Even though the Rogue is available with a 3-row option, with our long-termer we chose the 2-row version instead. While that meant we wouldn’t be able to carry a couple more (very small) children in addition to those in the second row, the benefit comes from the extra storage space. Cargo volume goes up, as you would imagine: there’s 9.4 cubic feet behind the third row when it’s up. That improves to 32.0 cubic feet when the second row seat is lowered.
Divide and Conquer
Another cool perk of choosing the 2-row package is the Divide-N-Hide Cargo System, which comes standard. It allows you to make the best use of the cargo area to fit your gear, whether that’s groceries, luggage, sports equipment, etc. According to Nissan, you can reconfigure the system into 18 different combinations. There are two shelf pieces, each strapped down to the cargo floor. Once you get used to moving the pieces where you want them to go, rearranging the cargo area is quick and easy. If you want to hide belongings under a hard cargo cover, out of sight, it only takes about three seconds to put the shelf in place.
Also: The Class of 2015 — New Vehicles Ready to Roll
However, if you want to have a flat floor to maximize the storage capacity of the Rogue, be careful: there are two lower positions the shelves can go in. One puts the shelf pieces at the same basic height as the edge of the cargo area, and the other position makes the shelf pieces lower than that edge. But the shelf pieces aren’t flat — they have an edge that tapers down. That means cargo can slide toward the tailgate when you accelerate, and you have to be quick to grab whatever may have slid back, before it falls out of the cargo area when you open the liftgate. More than one member of the KBB team has put groceries in there, only to have glass bottles slide out onto the ground and shatter. Putting the shelf lower than the edge of the cargo area completely solves the problem. Still, the Divide-N-Hide system is quite innovative, and as soon as we adapted to that one quirk, we were happy with how it worked.
