Used 2018 Nissan Rogue

A comfortable and fuel-efficient compact SUV, the perennially popular 2018 Nissan Rogue is the brand’s best-selling model and it’s one of just a few compact SUVs available as a hybrid. Offered in three trim levels, S, SV and SL, Rogue prices start just over $25,000, which is competitive for the segment that includes class-leading small SUVs, the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 as well as the Mazda CX-5 and Ford Escape. All models, including the Rogue Hybrid, are offered with front-wheel drive (FWD) or the more winter-capable all-wheel drive (AWD). Under the hood is a 170-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine matched with a smooth continuously variable automatic transmission. While the Rogue doesn’t own hard cornering like a Mazda CX-5, or tow like the new Ford Escape, it more than excels in its day-to-day excellence.

Nissan’s special sauce with the 2018 Rogue is its size. It’s perfect. The SUV is large enough to feel spacious inside and substantial on the road, but it’s also nicely compact, so it’s easy to park and it doesn’t feel like a barge around town. The Rogue’s ride quality is excellent, and it gives the SUV an overall relaxed gait, which most buyers in this segment will appreciate. Also, the Rogue’s cabin is quiet, even at highway speeds it keeps the sounds of the outside world outside. Visibility is excellent and the Nissan’s maneuverability is admirable, although the Mazda CX-5 is quite a bit more fun to drive. The hybrid model’s 176 horsepower isn’t a significant boost over the non-hybrid’s 170, but the immediate response supplied by the Hybrid’s battery gives it crisper low-end performance from stoplights. It should also be noted that the Rogue Hybrid’s fuel economy is significantly better than the non-hybrid Rogue.

The Rogue’s interior only amplifies Nissan’s reputation for high-quality, stylish cabins. There are soft-touch surfaces, tight tolerances and attractive illumination. The leather-wrapped fully adjustable flat-bottom steering wheel feels good in your hands, and its NASA-inspired “Zero Gravity” front seats — leather-clad in SL models — are supportive and comfortable. Legroom and headroom are good in the first and second rows, with an EZ-Flex 40/20/40-split 2nd-row bench seat that tilts and slides fore and aft in non-hybrid models. Cargo room for the non-hybrid Rogue is generous, less so in the hybrid, but the seats fold nearly flat, despite the battery’s location behind the second row.

In a sea of me-too SUVs that pack the visual punch of a sheet of blank white paper, the 2018 Nissan Rogue is a standout with youthful appeal and dynamic detailing. The Rogue’s “V-motion” grille treatment, edgy headlights and “boomerang” taillights give the SUV plenty of modern design elements without it feeling overly ornate or tragically insecure. Wheel diameters can climb to 19 inches and Nissan offers a motion-activated power rear liftgate on the Rogue. Standard on SL models and optional on SVs, the power liftgate responds to a kick-motion beneath the rear bumper to power the liftgate open or closed.

EZ FLEX SEATING SYSTEM
With this optional system, every seat in the new Nissan Rogue, aside from the driver’s seat, folds down to accommodate cargo. Yes, even the front-passenger seat fold rearwards, which makes it possible to haul long items like an 8-foot ladder or a serious surfboard.

SAFETY SHIELD TECHNOLOGIES
Nissan loads up the 2018 Rogue with advanced safety systems. Blind Spot Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Safety Alert are standard on all models. The Rogue SL, which is the top trim level, gets standard Lane Departure Warning, Intelligent Lane Intervention, Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection and Intelligent Cruise Control.

There are few surprises in the standard equipment of the base Rogue S: basic audio with Bluetooth phone/streaming and USB, a 7-inch touch-screen display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a rearview camera, EZ-Flex seating, and the flexible Divide-n-Hide rear-cargo-storage system. Also, Blind Spot Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Safety Alert are standard on all models. Value comes into play on the Rogue SV models. SV highlights include a power-adjust driver’s seat, 6-speaker audio, heated front seats and outside mirrors, dual-zone climate control plus privacy glass and roof rails. With a Rogue SL, you’ll enjoy leather seating, Bose audio, NissanConnect with 7-inch touch-screen navigation, the Around View monitor, a heated steering wheel, and the motion-activated power liftgate.

Option packages on the 2018 Nissan Rogue include the popular SV Sun and Sound Touring Package, which adds a laundry list of features including a panoramic sunroof, navigation and an around-view monitor. The SL Premium Package adds a power panoramic moonroof and LED headlights, and the SL Platinum Package acquires 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, an electronic parking brake, Nissan’s new ProPilot autonomous system and the peace-of-mind of Intelligent Cruise Control. Last and highest, the SL Platinum Reserve Interior reupholsters your Rogue SL in exclusive tan leather with quilted inserts and unique stitching, and the popular Midnight Edition package adds black trim and wheels.

Nissan’s adequate 170-horsepower inline-4 carries over in the 2018 Rogue, as does the Rogue Hybrid’s fuel-pinching gasoline/electric hybrid setup. Both configurations send power to the driven wheels via Nissan’s Xtronic continuously variable automatic transmission with driver-selectable Normal, Sport and Eco modes. The Rogue Hybrid is capable of automatically shutting off the engine and just running on the SUV’s compact lithium-ion battery in order to keep the vehicle’s fuel-economy numbers healthy.

2.5-liter inline-4
170 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
175 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 26/33 mpg (FWD), 25/32 mpg (AWD)

2.0-liter inline-4 + electric motor (Hybrid)
176 horsepower (peak output w/gasoline and electric combined)
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 33/35 mpg (FWD), 31/34 mpg (AWD)