Nissan Announces Pricing for the Rogue's Baby Brother, Starting at $22,380

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Taking a cue from Mitsubishi, which offers the Outlander and the smaller Outlander Sport, Nissan has decided to introduce a Sport version of the strong-selling Rogue — though it is actually an entirely divergent model.

The 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport fills a relatively tiny gap between the brand’s smaller CUVs. While the sizing difference is easier to appreciate against the Juke, the two Rogues are actually more dissimilar than a first glance would suggest. For starters, the standard Rogue is about a foot longer and can be outfitted with three rows while the Sport is limited to only two. The larger crossover also comes with a 2.5-liter inline-four that the Rogue Sport won’t have. Instead, buyers receive a 2.0-liter inline-four that produces 141 horsepower and 147 lb-ft of torque, mated to a continuously variable transmission.

Considering that the base Juke comes with 188 hp and 177 lb-ft and the larger Rogue has the beefier engine, Nissan’s usage of the Sport moniker seems a little ill-placed here — unless it is referring specifically to “sport utility.” Both of the Rogues offer a bit more ground clearance than the Juke and some additional cargo space. In the Sport, that ends up being nearly 23 cubic feet in the rear and 61 cubic feet with the second-row seats folded — compared to 32 and 70 cubic inches in its bigger brother.

The Rogue Sport appears to be an anemic version of the standard Rogue, which is a perplexing choice for the brand to make on a new model until you realize that isn’t one. The Sport is actually the venerable Nissan Qashqai, sold in overseas markets for years, trimmed up to suit American sensibilities.

Nissan is positioning the Sport as a city-sized crossover that will encourage you to “get out of town” once in a while. However, based on its specs, the revamped Qashqai will probably feel most at home in an urban environment as a versatile errand runner.

Starting at $22,380 for a base S front-wheel drive model, with an additional $960 for the destination fee, the Rogue Sport goes on sale May 11th. Better-equipped models begin at $23,980 for the SV, while the SL trim goes for $27,030. All-wheel drive is available on all three for an extra $1,350. While that keeps pricing near the competition, it’s also fairly close to the base Rogue’s pre-delivery MSRP of $23,820.

[Images: Nissan]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Big Al from Oz Big Al from Oz on Apr 25, 2017

    The fluffy first sentence inference that Nissan is following Mitsubishi is false. For years Nissan has been selling the Qashi (Dualis) and Rogue (XTrail) in the same markets, well before Mitsubishi decided to have the Outlander and "Sport" in one market.

  • Brettc Brettc on Apr 25, 2017

    Why are all of these smallish CUVs so underpowered? They all do around 140 HP and about equal torque. My TDI does 140 HP but also has over 200 ft-lbs of torque, but it's still slow. The Qashqai appears to weigh about 2900 pounds at a minimum. Anyway, I don't get the point of these things. Underpowered and heavy isn't a good combination.

    • See 1 previous
    • Focus-ed Focus-ed on Apr 25, 2017

      @OldManPants 140hp is adequate for smaller car (and more efficient drivetrain/transmission). Low torque, heavy vehicle and the results are as stated in the title. I can bet that the 2.5l in the same vehicle would improve both performance (who cares in CUV) and the gas mileage (few care right now but you never know prices at the pump tomorrow)

  • AZFelix Hilux technical, preferably with a swivel mount.
  • ToolGuy This is the kind of thing you get when you give people faster internet.
  • ToolGuy North America is already the greatest country on the planet, and I have learned to be careful about what I wish for in terms of making changes. I mean, if Greenland wants to buy JDM vehicles, isn't that for the Danes to decide?
  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
  • Carson D The UAW has succeeded in organizing a US VW plant before. There's a reason they don't teach history in the schools any longer. People wouldn't make the same mistakes.
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