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Sunday Drive: 2022 Nissan Rogue gets a turbocharger addition

By Craig and Deanne Conover - | Aug 28, 2022
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The exterior of the new 2022 Nissan Rogue.
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The exterior of the new 2022 Nissan Rogue.
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The exterior of the new 2022 Nissan Rogue.
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Under the hood of the new 2022 Nissan Rogue.
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The interior of the new 2022 Nissan Rogue.
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The interior of the new 2022 Nissan Rogue.

Just over a year ago, Nissan completely redesigned and reengineered its best-selling Rogue SUV, making it smarter and better looking than ever before. After our week with the Platinum-trimmed Rogue, we were impressed with not only the new design but also the awesome technology and comfort included in the mid-sized SUV.

The 2022 model year also brought an all-new engine to the Rogue: Nissan’s VC-Turbo setup that was originally designed for the 2019 Altima and Infiniti QX50. Though it is smaller (only 1.5 liters) and gives up an entire cylinder, the new engine produces 201 horsepower, up 11% from the previous model, and 225 foot-pounds of torque, up 24% over last year.

It is still coupled with a continuously variable transmission, but it has a wider gear ratio and lower friction rate. The whole goal here is to improve acceleration and gas mileage at the same time.

We owned a 2018 Rogue for three years, and we were very impressed with the new engine. It has much better acceleration, and the transmission was quieter than it was previously. Both are great achievements for Nissan.

The new exterior on the Rogue is a little boxier and “adult” looking. We love the way Nissan is giving its SUV line a more aggressive and mature stance. It is definitely following the lead of the new Pathfinder in that department.

Inside, however, is where the real excitement is found with the new Rogue. The new design comes with some great technology. The Platinum trim definitely offers more than the other trims as standard and we highly recommend it. The beautiful, brown, semi-aniline leather-appointed seats are just plain luxurious.

The Rogue we owned came with the Platinum trim, and we enjoyed every minute of it, especially the Zero Gravity seats from Nissan that are a step above the competition. Long drives are so much better in a Nissan seat as Craig found after spending a day in Ogden with the SUV.

Nissan points out that the new Rogue is designed to be a “family hub” of sorts. It checks all the boxes off when it comes to interior amenities. It’s equipped for everyday life and is a go-to car each and every weekend!

The new Platinum Rogue comes standard with a 12.3-inch digital dashboard, a very cool addition by Nissan that we first saw in the Pathfinder a couple of months ago. It is awesome that they included it in the Rogue.

Along with that is a 9-inch LED touch screen that floats in the center dash, having been elevated from the previous model and enlarged from the 7-inch screen we enjoyed a couple of years ago. But that’s not the end of the screens; for an extra $400, a 10.8-inch full-color heads-up display is now also part of the Rogue package. This is a steal as we have seen them priced well north of $1,000 in other vehicles.

This display would put navigation, the radio, the speed limit and other information right in front of us on the huge display. It’s a very worthwhile addition. That makes three big new screens now available in the Rogue!

It seems there would be little else Nissan could have thought of for the new design, but there is more. Adaptive cruise and lane keep assist are both standard on the Platinum, and along with Nissan’s ProPILOT Assist with Navi-link, were great additions.

This may sound simple as many manufacturers are offering these great safety features. However, the Nissan takes it to another level by tying it into the navigation. The Rogue will now think ahead and slow the SUV when it comes up on sharp turns with the cruse control set. It will also adjust the speed up and down as the posted limit changes along the way.

We have only seen this kind of navigation tie-in on very high-end luxury vehicles, so getting it on the Rogue was yet another bonus for the week. The system proved to work very well in the Rogue and certainly made any long drive that much better!

Other changes that caught our attention in the new Rogue included a new butterfly opening center console between the seats allowing those in the rear seat to have easy access. This is a great new feature that helps kids have a place to store things and easily access them without bothering Mom while she is driving.

There is also storage under the front portion of the center console below the gear shifter. This was a great place for Deanne to put her purse and have it out of the way, whether she was driving or just the passenger. There was also an included wireless phone charger in our test ride.

The wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto system is getting better every time we get a new Nissan. It connects quickly, making it easier to transition from home to auto in a seamless experience.

There are also manual draw-up shades for the rear occupants to help keep the sun off those along for the ride.

The new Nissan Rogue is a huge step forward for the manufacturer, making its best-selling SUV even better in 2022.

Base price: $38,430

Destination charge: $ 1,225

Price as driven: $42,325

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