2025 Nissan Rogue Road Test and Review

2025 Nissan Rogue Platinum ・ Photo by Brady Holt

When you think of a three-cylinder engine, you might think of a 1993 Geo Metro – a tiny car engineered by pinching every penny. But you’ll also find just three cylinders under the hood of this 2025 Nissan Rogue, one of the roomiest, most luxurious SUVs, and most successful SUVs in the booming compact crossover class. 

Nissan has offered its bestselling model exclusively with a three-cylinder engine since 2022. And this engine is one of our favorite parts of this excellent all-around vehicle. For this review, we recently spent a week testing a 2025 Nissan Rogue, which starts at $28,590 after recent price cuts. We’ll tell you what we love about the Rogue – but also what might make you choose a competitor. Keep reading as we go through all this crossover’s pros and cons to see if it’s the right small SUV for you. 

Sharp-Looking Exterior

Some crossover SUVs are designed to look like aggressive performance cars or heavy-duty off-road machines. Others are mild-mannered rounded-off boxes. The 2025 Nissan Rogue borrows from all three approaches without going to any extremes. 

The current-generation Rogue debuted for the 2021 model year and received a redesigned grille and wheels for 2024. But it doesn’t look old to us. Up at the front, Nissan splits the headlights with high-mounted slits above chunkier rectangles, both sitting astride a chrome-trimmed grille. It’s the most in-your-face part of the Rogue’s design, but we don’t find it overdone. The sides and back of the car are smartly chunky, making the Rogue look purposeful yet still upscale.

Overall, we think the Rogue looks substantial and respectable. No one will stop and stare, but especially from the rear, it could look right at home in just about any driveway, from cottage to mansion. A newly introduced Rock Creek model brings off-road-themed styling cues, including a blacked-out front end, a tubular roof rack, and exclusive wheels. 

2025 Nissan Rogue Platinum ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Upscale Interior Decor

While most Rogues are designed to be great values, we tested a fully optioned Platinum model that approached $50,000. We don’t think many people will pay that much for a Rogue, and nor do they have to. But even at this price tag, the Rogue’s interior is respectable. 

The dashboard is clean and contemporary, with a choice of 8-inch and 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreens and simple controls. Most materials look and feel nice, and moving parts operate with commendable precision for a humble small SUV. There are plenty of storage areas, including in an open space under the center console.

One nitpick: Even at $48,330 as tested, only the driver’s window gets “one-touch” activation. For all the rest, you have to hold the switch manually. This penny-pinching cheapens the otherwise upscale Rogue experience. 

2025 Nissan Rogue Platinum ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Tons of Space

The Rogue isn’t just attractively finished inside; it’s also particularly roomy. It has more space for passengers and cargo than you’d even get from the mid-size Nissan Murano. The front and rear seats are firm and comfortable. Nissan’s “Zero Gravity” foam promises maximum long-term support. The back doors open 90 degrees for easy access. All but the base S model get an eight-way power driver’s seat, while heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and even rear-seat sunshades are also optional or standard on all but the S. Heated rear seats are optional only on the Platinum, though, and ventilated front seats aren’t offered at all. 

For cargo, the Rogue provides an excellent 36 cubic feet of space behind the rear seat and 74 cubic feet with the rear seat folded. It folds easily, and a useful Divide-N-Hide cargo system lets you reposition panels to raise or lower the cargo floor, or to quickly create a mini wall that keeps your stuff from rolling around or tipping over. We just wish that system were more widely available, as it was on the Rogue a few years ago; you now need a top trim level for it.  

2025 Nissan Rogue Platinum ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Three Mighty Cylinders

A three-cylinder engine might make you think the Rogue is underpowered. Quite the opposite. With 201 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque, this little 1.5-liter accelerates eagerly for a compact crossover. You’ll eventually reach a point where pressing your foot down fails to make the Rogue go any faster, but many drivers will rarely push that far. And the engine makes a pleasant growl, nothing like the raspy wheeze from a few competitors and some older Rogue models; by sounding nice, this three-cylinder dodges the impression of being overworked. Its well-sorted continuously variable automatic transmission helps, too, by simulating the natural experience of a conventional automatic. 

The Rogue’s three-cylinder engine borrows the variable-compression technology that’s also used on a couple of four-cylinder Nissan and Infiniti models. It adjusts the turbocharger on the fly to prioritize fuel economy or power, based on the driver behavior. The result: peppier acceleration paired with better gas mileage. 

2025 Nissan Rogue Platinum ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Class-Leading Efficiency, With a Catch or Two

In EPA testing, the three-cylinder Nissan Rogue gets up to 30 mpg in the city, 37 mpg on the highway, and 33 mpg combined. That’s as good as a Nissan Sentra economy sedan with a sluggish conventional four-cylinder. It’s 3 mpg better than the equivalent 2021 Rogue – the current-generation model from when it still had a non-turbo four-cylinder. And it’s better than any other gas-only compact crossover. The 2025 Rogue’s mileage varies by trim level and whether you’ve chosen front-wheel drive or the heavier all-wheel-drive system; our top-trim AWD test vehicle gets 28 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, and 31 mpg combined; and the new Rock Creek model sheds another 2 mpg due to its all-terrain tires. 

A couple of caveats: First, if you like to drive hard, the Rogue’s variable compression cuts both ways. You’ll go fast but burn more fuel. That’s why we’ve seen some reviewers get lousy mileage from the three-cylinder Rogue. On the other hand, without constantly gunning the engine, we matched the EPA’s 31 mpg during our week with the vehicle. 

The other caveat is that a growing number of competitors offer fuel-sipping gas-electric hybrid versions. Nissan sticks with only gasoline. So while its mileage is class-leading versus fellow gas-only crossovers, it trails rival hybrids – particularly in city driving. Nissan reportedly plans to introduce a hybrid Rogue within the next few years. 

2025 Nissan Rogue Platinum ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Polished Ride and Handling

The Rogue’s smooth, lively engine complements polished overall driving manners. The Rogue feels solid and upscale, with a taut ride and poised handling. 

Now, this isn’t a corner-carving performance machine, so don’t rush to trade in your BMW. But the Rogue feels expensive, with a firmness and connectedness about its controls and behavior. Some small SUVs feel like empty boxes that skitter along the road; the Rogue feels planted and inspires confidence. Some drivers might prefer a cushier ride and lighter steering effort, but we think Nissan did an impressive job overall. Selectable driving modes let you optimize the throttle and steering for fuel efficiency, sporty performance, or off-road or all-weather conditions.

The new Rock Creek model brings a measure of extra off-road or all-weather capability, thanks to hill-descent control and grippier Falken Wild Peak all-terrain tires. It doesn’t add any ground clearance to the standard Rogue, but all trim levels stand a respectable 8.2 inches off the ground. 

2025 Nissan Rogue Platinum ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Fresh Price Cuts and New Tech Options

As auto tariffs began to raise fears of industrywide price increases, Nissan responded by cutting prices of the 2025 Rogue. Depending on the trim level, the midyear decrease shaves between $640 and $1,940 off the Rogue’s price tag. 

That brings today’s starting price to $28,590 for the base S, $29,590 for the SV, $33,490 for the Rock Creek, $35,090 for the SL, and $38,590 for the Platinum. All-wheel drive remains a $1,400 upcharge except on the Rock Creek, where it’s standard. These are highly competitive prices in the compact crossover segment.

Our favorite Rogue trim level is the SV. The modest upcharge from the S brings a power driver’s seat, automatic climate control, rear USB ports, a six-speaker stereo instead of just four, a power liftgate, push-button starting, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keeping steering assistance. Plus, for another $2,000, the Premium Package brings leatherette upholstery, heating for the front seats and steering wheel, rear windowshades, and a panoramic moonroof.

When you want to upgrade further, other trim levels do have tempting add-ons. The Rock Creek brings the off-road upgrades we mentioned earlier. The SL has genuine leather, a surround-view parking camera, the bigger 12.3-inch touchscreen, Google-based GPS navigation, a power-adjustable passenger seat, and the Divide-N-Hide cargo system. The Platinum has upgraded leather, a memory system for the power driver’s seat, and a 10-speaker Bose stereo.

The SL and Platinum are also newly available with new tech features: a hands-free driving system (keep your eyes on the road but keep your hands in your lap while cruising down the highway) and an “invisible hood” camera that projects a view of the road onto the digital displays. 

2025 Nissan Rogue Platinum ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Competitors to Consider

The Rogue stands out in its class for mixing spaciousness, luxury, sporty performance, fuel efficiency, and value. It’s less expensive than the best-selling Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. It has a more upscale interior and driving experience than the Toyota, and more high-end optional features than the Honda. 

The Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage twins and the Chevrolet Equinox challenge the Rogue for budget-friendly pizzazz. But their base engines are neither as quick nor as economical as the Nissan’s and their dashboard controls are more complicated, and the Chevy also isn’t as roomy. The Mazda CX-5 and CX-50 offer crisp driving manners and lots of luxury features for the money, but they don't have much room or get great mileage with their gas engines.

Meanwhile, if you like the Rogue but don’t trust its newfangled engine, the Mitsubishi Outlander is a reskinned Rogue with the pre-2022 non-turbo four-cylinder. The Mitsubishi also squeezes in a tiny third-row seat, but you can keep it folded down if you don’t have small children. 

We’re also big fans of many hybrids in this segment. We particularly like how the CR-V, Tucson, and Sportage hybrids deliver zippy, quiet acceleration along with great gas mileage. But other models with great fuel savings include the RAV4, CX-50, Ford Escape, and Subaru Forester.

2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Compelling and Well-Rounded

The 2025 Nissan Rogue is a smartly executed compact crossover SUV at a compelling price. It has family-friendly safety, spaciousness, fuel economy, and value. Yet even at its base price, it has the lively engine, steady ride and handling, and well-finished interior of a high-end model. 

We do love a number of the hybrids available in this class. But the Nissan combines power and efficiency at a lower price. We think that will suit many buyers just fine. 

2025 Nissan Rogue Platinum ・ Photo by Brady Holt