The second-generation Nissan Rogue continues to impress with bigger and better upgrades and enhancements.
As mid-cycle spiffs go, the 2017 Rogue’s are relatively extensive. Front and rear fascias, all the lamps and the grille are revised, with the latter accentuating Nissan’s newish V-motion graphic. New 17-, 18-, and 19-inch wheels are available.
The 2017 Rogue Sport SL FWD model I sampled felt far more premium than I had expected. A handsome little thing, its attractive proportions, sharp creases, and tasteful detailing give it a smart and upscale appearance — especially in the SL model with its 19-inch wheels. The model I test-drove was Caspian Blue with a Charcoal interior
I was pleasantly surprised by this new direct-injected engine’s refinement. The Rogue Sport’s four-cylinder revs much more smoothly and quietly, making the occasional high-rpm droning of the continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) less obtrusive and bothersome.
Inside there is a new flat-bottomed steering wheel to suggest sportiness, and seconding that suggestion is a new sport-mode shifter with leather boot. Other revisions update seat fabrics, door and instrument-panel trim, and the center console.
Comfort and convenience gets upgraded this year as well, with new 2017 Rogue options including a kick-motion-activated power tailgate, memory seats and mirrors, and remote start. Adaptive cruise control is a big new addition, and it works between 20 and 90 mph.
Joining that automation upgrade is a lane-departure prevention (LDP) system that applies braking on one side of the vehicle to keep it from drifting out of a lane. Other safety upgrades include pedestrian detection on the already available forward emergency braking (FEB) system, the addition of rear cross-traffic alert to the blind-spot detection, and extension of these features down to the middle SV grade (it had been standard on top SL trims only).
A few of the 2017 Rogue’s upgrades are more than skin deep, including a major assault on noise intrusion that includes thicker rear side glass, added sound absorption in the headliner, dash insulator, front wheel well liners, cargo floor area, and door inner panel sealing materials. New fender absorbers, expanding foam in the B-pillars, better carpet insulation, and more are said to reduce road, wind and mechanical noise by 9, 8 and 6 percent, respectively.
For families who want that occasional third-row seat for carpooling little kids, or who dig the Divide-N-Hide cargo system — which offers myriad choices of floor heights, concealed stowage, and vertical dividers — it is not hard to see how Rogue is a popular choice.
Buyers get a lot for the Rogue Sport’s suggested retail base price is $26,070. But my model had $2,280 worth of additional options as part of the SL Premium Package which included power sliding moon roof, LED low and high beam projector headlights with LED accents, forward emergency braking, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, high beam assistance. This also featured the really nice added extras available in the Platinum Package like intelligent cruise control, lane-departure warning (LDW), LDP, and the FEB with pedestrian detection.
In the mileage department, the Rogue Sport gets 25 mpg (city), 32 mpg (highway), for 28 mpg (combined).
The attractive, practical, and reasonably priced Rogue Sport benefits from a lack of strong competition and is among the most well-rounded entries in its class.
Grant Miller is the publisher of Miami’s Community Newspapers. He may be contacted by calling 305-662-2277 or via email at Grant@CommunityNewspapers.com.
