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2017 Nissan Rogue Review - A Car-Wars Story


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2017 Nissan Rogue
A Car Wars Story

By Larry Nutson
Senior Editor and Bureau Chief
Chicago Bureau
The Auto Channel


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At Nissan, 2017 is the “Year of the Truck.” Nissan has introduced a slew of new models in their SUV and pickup model range and the 2017 Rogue is one of them.

Nissan expects the Rogue to be their biggest volume seller for 2017.

For 2017, the Nissan Rogue has been freshened on the outside, made quieter, gotten some new comfort and convenience features as well as new driver-assistance safety upgrades.


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The Rogue is offered in three trims, S, SV and SL and all are powered by a 170HP 2.5-L engine mated to Nissan’s Xtronic CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). Front-wheel or all-wheel drive is available in each trim.

Pricing runs from $23,820 for the S, to $25,240 for the SV and $29,960 for the SL. The optional AWD runs an additional $1,350 on each trim. All three trims are 5-passenger with an extra-cost 2-seat third row bench available for the S and SV, bringing seating capacity up to seven.

EPA test-cycle fuel economy ratings are nearly identical between FWD and AWD models. The Rogue with FWD is rated in the EPA test-cycle at 29 mpg combined with 26 city mpg and 33 highway mpg. The AWD model is just one mpg lower in all ratings.

There’s also a new Rogue Hybrid in the line up that is noteworthy. Available in SV and SL trim, power comes from a 2.0-L four-cylinder combined with a 30-kW electric motor for 176 HP in the combined system. EPA test-cycle fuel economy ratings are about 5 mpg higher, at 33-34 combined mpg. I’m scheduled to have some time driving that vehicle in about a month and will report on it more extensively at that time.


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For my week of driving, the media-loan vehicle from Nissan was the Rogue SV AWD priced at $26,590. An optional SV Premium Package added $1,380 and brought with it Nissan Connect with navigation and mobile apps, voice recognition, a 360-degree around view monitor, heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, moving object detection and a motion activated hands-free liftgate.

Overall I found the Rogue quite comfortable for my around-Chicago jaunts. Nissan has done a nice job with seat comfort and the suspension tuning yielded good ride comfort soaking up city potholes.

The powertrain responds nicely once you get the engine revving a bit and overall it gets the job done. The Xtronic transmission has Sport Mode and Eco switches.

Acceleration and highway merging was fine with just me on board. I imagine with a few more folks, a bit of luggage or hilly terrain there might be a desire for a bit more power. This powertrain is the same as I drove on the 2015 model that behaved similarly.

On the outside the Rogue gets a new front fascia and Nissan’s V-Motion grille. The headlights are new and in back the bumper and taillights are changed a bit.

On the inside the Rogue has nice fit and finish and an overall premium feel. There’s a new flat-bottom, D-shaped steering wheel, revised center console and leather-booted sport-mode shifter. Door and instrument panel trim are new as is the shift knob design.


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In the rear the second row seat folds in a 40/20/40 split, reclines and also slides forward and back. A nice feature to add some cargo space if needed.

Cargo volume behind the second row is 32 cu.ft., increasing to 70 cu.ft. with the second row folded. If you were to have the 3rd row bench, there’s only 9.4 cu.ft. behind it. Most folks leave third row seating folded down and put it to use only on those school or sport event car-pool drives.


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The Divide-N-Hide Cargo System that is comes on 5-passenger models has two partitions and 18 variations. You can keep cargo hidden and put in the shelf element to stack cargo on two levels.

Nissan wraps all the driver-assistance safety features under the umbrella of Rogue Safety Shield technologies. Included are radar-based Blind Spot Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, both available on SV and SL trims. New for 2017 is the availability of Lane Departure Warning and Lane Departure Prevention and also Intelligent Cruise Control and Forward Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection.


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I encourage vehicle shoppers to give serious consideration to opting for new driver-assistance safety technology that’s offered today. It can in many cases save you from a crash.

More info and specs on the 2017 Nissan Rogue can be found at the Nissan Research and Buyers Guide and from the manufacturer at www.nissanusa.com. You can rank and then compare all compact SUVs right here on The Auto Channel.

More and more, reports say that the millennial Gen-Y population is slowly getting around to buying a new vehicle. They typically look for something priced below $30,000 and often it’s a compact sedan but in many cases a small SUV. The 2017 Nissan Rogue is certainly a vehicle they should consider. What you get for the price is very satisfying and the Rogue will serve you well even when you move into the early stages of marriage and that first child.

© 2017 Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy

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