Nissan Allowing Customers to Compare Toyota RAV4 at Dealerships

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Nissan will begin encouraging dealerships to place examples of the Toyota RAV4 on their lots so customers will have the ability to compare the best-selling vehicle in America that isn’t a pickup truck against its own Rogue. While pitting your bread and butter against a model that is often better reviewed and outsells it by a margin of nearly 2-to-1 seems foolish, we think we see where Nissan is going with this plan.

Toyota’s RAV4 retails a bit higher than Nissan’s Rogue and its base LE trim is about as basic as it gets for the segment. We’re willing to bet that’s the model that will be used in comparisons. As both are fairly appliance-like automobiles to drive, this gives Nissan an opportunity to showcase the Rogue’s slight advantage in overall comfort and features without being eclipsed by a better-equipped RAV4. Meanwhile, customers finding themselves less interested in crossovers than they were upon arrival are free to browse the rest of the Nissan lot.

The brand is calling it the “Rogue Gone Rogue” campaign and had opted to tap the famously unlikable Brie Larson for the accompanying advertisements. Despite having won some of the most coveted awards Hollywood has to offer, Larson’s choice as a multi-year brand ambassador feels like a minor misstep. But Nissan made it clear that this campaign isn’t about playing things safe, it’s about drawing attention to the brand’s best sellers. Larson’s constant advocacy for gender and racial issues lends itself to that, according to Nissan’s Chief Marketing Officer Allyson Witherspoon.

“Brie embodies the Nissan spirit in her desire to challenge the status quo off-screen and her ability to bring thrill and excitement to on-screen roles,” she explained. “When we previously worked with Brie on the Sentra campaign, she brought a unique point of view to the creative during the production process, advocating for diversity and inclusivity, which aligns with her interest in supporting the work of the Nissan Foundation.”

Seems a bit heady for selling cars but that’s where the dealership comes into play. Having the RAV4 on site will probably send plenty of customers who might have been considering one over to the Nissan store first. Judy Wheeler, Nissan division vice president of sales and regional operations in the United States, told dealers as much last week.

“We know that when consumers check out the all-new Rogue side by side with the RAV4, they will be amazed by our standard safety, advanced technology, premium design … and, most of all, outstanding overall value,” she said.

Toyota said that it’s happy the RAV4 will have more opportunities to go against its rivals, noting that it’s the best-selling crossover in the U.S. for a good reason. But Nissan is going hard with its marketing campaign, sprucing up its lineup, and will be offering sizable incentives for returning customers.

“It’s really about the features that are standard for the value that we are offering,” Wheeler explained to Automotive News last week. “When you test drive our vehicle versus the major competitors, you’re going to end up purchasing this vehicle because it’s that much better.”

Nissan said that rented RAV4s will be made available for customers to test drive and compare with the Rogue during December. Roughly half of its 1,074 American dealerships are expected to join the program.

[Image: FotograFFF/Shutterstock]

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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  • MR2turbo4evr MR2turbo4evr on Nov 10, 2020

    Alright I'm biased, but why in the world would anybody buy one of those over a Rav4? Even if Nissan puts a lot of cash on the hood, you have to deal with sub-par reliability and poor resale down the road. Around my parts (sh!tty Cdn rust belt) anything half-decent with a Toyota badge commands a large premium and is sold within 24 hours. I always wonder what possesses people to buy Nissans, Hyundais and all the other junk....

  • Sceptic Sceptic on Nov 12, 2020

    I like my Brie with vine and grapes. Who would name their kid after cheese :)

  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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