A Week With: 2022 Nissan Rogue Platinum AWD
Since its introduction 15 years ago, the venerable Rogue has been Nissan’s greatest success. Sales of the Rogue far outstrip any other Nissan product, and for good reason. The Rogue hits the sweet spot of the reasonably affordable crossover the American public wants to drive.
As their bread-and-butter vehicle, Nissan takes special care of the Rogue, keeping it up-to-date and feature rich. The most recent redesign came for the 2021 model year, and the 2022 Rogue just adds to the feature list, starting with a new 1.5-liter variable-compression turbocharged 3-cylinder engine. Nissan also keeps the Rogue ahead of the competition on the all-important technology front, with advanced driver assistance, state-of-the-art safety, and a selection of luxury tech features.
Overview
The Nissan Rogue is a compact crossover SUV in the economy segment, available with front- or all-wheel drive, and a new 1.5-liter engine paired with a continuously variable transmission. The Rogue’s all-wheel-drive system is suitable for winter weather, but this SUV is in no way an off-road vehicle. It’s designed for urban and suburban family use.
The Rogue is available in four trim levels, ranging from basic and affordable to quite luxurious. After the mid-2022 price adjustments, Rogue MSRP ranges from $27,150 for the most basic S FWD trim up to $38,430 for Platinum AWD trim. The price walk rises by about $2,000 for every grade, with AWD models carrying a $1,500 premium.
Of course, this assumes you can find a dealer selling at MSRP.
Exterior
The Rogue is among the better-looking compact crossovers, with a more upright stance than most. Nissan also steered clear of the extremely angled rear window, so the Rogue looks more traditional than many modern crossovers. Apart from a suggestion of box flares over the wheel arches, there’s not a lot of sculpture to the side of the Rogue, but from the driver’s seat you’ll notice some shape to the hood.
Nissan’s color palette is about the same as any other manufacturer’s, with white, black, four shades of silver/gray, plus a red and a blue option. Red paint costs $395 extra. Nissan also offers the Rogue in five different two-tone paint schemes. Most two-tone options cost $745 extra, but two of them, including blue over black, cost $350. The test vehicle was painted in the blue/black two-tone and it’s very attractive.
Interior
The test vehicle was fitted with Nissan’s top Platinum trim, plus the optional interior accent lighting ($350), so it was top of the line. That means semi-aniline perforated leather seats in a nice tan color with contrasting bolster panels that match the exterior. The front and rear seats are heated, as is the steering wheel.
As a family-oriented utility vehicle, the Rogue gives you plenty of room in the back seats. You can carry four 6-foot-tall people in this SUV with comfort. As part of the up-to-date aspect of the Rogue, there are USB-A and USB-C ports on the console and in the second row.
Nissan also deserves praise for the cargo capacity of the Rogue. There’s 31.6 cubic feet behind the second-row seats, or 74.1 cubes if you fold the second row down. That’s plenty for a week of car-camping with two people, or a trip to the airport with four.
Powertrain
The big news for 2022 is the Rogue’s new 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged engine. The engine is rated at 201 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque. Those figures are impressive considering the Rogue also returns 28 mpg in city driving and 34 mpg on the highway.
The tradeoff with all that is the Rogue’s continuously variable transmission. In order to keep that little engine in its power band, the CVT has to handle most of the acceleration. That gives the Rogue a “rubber band” feeling and an acceleration lag when you’re stepping on the gas. If that sort of thing bugs you, be sure to pay attention when you’re test driving the Rogue. If it doesn’t bother you, then the fuel economy ratings are a great reason to choose this SUV.
Surprisingly, you can tow with the Rogue, when it’s been properly outfitted by the dealer. The Rogue will pull up to 1,500 pounds, with 150 pounds of tongue weight. That’s enough for a small boat, a small ATV, or a pop-up travel trailer.
Safety and Technology
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rates the 2022 Rogue with four stars in their crash test. The Rogue got top marks for side impacts, but four stars for frontal crashes. However, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the Rogue as a “Top Safety Pick+,” its top designation. That’s a result of good crash test performance and an excellent safety tech package.
Rogue offers as much safety as any vehicle in its class, and the best part is the core safety features come standard on all trim levels. The core of Nissan’s safety gear includes Nissan Safety Shield 360, including Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind-Spot Warning, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Lane-Departure Warning, High Beam Assist and Rear Automatic Braking.
Driver awareness monitor and rear door alert are also standard. Rear door alerts are becoming more popular, as they can stop children from opening doors when traffic is approaching.
Depending on trim level or in the option packages, you can also get the Rogue equipped with a 360-degree camera system, head-up display, and Nissan’s ProPilot steering assistance package, with a link to the Rogue’s optional navigation system. That makes the Rogue, at least at the top trim levels, a significantly advanced vehicle.
On the dashboard, you’ll find a 12-inch digital driver information display, and a 9-inch color touchscreen for infotainment. At the top Platinum trim level, the Rogue includes a 10-speaker Bose premium audio system, which sounds great.
The infotainment controls are standard, and reasonably easy to use. One item that stands out is the tuning knob for the infotainment, which allows you to cycle through every channel of the Sirius/XM satellite radio system, instead of just those that have been selected as favorites. If you’re a channel surfer, that’s an important convenience feature.
Driving Impressions
The driving experience in the Rogue is about on par with any other economy compact SUV. If you’re looking for something exciting, walk across the Nissan showroom and check out the new Z-Car. The Rogue is designed to be safe, reliable, and predictable, and it’s all those things. The Rogue is also comfortable, at least in the higher trim we tested.
As Nissan’s best-seller, you can expect the Rogue to appeal to the broadest cross-section of buyers. It’s not a rough-and-ready off-roader like the late lamented Xterra, but it is incredibly well-designed for the things that most people do with crossover SUVs. So the Rogue is at its best as your daily commuter and running errands.
There are no real flaws in the Rogue driving experience. Visibility is good, especially with the 360-degree camera system in play, and engine power is adequate to the task. If you can live with the continuously variable transmission, you’ll see why the Rogue is so popular.
2022 Nissan Rogue Platinum AWD Specifications
| Dimension | L: 183 inches/W: 72.4 inches/H: 66.5 inches/Wheelbase: 106.5 inches |
| Weight | 3,741 pounds |
| Powertrain | 1.5-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder, CVT and AWD |
| Fuel Economy | 28 mpg city/34 mpg highway/31 mpg combined |
| Performance Specs | 201 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque |
| Price | Base price: $28,445; As tested: $41,930 including $1,225 destination charge |
| On-Sale Date | Available now |
Wrap Up
The 2022 Rogue starts at $27,150 for the front-drive S trim. Plus the standard $1,225 destination fee, that means $28,445 is your bottom line MSRP. That gets you cloth upholstery and real gauges instead of the nifty 12-inch screen display, and the infotainment screen is eight inches instead of nine. But most of the stuff that matters is really the same, including the infotainment functionality.
The intervening trim levels SV and SL offer a selection of premium features, but the SL trim is within a few thousand dollars of the top Platinum trim, so if you’re going to go that far, you might as well get all the goodies. The trouble with the Platinum trim is that by the time you’re out the door with a couple nice options like the head-up display, you’re over $40,000, and getting closer to premium brand pricing.
That’s why we like the SV trim level. This package is reasonably priced at about a $2,000 premium over the base trim, and it’s worth buying. Rogue SV buyers get a panoramic moonroof, roof rails, power liftgate, and the heated seats and steering wheel. You can decide whether to spend the extra $1,500 on AWD or not.
One last note, the 2023 Rogue comes with a small price hike, and 2023 models are arriving at dealerships now. So the time to make a deal on a 2022 Rogue is now, if you can find a dealer who’s dealing.
2022 Nissan Rogue Platinum AWD — Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Nissan Rogue reliable?
According to J.D. Power, the Rogue gets a “Great” reliability rating of 82 out of 100.
How long will a Nissan Rogue last?
Generally speaking, about 200,000 miles or 13 years.
Is the Nissan Rogue good in snow?
Yes. The traction control system has a drive mode for snow that optimizes the Rogue for limited traction conditions. The Roque also has an 8.4-inch ground clearance, which will help keep it from getting stuck in medium-deep snow.
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