2014 Nissan Rogue review

2014 Nissan Rogue review

Fully redesigned, the 2014 Nissan Rogue is bigger, more powerful, and more comfortable than its predecessor. It also has new styling and a more upscale-looking interior, though there is plenty of substance too.  The cabin has plenty of room for adult passengers in the rear seat or for a couple of child seats. Farther back, there's a bigger cargo area that features a unique system of reconfigurable shelves to maximize cargo flexibility. The 2014 Rogue is also appealing for its driver aids that include forward collision warning and lane departure warning; these features weren't widely available yet in other SUVs of the same age.

Other compact family SUVs are quicker to get to highway speeds, and some have a sportier driving feel as well. However, the Rogue offers up a strong value proposition, averaging thousands less than rivals such as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.

Check out the full review below for more details on why you might want to consider the 2014 Nissan Rogue.

• Technology

• Comfort

• Cargo and storage

• Ease of use

• Driving

What tech does the 2014 Nissan Rogue have?

Connectivity

The 2014 Rogue predates things like Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™, so instead it uses something called NissanConnect. It lets you stream music and use some apps using the Rogue’s touchscreen infotainment when connected to the USB port. It also supports streaming music over Bluetooth.

Infotainment

The touchscreen on the base S model is only five inches, so we suggest looking for an SV or SL with the larger seven-inch screen. The interface for both screens is easy enough to use, but the graphics and design date from the early 2010s so the aesthetics aren't quite up to modern standards. Bluetooth™ supports music streaming, though, and the audio quality is quite good on SL models with the Bose® audio system and acceptable on the rest of the lineup.

Driver-assist tech

Considering it debuted in 2014, the Rogue comes with a surprising number of advanced driver-assist systems. Available on some midlevel SV and top-trim SL models are forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and blind-spot warning, features that were hard to find on many competitors. The top-tier SL and some midlevel SV trims also have an advanced 360-degree camera system. It shows the vehicle’s surroundings at slow speeds, making parking a snap even in tight spots.

How comfortable is the 2014 Nissan Rogue?

Front seating

Rogue drivers and front passengers are in for a treat thanks to Nissan’s so-called Zero Gravity seat technology. They strike an ideal balance between cushiness and support, making them great for long-distance drives. Top-tier SL trims have heated seats standard, and you can find heated seats on some midlevel SV trims as well. The biggest downside is that some drivers might have a hard time finding a “sweet spot” thanks to the Rogue’s limited seat adjustments.

Rear seating

In the rear, there’s good legroom and headroom even for tall passengers. The rear seats are slightly higher than the fronts for a “stadium” effect. They can slide back to add legroom or forward if you need more cargo space. The seatback angle can also be adjusted, making it easier to find a good position on long drives. All trims get air-conditioning vents for rear passengers, which is a nice touch for a small SUV.

Ride quality and interior noise

All of these highlights are backed up by the Rogue’s ability to absorb road imperfections without losing its composure and feeling “floaty” around turns. Wind, road, and engine noise is nicely suppressed at highway speeds. While nobody will mistake the Rogue for a luxury vehicle, its comfort and ride quality are a cut above many other compact SUVs and even compare favorably to newer vehicles.

Does the 2014 Nissan Rogue have good storage?

Cargo

Cargo room and flexibility are key reasons to consider the Rogue. The Divide-N-Hide® cargo system, standard on all trims, uses removable floor panels that allow owners to arrange the cargo area into different tiers to stack groceries without smashing bags, split wet and dry areas on beach days, or hide valuable items under the floor. The rear seatbacks fold down in a 40/20/40 split to add extra room or to carry long objects and still have passengers sitting on either side. If you need flexible cargo, the Rogue is tough to beat in this segment.

Storage

If you need lots of space to store small items, the Rogue may not be ideal. There’s a pocket under the instrument panel but it’s too small for modern smartphones, although another narrow pocket behind the cupholders works as a vertical solution. The center console bin is on the small side, and even though the door pockets on all four doors include bottle holders, they aren’t tall enough for those larger metallic reusable bottles. The glovebox is big enough to get the job done and rear passengers can use the pockets on the front seatbacks for flatter items. Commuters take note: There’s plenty of room on the windshield for a toll road transponder.

How easy is the 2014 Nissan Rogue to use?

Entry, exit, and car seats

The Rogue is high enough off the ground to give drivers and passengers alike good visibility but low enough that entry and exit doesn’t require climbing. All four doors open wide, making it easy to get in and out, and make maneuvering car seats into place much easier. Speaking of which, there are two LATCH points on the outboard positions in the rear, although the lower anchors are tucked deeply between stiff cushions and a bit hard to reach. The “stadium” arrangement of the rear seats improves visibility but might make it harder for smaller kids to get in by themselves.

Interior layout and visibility

Rogue drivers will appreciate the large speedometer and tachometer, and the color display between them provides selectable information on functions ranging from what’s playing on the stereo to phone calls to the driver assist features. While the touchscreen controls many functions, the Rogue retains physical controls for its primary audio and climate controls, so the learning curve for those coming from an older vehicle is fairly shallow. There are no surprises for windows and other switches as well, although the placement of the steering wheel heater switch, low on the left side of the dash, can feel a little awkward.

Overall visibility is good, but when you glance over your shoulder you may notice the Rogue’s thick rearmost pillars create big blind spots. Keep an eye out for models with the 360-degree surround-view camera system, which greatly compensates and also makes parallel parking a snap.

What’s the 2014 Nissan Rogue like to drive?

Driving

Like other small family SUVs, the Nissan Rogue is available in front-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive available if you want better traction in foul weather. The Rogue doesn’t have any major faults from a driver's perspective, but most of its competitors are quicker or have a sportier driving feel. The Rogue’s four-cylinder engine has 170 horsepower, about the same as others in its class, but it’s hampered by a slow-to-respond transmission that results in sluggish acceleration. Toggling between the Normal, Sport, and Eco drive modes doesn’t help. The brakes stop the Rogue fine, but the pedal feels softer than it should, and the Rogue’s steering doesn’t feel very sharp. On the plus side, even though the Rogue delivers a comfortable ride over most surfaces, even rough ones, it doesn’t lean too much in corners, imparting a sense of confidence.

Fuel economy

We’d be more forgiving of the Rogue’s sluggish acceleration if it got good fuel economy but, alas, this isn’t the case. The original EPA estimates are competitive with the rest of the class. However, during its testing, Edmunds found that Rogue’s real-world fuel economy fell short of its competitors' figures. If fuel economy is high on your must-haves, there are better fuel-sipping options, although at least the front-wheel-drive Rogue offers slightly better MPG.

EPA fuel economy estimates