Nissan Rogue Sport; 4 Reasons Why it’s Smart for Urban Consumers

Nissan is filling a spot in their lineup they hadn’t covered before. The all-new Nissan Rogue Sport was new for 2017 and slots right below its popular Rogue stablemate and just above the smaller Juke, and fits in the small compact crossover segment. Its got a lower profile with sleek exterior styling, seating for five (no third row here), and comes with a rear hatch offering up decent cargo space. Rogue Sport is smaller and less powerful than the popular Rogue, but it’s a good city commuter for singles or young couples just starting a family.

This week, we drive the 2018 Nissan Rogue Sport SV AWD trim.

What’s new for 2018?

Some optional features are reshuffled and renamed, but otherwise, the Nissan Rogue Sport carries over into 2018 unchanged.

Features and options

The 2018 Nissan Rogue Sport's SV trim ($25,090) gets standard creature comforts such as 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, automatic headlights, keyless entry and ignition, a cargo management system, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power-adjustable driver's seat and a six-speaker audio system.

The SV Technology package ($2,420) adds heated seats and upgraded navigation/multimedia, remote engine start, heated steering wheel, fog lights, heated outside mirrors, and intelligent cruise control. Total MSRP including destination: $28,760.

Interior highlights

Stepping inside the Rogue Sport reminded us of the Rogue Hybrid we recently drove for a week with the redesigned front center console, new trim, and finishes. We appreciated the soft-touch quality materials through the cabin, heated steering wheel and heated front seats in the SV as temperatures dropped and a late spring snow hit us this week in the high country west of Denver.

The cloth seats in the SL are comfortable and offered plenty of adjustment with 8-way power driver’s seat to find the perfect driving position. The tilt/telescoping steering wheel also helped up front and rear legroom is generous enough for adults.

Rogue Sport offers up a configurable cargo area with 60/40 split-folding rear seats. It has 22.9 cubic feet of storage space behind the rear seats and 61.1 cubic feet with the rear seats folded flat. There’s enough room for a small table like the video below shows for those “impulse buys” on the way home from work. The rear cargo area also includes a flip-up panel to store valuables or keep things from rolling around in the back.

Engine and fuel mileage specs

The 2018 Nissan Rogue Sport is powered by a 2.0-liter Direct Injection Gasoline (DIG) four-cylinder engine producing 141 horsepower and 147 lb. ft of torque coupled with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) with Eco mode that sends power to the front wheels. This Sport tester came with optional all-wheel drive. EPA fuel mileage estimates come in at 22/32 city/highway mpg and 26 combined mpg.

Driving dynamics

The Rogue Sport excels in the city and is the perfect size to squeeze into tight spots. We had to find a parking spot on the streets of downtown Denver this week, and one open up infant of us. The only problem?, it was a tight spot and we had to parallel park. No problem for the Rogue Sport with its short wheels base. We were able to squeeze right in, where other longer crossovers would have been left out in the cold.

The Sport isn’t the most powerful small crossover out there, but it’s lively enough for city commutes, and has decent handling characteristics. We don’t like Continuously Variable Transmissions, which the Sport has, but it offers up good gas mileage as we averaged around 28 for the week of city and mountain commuting. Consumer Guide Automotive just named the new 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport as a "Best Buy” for urban consumers.

The Rogue Sport has well-cushioned seats on the mid-trim SV tester we had this week, and offers a generally quiet cabin at highway speeds. The all-wheel-drive came in handy as we had a heavy wet snowfall this week in the mountain area giving us a comfort level as we navigated the slushy mountain roads near Evergreen. Rogue Sport has a raked roofline which does cut down on visibility out the car and sides from the drivers seat, but the optional LED headlights offered a good view of the road on the dark mountain roads at night. This Sport tester came with a host of safety features that will keep any family safe on the commute.

Conclusion

Rogue Sport shares its name, platform and numerous advanced safety and security features with the popular Rogue, but the subcompact Sport stands on its own because it appeals to a young demographic wanting a smart urban commuter. Rogue Sport stands out in four areas, exterior styling, its compact nimble size, it’s high on the fun-to-drive meter, and it’s affordable. Rogue Sport also offers up good fuel mileage, cargo carrying abilities and all the latest safety tech.

Photo credit: Nissan USA