The 2024 Nissan Rogue isn’t a automobile for people such as you and me. We’re extra into issues that lights our souls on hearth, makes us fizz or another variety of cliches, however stuff like that isn’t necessary to the overwhelming majority of automobile consumers. Most consumers simply need one thing that’s fairly priced, nicely thought out and has simply sufficient creature comforts to make you’re feeling like life is price dwelling. That’s precisely the place the Nissan Rogue is available in, and it’s why the compact crossover was the ninth best-selling automobile (and third-best in section) in America final 12 months.
It is smart. I imply, the 2024 Rogue Platinum is nice wanting sufficient, has an entire lot of strong tech, a nicely appointed cabin and an excellent — for right now’s requirements — value level at $45,190 (together with vacation spot). Nonetheless, the Rogue doesn’t actually do something for me, and I doubt it does something for you. Due to that, we’re going to placed on our NPC caps and check out simply what makes the Nissan Rogue so goddamn interesting to so many individuals.
Full Disclosure: Nissan lent me a 2024 Rogue with a full tank of fuel to do with as I happy for every week.
We’ve bought to start out out the place most driving-agnostic automobile consumers begin: value, options and worth for cash. That is actually the place the Rogue, even in Platinum trim, excels. The highest-of-the-line Rogue nonetheless prices 1000’s of {dollars} lower than the common new automobile, and I wager it’s bought a nicer inside and higher tech than a number of these automobiles. For that $45,000-ish value you get each fashionable luxurious comfort you possibly can actually need, like wi-fi telephone connectivity, leather-ish seats, a mess of screens and a complete suite of driver aids. In case you have been to try to get all the pieces this Rogue has on one thing like a BMW X3, you’d be pushing 60 grand. That kind of stuff is essential to your common purchaser.
What makes the Rogue actually interesting, although, shouldn’t be that it has all of this stuff — it’s that all of them work reasonably nicely. The highest-spec Rogue Platinum has two predominant screens and a head-up show. Each the 12.3-inch Google-based infotainment display screen and 12-inch digital gauge cluster are straightforward to make use of, customizable and crisp. That’s actually all an on a regular basis automobile purchaser desires. Apple CarPlay hooks up simply, you will get as little or as a lot info as you need within the gauge cluster, and the head-up show is complete whereas nonetheless not terribly distracting. On prime of all of that, you get a pleasant mixture of buttons for core radio capabilities and the local weather management system. All the pieces is strictly the place you’d anticipate it to be on this automobile, from the quantity knob and drive mode selector to the controls for the gauge cluster and digi-stick gear selector. It’s straightforward to get into the Rogue and instantly turn out to be acquainted with the way it works. You actually can’t ask for rather more.
Other than an intuitive inside, people who take into account automobiles like the Nissan Rogue actually care about security, and that’s some other place it excels. Not solely does it have a five-star security ranking from NHTSA, however its suite of driver help and security techniques are extraordinarily good, particularly for a automobile on this value vary. You get a 360-degree digital camera setup, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot displays, automated emergency braking and extra. It additionally comes with adaptive cruise management and a lane-keeping system that Nissan dubbed ProPilot Help; each work very nicely and aid you cruise down the street with as few ideas in your thoughts as doable. I’ll be sincere, I didn’t assume Nissan had it in them to pack this a lot strong tech right into a cheap-ish automobile just like the Rogue.
Since Nissan is a enterprise, and companies must make cash to remain open, the Rogue shouldn’t be with out its cost-cutting measures. There are some kind of questionable supplies inside, onerous plastics and what have you ever. I imply, that’s not precisely surprising. Designers have to save cash someplace. The quilted leather-based and stitching contained in the Rogue wasn’t precisely fabulous-feeling, both. There was a sure smoothness to the leather-based that offers the sensation of vinyl in automobiles from the mid-90s. That being stated, it did look very good. The tester I had was fitted with a black inside with white distinction stitching. It appears very premium, and leagues above something Toyota is providing on the RAV4 or Honda with its CR-V.
The general design of the Rogue, each in and out, is reasonably good-looking, too. It’s not groundbreaking or something, nevertheless it’s a really clear design. It’s inoffensive, and that’s actually all folks need out of an equipment just like the Rogue. After all, the Platinum trim will get some extra premium-looking design components like a floating-ish roof, 19-inch wheels (which I actually dig the design of) and extra chrome trim. It is a automobile for Individuals, in spite of everything. Regardless that it’s been on sale for a number of years it nonetheless appears recent, particularly in comparison with a few of its historic competitors just like the Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape.
Jalopnik is, in fact, an fanatic publication, so it could be fallacious to fully ignore how the Rogue Platinum drives. Let’s simply say it’s… uninspired. Nobody has ever actually had enjoyable behind the wheel of a crossover like this until there are some extra-curriculars occurring. It’s deeply boring, however that’s kind of the purpose. Energy is provided by a nifty little turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder motor, and it goes down the street with zero fuss. For probably the most half the motor falls to the background, however whenever you push it, the little engine makes a really cute little grumble noise. You possibly can even hear the turbo whistle from time to time! It sends a wholesome 201 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque to all 4 wheels (should you get the non-obligatory part-time AWD) courtesy of a CVT. It’ll faux shift each now and again should you’re caning it — which you shouldn’t — however in any other case it’s lethal severe in regards to the job at hand. Irrespective of which of the 5 drive modes you set the Rogue Platinum in, it’s not going to be a enjoyable driving expertise. I didn’t get an opportunity to drive it off street in any respect, however I’m positive it’ll be nice for no matter filth path a Rogue proprietor by chance takes it down.
Is that this all a bit boring to you? Good, that is smart. That’s precisely what the Rogue is meant to be. It’s a pod to switch you and no matter you convey alongside to your vacation spot with as little stress and hassle as doable. In that regard, the Rogue Platinum excels. It’s very a lot not a automobile for fanatics such as you and me. It’s an equipment, and that’s OK, as a result of it’s a rattling good equipment. If automakers solely catered to fanatics, there wouldn’t be any automakers left as a result of they’d have all gone bankrupt. Automobiles just like the Rogue, which make automakers untold billions of {dollars}, enable them to construct the sporty automobiles we like. Due to that, we shouldn’t beguile the Rogue and its ilk. It’s extremely necessary.
