, well-padded door and console armrests, and super-comfortable Zero Gravity front bucket seats that do a great job of supporting the lower back, thighs, and hips.

Base S and midline SV models come with cloth trim and the SL is leather-appointed, the front buckets on the upper trims are heated, and driver’s seat is power-adjustable. On all trims, the front passenger seat can be fully reclined which when the rear seatbacks are lowered, creating a space inside the vehicle that can accommodate extra-long items such as an 8-foot long ladder.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Staying Connected

Nissan keeps it simple and installs an Apple CarPlay and Android Auto-compatible 7-inch infotainment touchscreen as standard equipment on all 2019 Rogue models. Also standard is Bluetooth streaming audio and hands-free cellphone connectivity as well as SiriusXM satellite radio and a hands-free text-messaging assistant.

The SL model features standard navigation and upgrades from the four-speaker AM.FM/CD stereo on the S to a Bose system with nine speakers. Although screen response time and resolution could be better and there’s just a single USB port, the system is easy to use with a mix of touchscreen and hard button shortcuts as well as traditional rotary volume and tuning knobs. A dealer-installed 4G LTE Wi-Fi system is also available.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Look at You

A panoramic sunroof is a rare treat in the Rogue’s size and price class. The optional sunroof has a power sliding front section and fixed rear glass. It opens up the cabin, making an already roomy interior feel more spacious.

Other unexpected niceties include standard mood lighting, an overhead console, and an oversized bucket-style glovebox, plus dual-zone automatic climate control on SV and SL trims.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Say Ahh

There no longer an optional third-row seat for the Rogue as there was in past years, which was tiny and usable only by children anyway. But Nissan kept the sliding second-row seat mechanism previously used to ease access to the third row, and it now serves to prioritize either rear seat legroom or cargo floor length. The Rogue also keeps its wide-opening rear doors that open a full 77 degrees to facilitate rear ingress and egress.

The rear seat itself has decent head and legroom for adults, and the seatbacks recline or fold flat, split 40/20/40. A center pass-through provides space for longer items like skis. The back seat gets its own heating and air conditioning vents at the rear of the center console. Dark-tint rear privacy glass is standard in the SV and SL. Unfortunately for connected passengers, there are no USB charging ports in the back. Newly standard in all 2019 Rogues is a Rear Door Alert system that notifies the driver and sounds the horn to alert the driver to open a rear door to check for children, pets, or other treasures that may have been left behind after the ignition is shut off.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Clutch Cargo

By compact SUV standards, the Rogue offers an above-average amount of cargo space. There’s nearly 40 square feet of space with the rear seatbacks up and the seats in their forward-most position. Fold down the rear seatbacks and the volume climbs to 70 cubic feet, comparable to some mid-size SUVs.  

A motion-activated feature that opens the rear liftgate when one’s arms are full — say, with a Mexican pot or two — with a foot wave under the rear bumper is standard on the SV and SL trims.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Divide and Hide

Standard in all 2019 Nissan Rogue models is a cargo management system dubbed Divide-N-Hide. The rearmost section of the cargo floor lifts up to reveal a hidden storage well.

The space is wide enough and sufficiently deep to stash a backpack or two, some purses, briefcases, laptops, tablets — you name it — out of the view of larcenous eyes. The rear cargo floor section can also be inserted vertically as a divider, say, to keep bats, balls, honeydew melons or other sports equipment or fresh produce from rolling around.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Just Off the Shelf

In the space that used to house the now-discontinued optional third-row seat, the Rogue’s standard Divide-N-Hide cargo management system can also be configured with the cargo floor section in the raised position, acting as a cargo security cover or as a handy shelf for snack items at a sports event or tailgate party.

Even with all of this cargo area flexibility, the Rogue keeps a fully inflated mini-spare tire, jack, and lug wrench.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Safety First

A backup camera is standard on all Rogue models, but optional on the SV and standard on the SL is this Intelligent Around View monitor that stitches together a 360-degree overhead view of the SUV and its immediate surroundings from cameras on all four sides.

In addition to the expansion of safety tech — such as a lane-departure warning, Intelligent Lane Intervention, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, and blind-spot and rear cross-traffic monitoring — to all 2019 Rogue models, ProPILOT Assist availability expands to the SV and SL. The semi-autonomous ProPILOT Assist system uses a forward-facing camera and radar unit, combining active lane centering (in the presence of clearly marked white lines) with intelligent cruise control that adjusts vehicle speed and spacing with full stop-and-go capabilities.

Photo by Ron Sessions

You Rogue, You

Keep in mind that the Rogue, well equipped as it is, is based on economy car mechanicals. On the road, the Rogue has light steering effort and is pleasingly precise, but doesn’t translate much road feel. Damping and body control are OK around town, but there’s a fair amount of road noise present in the cabin, both from the front suspension and rear cargo area over rough pavement and highway expansion strips. The brakes are reassuring enough with a firm pedal feel and good top-of-pedal response; 17-, 18-, and 19-inch tires are available.

That said, the 2019 Nissan Rogue feels tight and maneuverable in its city/suburban mission around town. It’s packed with a ton of standard comfort and convenience items and doesn’t hold back on up-to-date safety and infotainment technology. Some buyers would see that as a bargain and rightfully so.

Photo by Ron Sessions