Rogue Hybrid Almost No-Sacrifice CUV

GREENSBORO, GA – For those who prefer CUVs but drive more on city streets than highways, city fuel economy was the price to be paid.

Fortunately that’s changing.

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid went on sale late last year in the U.S. and now a hybrid version of Nissan’s Rogue compact CUV is due in the U.S. in late December.

The RAV4 Hybrid has been responsible for the increase in total RAV4 sales this year, picking up the slack for slowing demand for the standard model. Toyota has sold 36,516 RAV4 Hybrids through October, WardsAuto data shows, while total RAV4 sales have risen by just 30,631 from like-2015.

Nissan is hoping for a similar boost to the Rogue lineup with its new hybrid variant.

It rides on the same platform as the standard Rogue. Nearly all exterior dimensions remain the same, however front-wheel-drive hybrids with a roof rack are slightly shorter in height, with less minimum ground clearance than FWD non-hybrid Rogues.

The Rogue Hybrid pairs a 141-hp 2.0L DOHC gasoline 4-cyl., a small lithium-ion battery pack beneath the cargo floor and a 30-kW (40-hp) electric motor making 118 lb.-ft. (160 Nm) of torque. Bridging those power sources is Nissan’s Intelligent Dual Clutch system, with one clutch between the engine and motor and the second between the motor and the CVT to enable smoother starts and quicker shifts. This is a similar setup to the hybrid system introduced in 2011 in the Infiniti M35h.

A stop-start system further boosts Rogue fuel economy, shutting off the engine at idle.

Total system horsepower is 176, just above the standard Rogue’s 170 hp and below the RAV4’s 194 hp.

The ’17 Rogue Hybrid’s fuel economy is an EPA-estimated 34 mpg (6.9 L/100 km) combined for FWD models and 33 mpg (7.1 L/100 km) in an all-wheel-drive layout. Both slightly edge out the RAV4 Hybrid, available only in an AWD configuration and averaging 32 mpg (7.4 L/100 km) for ’17.

In on-road testing here, we beat all those numbers, racking up an impressive 37.6 mpg (6.3 L/100 km). It’s not as good as the 44 mpg (5.3 L/100 km) we got nearly a year ago in the RAV4 Hybrid, but that was driven in stop-and-go traffic in Southern California, not on relatively deserted Georgia roads.

Although some reviewers have pointed to what they feel are too obvious transitions between motor and engine in the Rogue Hybrid, we don’t notice the phenomenon too often using gentle acceleration and coasting whenever possible to keep the engine off.

It’s possible to run on electric up to 75 mph (121 km/h) if you have a fully charged battery and as opposed to being able to accelerate up to 75 mph in the rear-wheel-drive Q50 Hybrid in EV mode.

Accelerating up to 25 mph (40 km/h), and staying there for two minutes, also can be done on electricity. However, in both these scenarios the 0.8-kWh Li-ion battery will deplete quickly.

Accelerating from a stop can be labored, due to a pokey throttle tip-in that is especially pronounced in Eco mode.

While we love the 37 mpg tally, it comes with a tradeoff. The gas pedal tingles underfoot during even moderate acceleration. We also note this vibration test-driving another new Nissan here, the Sentra SE-R, so it seems unlikely to be a fluke. Vibration countermeasures need to be improved, especially if the Rogue Hybrid will cost $29,000-$34,000 as does the RAV4 Hybrid.

Like nearly all Nissans, the Rogue Hybrid uses a CVT. As it has done for a few years now, Nissan programmed in fake shift points, to give the feel of a traditional step-gear automatic. Toyota does the same in the RAV4 Hybrid, and both models have shift points that are a little off, with delayed downshifts under hard acceleration.

Another negative is the light, overly assisted feel of the electric power rack-and-pinion steering in the Rogue Hybrid, but the RAV4’s heavy steering feel isn’t perfect either.

Flawless Voice Recognition

The Rogue Hybrid’s interior is a faithful follower of the standard model.

Black and tan color themes are available. The black interior tested here has slightly mismatched shades of black across hard-plastic and soft-touch trim pieces, but otherwise fit-and-finish is good.

The circular-knit headliner and textured pillar trim pieces are nice touches also found in the RAV4 Hybrid but not always seen in $30,000 vehicles.

The Rogue Hybrid’s voice-recognition system performs flawlessly. Asking the system to find the nearest Starbucks, tune to SiriusXM channel 8 and navigate to an address in Michigan is completed, without hiccups. What’s more, all are accomplished in a 1- or 2-step process, with no excessive menu levels or assurances (“Is this what you said?”) necessary.

Like some Nissans, the Rogue Hybrid has a small touchscreen and dated navigation map. We look forward to seeing modernization of both these items in the future.

The Rogue Hybrid gets the same freshened front and rear fascias bestowed on the non-hybrid ’17 Rogue. Nissan describes the vehicle from both those angles as more chiseled. This puts the brand in lockstep with others giving their vehicles angrier faces, and officials here say research shows female buyers aren’t typically turned off by masculine-looking styling.

Headlamps are reconfigured with a new boomerang-shape. LED front lighting is optional on the SL grade.

Taillamps go from halogen bulbs to LEDs.

Interior updates include a D-shaped steering wheel, new seat fabric and shift knob and a revised center console and console lid.

The hybrid is set to go on sale before year-end, with two grade levels offered, SV and SL, but only in a 2-row, 5-passenger configuration. Nissan says there is no 3-row option as in the standard Rogue because pricing for such a model would be too close to the Pathfinder.

The Rogue SL gets a standard motion-activated tailgate, which is optional on the SV. It was demonstrated here a few times, often successfully. The foot kick to activate the sensor that triggers the tailgate door to open does require a certain finesse.

HEV badging and a sound generator for driving in electric mode are two unique features of the Rogue Hybrid.

Interior cargo room is relatively uncompromised in the Rogue Hybrid. Nissan installs an underfloor system to make up for the space the battery pack takes up in the back. But second-row seats in the Rogue Hybrid also lack the fore-and-aft sliding ability of those in the standard Rogue, and are split 60/40 instead of 40/20/40.

While the Rogue Hybrid is a longer CUV than the RAV4, the Toyota outdoes the Nissan on cargo volume but underperforms it on passenger space. Passenger volume is 106.8 cu.-ft. (3.0 cu.-m) in the Rogue Hybrid vs. 100.7 cu.-ft. (2.9 cu.-m) in the RAV4 Hybrid, while cargo volume with the second-row seat up in the Nissan is 27.3 cu.-ft. (0.8 cu.-m) and 35.6 cu.-ft. (1.0 cu.-m) in the RAV4.

Adaptive cruise control, forward emergency braking with pedestrian detection and lane-departure warning and prevention are optional on ’17 Rogues. ACC will bring the Rogue Hybrid to a full stop, but releases the brakes after a few seconds, Nissan officials here note.

All in all, the Rogue Hybrid is a good entrant into the burgeoning hybrid CUV sector. On matters of noise, vibration and harshness, we give a slight edge to the RAV4, but as noted the Rogue gets as good (or better, per EPA estimates) fuel economy and has some great interior attributes.

Key in the sales battle will be where Nissan prices the Rogue Hybrid. Grades of the RAV4 Hybrid are just $700 more than the same non-hybrid RAV grades, which undoubtedly is behind Toyota’s 36,516 sales this year.

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’17 Nissan Rogue Hybrid Specifications