What's Wrong With This Picture: Rogue Agent Edition
What’s the difference between these two compact crossovers? American readers will recognize the vehicle on the left as the forthcoming facelift of the Nissan Rogue. The crossover on the right is a recently-released update to the European-market Nissan Qashqai. The Rogue is slightly larger in most dimensions than the Qashqai (not counting the extended-wheelbase Qashqai +2), and only offers a 2.5 liter engine while the Qash has a palette of four two-liter and smaller gas and diesel engines. But it’s not the Euro model’s cramped quarters or low-displacement engines that we find ourselves wishing could find their way to the American market… it’s the Qashqai’s updated styling that we want. Sure, these things are subjective, but the updated Rogue just doesn’t seem like much of an improvement on its predecessor’s looks. The Qashqai, meanwhile, has gone from filler to killer.
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I like the Qashqai better, save for the excess of plastic cladding around the bottom - mostly pretentious, as it's not an off-roader. I was really liking the looks of the soon-to-be-released Mitsu Outlander Sport, except that it's going to be saddled with an underpowered 2-liter, 148hp N/A motor (sigh).
How does the pricing compare? There's no way Americans will pay more for less space with a weaker engine.