2014 Nissan Rogue SL AWD Long-Term Road Test

Read the 2014 Nissan Rogue's introduction to our long-term fleet.

See all of the 2014 Nissan Rogue's long-term updates.

What We Got
The Nissan Rogue was fully redesigned in 2014. It was larger, offered an optional third row of seats and promised better mileage thanks to a more efficient continuously variable transmission (CVT). As the second-best-selling vehicle in its lineup, Nissan was hoping for even bigger things from its compact crossover.

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Since the category is one of the hottest in the industry right now, the decision to test a new Rogue for a year was an easy one. We had to think a little harder about whether we wanted to get one with a third-row seat and in what trim. We ended up with a loaded 2014 Nissan Rogue SL AWD with no third row. It had plenty of features to test, including an interesting reconfigurable cargo area.

Like all Rogues, ours was powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a standard CVT. The engine generated 170 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque, and promised an EPA-estimated 28 mpg combined.

Standard equipment on the $28,070 SL included a rearview camera, 18-inch wheels, leather seats, a power liftgate and navigation, to name the most notable. We added all-wheel drive ($1,350), floor mats ($125) and the tech-heavy Premium package ($1,990). The Premium package translated to LED headlights, a panoramic moonroof, moving object detection and blind spot, lane departure and collision warning systems. Destination fees brought the total for our Rogue to $32,395.

Performance

• "[The Rogue] feels adequately powered on the highway, and although it can be caught out on occasion in town, it's pretty rare. Much of it has to do with the standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). Because it's able to adjust the gearing to fit the situation, the engine is often running in the heart of its power band. It's only when the CVT is 'thinking' about it that the Rogue gets a little sluggish." — Ed Hellwig




• "But the CVT is not one of the Rogue's flattering features. In traffic and around town, it delivers the classic rubber band sensation that requires delicate throttle inputs and out-thinking the transmission logic simply to sustain a smooth ride." — Dan Frio

MPG

• "Our trip consisted of over 600 miles of nearly pure highway driving, during which the Rogue averaged 26 mpg. That's a full 6 mpg and nearly 20 percent off its 32-mpg highway rating. It's even 2 mpg below its EPA combined rating." — Dan Edmunds




• "After nine months in our fleet, the Rogue still hadn't cracked its EPA-estimated 32 mpg.... After seven hours of podcast-regulated-boredom I stopped for gas with 413.1 miles on the trip computer. This was a new range record for the Rogue but it still didn't meet its highway EPA estimate.... I got 30.0 mpg." — Travis Langness

Comfort

• "I was suffering from a sore and tired lower back when I got into the Rogue to drive to work this morning, yet almost instantly the seat's support, in all the right places, made me feel better.... Dang it if they aren't super comfortable. They are so supportive that I didn't even need to turn the power lumbar up from its lowest setting." — Mike Monticello




• "I've been pleasantly surprised by the rear seats in our Rogue. They not only have a decent amount of room for knees and toes, there's a solid amount of headroom, too. The seatbacks also recline, which goes a long way toward making it feel like there's more room." — Ed Hellwig

Cargo Space

• "Our Rogue comes with configurable cargo area shelves.... I like how these configurable shelves add some extra versatility compared to what's available in the typical small crossover SUV. But you only get them if you opt for the five-passenger Rogue. Otherwise this space is taken up by the optional third-row seat." — Brent Romans




• "I used the Rogue's multilevel storage system to lower the cargo area floor a few inches for the wine (making a nice well that kept it from rattling around) and installed the movable floor pieces to provide a flat, sturdy cargo floor above the wine cases for the rest of the stuff." — John O'Dell

Interior

• "As Executive Editor Ed Hellwig pointed out earlier this year, our long-term Rogue's climate control system offers rear vents for backseat passengers. However, we've found that the vents do little to increase the comfort of the rear seat riders during the hot summer months." — Kelly Hellwig




• "Passengers and cargo are the Rogue's forte, and rear doors that open to 77 degrees emphasize the point. Anyone who's ever gone camping and fully loaded the rear access before remembering they still need to load coolers full of bacon, brats and beer will appreciate the Rogue's wide-open door angles." — Dan Frio

Audio and Technology

• "Along this leg of the journey, what stuck out in particular was the glitchy infotainment system. Repeatedly, the system wouldn't recognize when my iPhone was plugged in, so I had to connect and disconnect several times if I wanted to listen to podcasts. Why not connect via Bluetooth instead, you ask? The Rogue couldn't handle that task either." — Travis Langness




• "Our loaded-up Rogue SL comes with 360-degree parking cameras, frontal collision warning, lane departure warning, rear cross-path detection and blind-spot monitoring.... With these systems all on, I will admit that the potential for the various beeps to become annoying is fairly high, even in normal driving. But the nice thing is that Nissan gives you the option of disabling them individually in the car's settings if you so desire." — Brent Romans

Maintenance

• "We installed the temporary spare in the relative calm of the garage and drove the flat over to Stokes, our trusty local tire shop, to see if it was patchable. I had my doubts. But once the tire was separated from the rim, they found the screw was angled in toward the center of the tire and had emerged farther away from the sidewall than it looked from outside. And so they deemed it safe for patching and quickly had us on our way." — Dan Edmunds




• "The [10,000-mile service] was performed and the outside of the car washed. We would use this dealership again in the future. Its staff was polite and we received more friendly 'hellos' and 'good mornings' than we could count." — Mike Schmidt

Miscellaneous

• "I noticed this week that our 2014 Nissan Rogue is designed to accommodate three child seats across its second row. Though it lacks three sets of LATCH attachment points in the second row, there is a third top tether mounted to the roof just inside the hatch. Using the middle seatbelt, it is possible to install three child seats across the second row and have the safety of three top tethers." — Josh Jacquot




• "There are several surfaces in the car that reflect quite a bit of sunlight and really affect your vision. The shiny plastic Nissan logo on the steering wheel and the black plastic on the dash make it really hard to see when you're driving away from the morning sun." — Travis Langness

Maintenance & Repairs

Regular Maintenance:
The Rogue requested routine service at 5,000-mile intervals. That made four stops during our 20,000-mile test with an average of $63 per visit.

Service Campaigns:
A lone recall was issued during our test for loose lug nuts but did not apply to our Rogue.

Fuel Economy and Resale Value

Observed Fuel Economy:
EPA fuel economy for the Rogue was estimated at 28 mpg combined (25 city/32 highway). We averaged just 25 mpg. Despite considerable effort, we achieved just two tanks at 30 mpg or above: one at exactly 30 mpg and another at 32.8 mpg. Our best single fill-up had a range of 413.1 miles.

Resale and Depreciation:
Our Rogue had an MSRP of $32,395. After one year and 20,605 miles, Edmunds' TMV^® Calculator valued the crossover at $23,014, based on a private-party sale. This equates to 29 percent depreciation. For reference, our recent long-term Honda CR-V and long-term Mazda CX-5 depreciated 18 and 15 percent, respectively.

Summing Up
Pros: Roomy interior for all passengers, great front seats for long drives, reconfigurable cargo bay is genuinely useful, optional 360-degree camera makes parking easy, capable of 400-plus miles on one tank, no unscheduled maintenance or repairs during our test.

Cons: Behavior of the CVT still less refined than expected, overall mileage numbers never met projections, suffered higher than normal depreciation.

Bottom Line: This is a versatile, comfortable and well-designed crossover that offers all the latest technology along with solid dependability. The only thing keeping it from top-tier status is a thirsty four-cylinder engine and a less-than-refined transmission.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.