Used 2019 Nissan Rogue Sport

Slotting between the best-selling Rogue and diminutive Kicks is the 2019 Nissan Rogue Sport, a subcompact-crossover SUV offering the styling and features of the larger Rogue, but with a cozier feel. Up against big names like the Honda HR-V and Hyundai Kona, the Rogue Sport looks pretty good, offering more interior room than the Mazda CX-3 and a better track record than the Jeep Renegade. The Rogue Sport isn’t big on power or off-road ability, but it does have enough cargo space to haul a weekend’s worth of gear, and in urban settings its smaller size makes it easy to maneuver and park. The Rogue Sport also gains Nissan’s best driver-assist and advance safety and infotainment features, making it a tempting choice.

In car language, adding "sport" to the name is something like making a "fun-size" candy bar: all the same flavor in a smaller package. That’s certainly the case in the 2019 Rogue Sport. With 141 horsepower under the hood, a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), and a suspension that’s tuned to be neither too soft around corners nor too firm around town, the Rogue Sport walks the right line between comfort and control, and acceleration and fuel economy. Acceleration isn’t stunning, considering that 141 horsepower has to haul around 3,225 to 3,380 pounds of Rogue Sport, depending on model. But aside from passing on the freeway the drivetrain showed little resistance to the usual duties of getting around town. At freeway speeds noise levels were nicely controlled as well, allowing easy conversation. The Rogue Sport benefits from its bigger sibling by feeling more substantial than many competitors, without feeling bulky.

Take a peek inside the 2019 Nissan Rogue Sport and you might think you’ve accidently chosen the larger Nissan Rogue, only in three-quarter size. But that’s not a bad thing because Nissan does a nice job presenting a handsome yet easy-to-operate dash and center console, with a new 7-inch touch-screen audio system and a steering wheel full of redundant controls for everything from Bluetooth connectivity to the available drive-assist systems. Front-seat legroom is as generous as in the larger Rogue, but the rear seat comes up short, as does the cargo bay. Fold the rear seats down, however, and cargo volume goes from 22 cubic feet to over 60 cubic feet. The clever Divide-N-Hide cargo-management system helps keeps smaller items from rolling around when the vehicle is in motion.

Visually, we like the Rogue Sport’s exterior design. It looks more sporty and modern than the larger Rogue upon which it is based. Familiar Nissan styling cues such as the V-motion grille and sleek wraparound taillights are in place, as are the attractive black wheel-arch moldings and lower plastic cladding. A dramatic up-kick at the rear-quarter-panel glass gives a rather sinister look, as do the available 19-inch alloy wheels. Compared to most competitors in this segment, the Rogue Sport is slightly larger, nearing the dimensions of larger compact SUVs like the Jeep Compass and Ford Escape.

AROUND VIEW MONITOR
The brilliance of Nissan’s Around View monitor is that it can project a 360-degree bird’s-eye view of the Rogue Sport’s surroundings, helping the driver see objects too low to observe from behind the wheel.

PROPILOT ASSIST
This single-lane assist system is the precursor to autonomous-driving cars, only in this case the driver is still required to keep a hand on the wheel. ProPilot Assist can help reduce fatigue by steering the car back into its lane, slowing when approaching traffic and resuming acceleration when the road ahead is clear.

Every 2019 Nissan Rogue Sport comes standard with a 7-inch touch-screen audio system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a rearview camera, Nissan’s Rear Door Alert (reminds the driver to check the rear seat before walking away from the car), automatic emergency braking, blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert. Standard amenities include cruise control, air conditioning, remote keyless entry, 16-inch alloy wheels, LED accent lights, rear-seat vents, power windows and power door locks. Power comes from a 2.0-liter engine mated to a CVT automatic transmission.

The mid-level Rogue Sport SV adds larger 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, push-button start, a 6-way-power driver’s seat, dual-zone climate control and, as part of the Safety Shield 360 suite, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, auto high beams, rear automatic braking plus lane-departure warning and intervention. The top-level SL gets 19-inch wheels, fog lights, remote start, Nissan’s Around View Monitor, ProPilot Assist, 9-speaker Bose audio, navigation, leather on the shifter, and heated steering wheel and seats. Option packages include the SV All-Weather package (heated front seats, heated mirrors, heated steering wheel and remote start), and the SV Technology package that adds the All-Weather package plus navigation, Around View Monitor and ProPilot Assist. The SL can be equipped with a power sunroof and LED headlights.

You can have any engine you want in Nissan’s 2019 Rogue Sport, as long as it is Nissan’s 2.0-liter 4-cylinder that puts out 141 horsepower. It’s routed to either the front wheels (FWD) or all four wheels (AWD) through a continuously variable automatic transmission. The all-wheel-drive system on this SUV, however, is set up for foul weather and dirt roads, not true off-roading. The little engine delivers decent power, and even though it’s not what we’d call quick, pretty much everything in this class suffers from the same complaint. Fuel economy is good, although it trails the EPA estimates for the Honda HR-V.

2.0-liter inline-4
141 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
147 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 25/32 mpg (FWD), 24/30 mpg (AWD)