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The 2018 Nissan Rogue is one of the more than desirable mainstream compact SUVs with a roomy interior, comfy forepart seats, useful storage features, solid safety offerings, and excellent crash test results. Add the ProPilot Assist pick to the high-cease Rogue SL and you've got a car that more or less drives itself on interstates. Just understand that y'all take to proceed your hands lightly on the wheel and pay attention along with the car.

The Rogue does non aspire to exist a sporty SUV or a 0-60 champ. Nor does information technology have the smoothest ride on rough roads and the engine gets noisy if you push button hard on the throttle. The infotainment system got a 2018 upgrade but not a bigger screen. While safety offerings are adept, you need to purchase the highest trim line to get everything.

This is the second-generation Rogue, which dates to the 2014 model year, with a 2017 refresh. (The 2019 Rogue will be essentially the same as the 2018 model I tested.)  The Rogue no longer offers the third-row seat, which proffered false hope in a vehicle 184.v inches long.

Front end seat passengers are coddled in Nissan's zero-gravity (their term) seats. Information technology'southward bang-up in back and passengers sit up loftier with adept legroom, if not best-in-grade. Cargo capacity is very good (for a compact) and helped past Nissan's load-floor covers that tin be placed at different heights.

The ride is decent for a car with a brusque wheelbase (this applies to all compact SUVs) except on rougher roads. Similarly, Nissan's 170-hp 4-cylinder engine (no turbo) is pleasant unless ridden hard, at which indicate it sounds strained. The CVT (continuously variable manual) is pretty well tamed; no one is putting more effort into CVTs than Nissan. It takes just under 10 seconds to reach 60 mph, on the slower terminate for small-scale SUVs. In virtually 2,000 miles of more often than not highway driving, I averaged 32 mpg (regular fuel) for my all-wheel-drive Rogue, which is rated at 25 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, 27 mpg combined. The forepart-driver is rated 29 mpg combined and the hybrids are rated at 33 mpg combined (AWD) and 34 mpg combined (front end-bulldoze).

ProPilot Assist functions are shown in the instrument panel: The blue icon means PPA is active. The green steering cycle means steering assist is active. The converging vertical green lines mean the camera sees both left and correct pavement markers. And the motorcar icon shows adaptive cruise control has locked onto the vehicle in front, equally it's pacing the forepart-runner's speed.

ProPilot Assist: Unmatched in a $30K Vehicle

ProPilot Aid (blue), speed, and following distance controls.

ProPilot Assist is Nissan'south Level 2 autonomous driving engineering science, Level two meaning 2 or more systems working together. In Nissan'due south example, it's lane centering help (keeps the car in the centre of the lane) and adaptive cruise command (maintains a set up speed and follow the auto in front).

To actuate ProPilot Help, you need lane centering assist turned on (ane of the many buttons by the commuter'south left knee). On the right of the steering bike, enable ProPilot Assist by pressing the blueish button. Go to your desired speed, at least 20 mph, and press the speed Set or Resume button. The automobile checks its sensors, following distance, and wiper setting (off or intermittent). It waits for all systems to lock on (instantaneously to as much as 5 seconds), the gray steering cycle in the instrument panel goes green, and then your Rogue is driving you. Just proceed your easily lightly on the wheel. Take them off for v-10 seconds and the automobile warns y'all, then warns again and goes to standby.

ProPilot Assist takes the hassle out of long, boring stretches of interstate highway. Likewise, slow moving traffic. PPA drove direct and truthful in our tests on more than one,000 miles of interstate, tracking perfectly through curves. Only on some twisty sections of Westward Virginia Interstate was ProPilot Help unable to stay centered and it disengages equally it alerts the driver to take over. Different an earlier version of ProPilot Assist I drove in the Nissan Leafage, the car no longer favors the right-side lane markings that take you onto go out ramps. ProPilot Aid is well-behaved, the driver remains in control, and it does ease the monotony of long-distance driving.

In comparison, Cadillac's Super Cruise is a superior autonomous Level two system, but it'due south a $five,000 option or requires the $85,000 version of the CT-6. Super Prowl lets you drive easily off, but an center tracker scolds if your gaze wanders for more 5-10 seconds.

What if y'all don't similar ProPilot Assist? If you're not a fan, do this: Don't press the blue button.

The "effectually view monitor" gives a 360-degree view from (seemingly) overhead. It stitches the output from four cameras and also alerts you to movement almost the car (children, pets). Nissan is a pioneer in environment cameras.

Engineering science, Condom, Infotainment

All three trim lines — S, SV, SL — have blind spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert plus frontwards collision alert and automatic emergency braking.  The Rogue S for 2018 besides gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and adds a 2nd USB jack, as do the higher trim lines.

The midrange SV premium package has adaptive cruise control (stop and go), Nissan's fantabulous surround view monitor ("intelligent around view monitor), navigation, voice recognition for navigation and sound, and a SiriusXM Travel and Travel Link data feed.

The SL has standard adaptive cruise control, navigation, and pedestrian detection as function of automatic emergency braking. The SL premium package combines LED headlamps with a huge moonroof. It's required in order to go the platinum bundle with ProPilot Help, electronic parking brake, and 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels with 55-serial tires, which is borderline safety for people in pothole state.

The Rogue Pilot has nicely sculpted lines. They do a lot for looks, but non much for rear vision. This Rogue has the signature Monarch Orange paint ($395).

The Nissan Rogue Trim Lines

The Nissan Rogue comes in iii variants: S, SV, and SL. Prices range from $24,800 (including the $975 freight charge) for the front-drive Rogue South with no options to $36,760 for the all-bicycle-drive Rogue SL with the signature Monarch Orange paint task and all three options packages. All-bicycle-drive is a $1,350 price-adder on all 3 trim lines. A hybrid drivetrain adds $1,000 to the SV, $one,200 to the SL. A Midnight Edition with simply most everything blacked out adds $1,095.

The S value parcel provides 17-inch alloy wheels, rear privacy drinking glass, roof rails, heated front seats, and a leather-wrapped steering and shifter.

The SV gets a motility-activated liftgate in 2018. The Premium Parcel is $2,870. A lord's day-and-sound Touring Package is $3,220 with Bose premium audio, navigation, traffic and travel, the around view monitor, ACC, moonroof, healer leather steering bicycle, and retentiveness for driver'south seat and mirrors.

The SL integrates navigation, terminate-and-go prowl command, and leather seats. The SL  premium package of moonroof and LED headlamps is $1,820; the platinum package of ProPilot Assist, electronic parking brake, and 18-inch alloys is $790 and requires the premium bundle. A platinum reserve package brings quilted leather inserts for $250.

Infotainment is controlled by a seven-inch touch screen. Others in the compact class have viii-inch displays and 2019 small SUV intros may bring a ten-incher.

Infotainment System Shows Its Historic period

The Rogue sometimes comes off equally a crossover that's ameliorate than the sum of its pieces. There are a one-half-dozen minor dissatisfiers. The infotainment screen is small at 7 inches diagonal, the buttons flanking the screen are smaller than most fingers, and in that location'due south just ane USB jack, one 12-volt socket, and an aux-in jack at the base of the eye stack. Passengers in the 2nd row must share a 12-volt socket in the cargo bay. There is, however, legacy entertainment in the form of a CD player.

The Nissan Rogue led all compact SUVs with 195,689 sales in the first half of 2018, upward 31 percent. Only Mitsubishi Outlander did meliorate, up 34 percent. Nissan includes sales of its smaller, similarly named subcompact SUV, Rogue Sport. If Honda did that with H-RV and Toyota with C-HR, they'd be at 233,884 and 211,005 sales. (Source: GoodCarBadCar.com)

Should Y'all Buy?

Rogue sales (2018 projected based on 2017)

The second generation Rogue is aging well in the years before the third generation arrives in 2020. Nigh of the key competition is newer. The 5th-generation Honda CR-V was new as of the 2017 model yr. The third-generation Chevrolet Equinox is new this year. The fifth-generation Toyota RAV4 ships later this twelvemonth. The fifth-generation Ford Escape is due in North America adjacent yr.

Even confronting newer competition, Rogue holds its ain on crash safety and bones safety features. It rides reasonably well. The $1,000-$one,200 hybrid upcharge is fair. Concluding twelvemonth there was a Star Wars special edition; this year there's a Midnight Black Edition, $1,095 extra. Honda and Toyota vanquish Nissan with safety suites on their comparable SUVs. Having a named safety package such as Honda Sensing or Toyota Rubber Sense gives the customer something to inquire for. But Nissan has bullheaded spot detection standard across the Rogue lines, where the named Honda and Toyota packages lack BSD except as an extra-cost option on some trim levels.

For virtually buyers, the Rogue SV makes the most sense. If you lot capeesh technology, we suggest yous look to the top-line Rogue SL with the options packages that requite you ProPilot Assist, and a toll in the mid-thirties if you choose all-wheel-drive. ProPilot Assist eases the boredom and occasional safety concerns of long-distance highway driving besides every bit daily commuting on express access roads. For now, among mainstream vehicles, Nissan Rogue is in a class of one when it comes to assisted driving among affordable small SUVs.

Now read: 2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Review: Solid, Roomy Performer Gets thirty+ MPG, 2017 Honda CR-V improves comfort, adds book knob, loses LaneWatch, and 2017 Mazda CX-v first bulldoze review: Will more tech, quieter cockpit match Audi, BMW?