The New Nissan Rogue Is Here—and Its Hybrid Powertrain Changes Everything

The biggest change with the new Nissan Rogue is that it was developed entirely by Nissan. The previous-generation crossover was closely related to the Mitsubishi Outlander, but the new Rogue marks a clean break from that approach. It is also the first Nissan model in the U.S. to use the company’s e-Power hybrid system.

Under the hood is a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine producing up to 148 horsepower. Unlike a conventional hybrid engine, it is not mechanically connected to the wheels. Instead, it serves as a generator for the electric motors. Nissan says the powertrain was tuned to keep engine noise to a minimum while driving.

The new Rogue is propelled by two electric motors. The front motor produces up to 202 horsepower, while the rear motor delivers as much as 134 horsepower. Combined system output is rated at 225 horsepower, giving the new crossover 24 more horsepower than the outgoing Rogue.

The e-Power system uses a 1.67-kWh battery pack. That battery is too small to provide meaningful electric-only driving, so the gasoline engine primarily works as an onboard generator. There is also no conventional transmission. Power is sent to the wheels directly through the electric motors.

Nissan says the new Rogue returns a combined 38 mpg, with a claimed city rating of about 40 mpg. Along with the new hybrid system, Nissan has extensively redesigned the crossover’s exterior.

The Rogue now takes some of its styling cues from the latest Leaf. The front end features a new grille with integrated LED headlights, while the rear gets split taillights as standard. The top trim replaces the conventional rear lighting arrangement with a full-width LED light bar.

Inside, the Rogue gets a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a new 14.3-inch touchscreen. The crossover also becomes the first vehicle in its class in the U.S. to offer 15-watt wireless smartphone charging, with a second charging pad available as an option.

Nissan has also kept physical controls for the climate system rather than moving everything onto the touchscreen. That should make basic climate adjustments easier to handle while driving.

The company has updated its ProPILOT Assist driver-assistance system as well. A new forward-facing camera has a 20% wider field of view, allowing the system to detect vehicles that begin braking more quickly.

The new Rogue can also handle stop-and-go traffic without driver input when lane markings are clearly visible. Nissan says it plans to bring artificial intelligence into the crossover in the future to support a more advanced automated driving system.