2022 Nissan Rogue Sport

Safety Comes Standard. Every Rogue Sport comes with Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 as standard equipment. The suite brings an extensive list of standard safety features that goes above and beyond for the class. While shoppers expect to see things like automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning, the Rogue Sport has a few extras.

Nissan’s suite includes blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, pedestrian detection, reverse automatic braking, and automatic high-beam assist. The Rogue Sport’s list of available features is just as impressive thanks to Nissan’s ProPilot Assist system. It combines adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist and lane departure warning to make driving on the highway far less tiresome.

Room For Cargo, Tight For Passengers. In the subcompact class, the Rogue Sport ranks as one of the roomier options. The SUV offers 23 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and a total of 61 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded. To get the most space, you’ll have to stick with the base trim. Higher trims offer approximately 53 cubic feet of total cargo space because of the Divide-N-Hide cargo system and under-floor storage.

Having a spacious cargo area is nice, especially if you plan to regularly pack your Rogue Sport to the brim with cargo, but the SUV trades rear-seat space for cargo room. For passengers sitting in the back, the Rogue Sport has 33.4 inches of legroom. That’s tight for the class and results in adults having to squeeze in the back on longer drives.

The good news is that the driver and front passenger have comfortable seats in the front. The Rogue Sport also skews more to the side of being an SUV rather than a car, giving driers a commanding view out of the vehicle.

Sport Comes Second. Despite having “Sport” in the name, the Rogue Sport is hardly what we consider sporty. Nissan only offers a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 141 horsepower with the SUV. It’s a modest amount of power when you consider the fact that the Mazda CX-30 is available with a turbocharged engine that makes 250 horsepower – over 100 hp more than the Rogue Sport.

On its own, the four-cylinder engine might be enough, but the continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) that it’s paired with accents the motor’s faults. The engine is sluggish on its own, but the CVT fails to get the most out of the engine. It holds the engine as high as possible in the rev range, resulting in a lot of noise, but little acceleration.

The Rogue Sport handles corners similarly. There’s nothing here that will excite people that enjoy driving, but the SUV handles smoothly in daily driving and has a refined ride.

Bland Design. Automakers use the subcompact segment to usher in some daring designs. The Kia Soul is a funky box with wheels, the Mazda CX-30 doubles as a luxury car, the Hyundai Kona looks like an alien, and the Chevrolet Trailblazer looks as sharp as a chef’s knife. The Rogue Sport doesn’t have any of these things. Instead, it features a monotonous look on the inside and outside.

On the quality side of things, the higher up the Rogue Sport lineup you go, the nicer the materials get. This is true for most vehicles, but it’s more apparent with the Rogue Sport. Lower trims have rough plastics that look out of place on an SUV that starts at $25,685 (with destination).

The range-topping SL trim comes handsomely equipped with leather upholstery, but other competitors in the segment have far nicer cabins with larger infotainment screens – the Rouge Sport is only available with a seven-inch touchscreen.

Final Thoughts. With its standard safety and tech features, the 2022 Nissan Rogue Sport is an appealing vehicle for shoppers that want an efficient subcompact SUV. Since the Rogue Sport has come out, plenty of subcompact vehicles have debuted or have been updated. Most of them come with similar standard features, more powerful engines, more available tech features, and more premium designs. Depending on what you’re looking for from a subcompact SUV, there are better options in the class.

The Mazda CX-30 is one of the best choices in the class with a luxurious cabin, powerful engines, agile handling, a standard 8.8-inch display, standard all-wheel drive, and the automaker’s i-Activsense suite of safety features as standard.

For something with a similar amount of cargo space, check out the Kia Seltos. It has a roomy cabin, great fuel economy figures, up to 175 hp, and an available 10.25-inch touchscreen. The Seltos also has a better look than the Rogue Sport.

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