If you’re looking for information on a newer Nissan Rogue Sport, we’ve published an updated review: 2019 Nissan Rogue Sport Review
The 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport is more than a pipsqueak version of the Rogue. Although sharing some DNA, the Rogue Sport is a different beast, with its own personality and target audience. We can’t, however, blame Nissan for wanting to cash in on the Rogue nameplate. Rogue sales are through the roof, and, even without adding the numbers for the Rogue Sport into the mix, the Rogue has become the best-selling vehicle in America when full-size pickup trucks are removed from the equation.
Nissan gazed into its crystal ball to get a feel for future drivers’ needs. What it saw was city dwellers on opposite ends of the age continuum who are more concerned with technology, fuel economy and parking issues than with size and acceleration. Nissan is convinced the Rogue Sport is the type of well-rounded vehicle such future drivers will want and need. If the Nissan suits and product planners have gotten it wrong, they won’t be alone. The compact crossover (CUV) segment continues to balloon, with new entries piling up like cordwood.
At the end of the day, the Rogue Sport presents as a small CUV with average performance within its segment, but offering a compelling array of available safety, driver-assist and connectivity technologies. In other words, it checks all the boxes Nissan believes will be important to drivers over the next several years.
What’s New for 2017?
Although Nissan has marketed the Rogue Sport around the world for a decade as the Qashqai, it’s all-new to the United States. See the 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport models for sale near you
What We Like
Comfy cabin; easy to park; loads of technology; decent cargo space; better-than-expected handling
What We Don’t
Unhurried acceleration; continuously variable transmission (CVT); middle-of-the-pack fuel economy, full range of safety/driver-assist features only available on top trim level
How Much?
$22,380-$28,380
Fuel Economy
Nissan isn’t alone in sacrificing acceleration for fuel economy — that just may be the most common trait among today’s crop of small CUVs. Small-displacement four-bangers hitched to CVTs or automatic transmissions with more than six forward gears are spreading like the flu in a crowded airplane.
In the case of the Rogue Sport, it’s a 141-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine bolted to a CVT. No matter the trim level nor the number of drive wheels, the Rogue Sport tips the scales at more than 3,300 pounds. That’s a lot of mass for this fuel-stingy powertrain to get rolling. Don’t expect neck-snapping acceleration. Nissan has gone all-in on CVTs. And, truth be told, it probably does CVTs better than any other carmaker. No matter — we still find them somewhat annoying and tire of the constant engine roar as the CVT rushes to catch up to throttle input.
The reward reaped by the 4-cylinder/CVT partnership is decent mileage. It’s not segment-leading, but neither will it send an environmentalist into convulsions. The government rates FWD versions at 25 miles per gallon in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. You can add AWD to any Rogue Sport for $1,350. Doing so will drop the estimated mileage to 24 mpg city/30 mpg hwy.
Standard Features & Options
Nissan offers the Rogue Sport in three grades: S, SV and SL.
The S ($22,380) comes right out of the box with 16-inch steel wheels, Easy Fill Tire Alert, outboard power mirrors, cruise control, cloth seats, a 60/40 split-folding rear seat, power windows and door locks, air conditioning, Bluetooth connectivity, a USB port, hands-free texting, a rearview camera, a 4-speaker audio system with satellite-radio capability and a 5-in display.
The SV ($23,980) adds 17-in aluminum-alloy wheels, roof rails, auto on/off headlights, outboard mirror-mounted turn indicators, a 6-way power driver’s seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, push-button ignition and two additional audio speakers. Options include heated outboard mirrors, fog lights, heated front seats, Nissan Connect with Navigation, Siri Eyes Free, a 360-degree around-view camera system, remote engine start, forward emergency braking and rear cross-traffic alert.
The SL ($27,030) comes with 19-in aluminum-alloy wheels and leather seating, as well as all the SV grade’s standard and optional equipment, except for the forward emergency braking and rear cross-traffic alert. Options include power moonroof, LED headlights, high-beam assist, intelligent cruise control, forward emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, lane-departure prevention and rear cross-traffic alert.
Safety
Neither the government nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have crash-tested the Rogue Sport. Every version comes with a rearview camera, six airbags and the LATCH child-seat system. Forward emergency braking and rear cross-traffic alert are available as options with the SV trim. Forward emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, lane-departure prevention and rear cross-traffic alert are all offered as options on the SL trim.
Behind the Wheel
We’ve driven the Rogue Sport on country roads, city streets and freeways. Because it targets urban and suburban drivers, it shines when slugging its way through crowded city streets. Here its higher seating position, maneuverability and comfortable interior minimize the stress of stop-and-go traffic. Its powertrain is better-engineered for short sprints between traffic lights rather than half-mile gallops while merging onto a freeway or getting around slower traffic on a two-lane country road.
Having recently whipped the Rogue Sport around the track at the Circuit of the Americas near Austin, Texas, we can tell you it handles better at speed than you might expect. In the turns, it’s relatively stable for a CUV.
No one will mistake its cabin for a luxury nameplate, but the materials are good-quality and the workmanship above average. Despite its size (about a foot shorter than Rogue), it still has enough cargo space for the typical chores facing the singles and couples at which it’s aimed.
Other Cars to Consider
2017 Honda HR-V — As the vehicle most often mentioned when a Nissan exec is asked for examples of competitors, the HR-V is furnished for five and posts marginally better fuel-economy numbers than the Rogue Sport.
2017 Jeep Compass — In a fog of confusion, Jeep trotted out a second, redesigned version of Compass for 2017, making two distinct editions of this small CUV with the 2017-model-year designation. The new one is vastly improved and available with Jeep’s dynamic off-road capability.
2017 Mazda CX-5 — A bit larger than the Rogue Sport, the CX-5 delivers about the same fuel economy regardless of which 4-cylinder engine powers it. Mazda’s sporty attitude certainly invades every nook and cranny of this CUV. And it looks good to boot.
2018 Toyota C-HR — Although the heavy-handed styling of this all-new CUV seems closer to the Juke than the Rogue Sport, in most other respects it’s in the Rogue Sport’s league. Surviving the demise of the Scion brand, the C-HR delivers engine performance and fuel economy on par with the Rogue Sport’s.
Autotrader’s Advice
Unless you must have the full suite of safety/driver-assist systems, the Nissan Rogue Sport SV is the way we would go. We would opt for the surround cameras and monitor as well as forward emergency braking and rear cross-traffic alert; but otherwise, the SV is nicely equipped.
