Nissan’s Rogue SUV has lost one cylinder and an entire liter of engine capacity for 2022, but it’s gained a turbo and a handy 20 hp boost in the swap. The sole engine option in last year’s North American Rogue was a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-four that developed 181 hp, along with an identical 181 lb-ft of torque. For 2022 here’s still only one engine, but it’s now a 1.5-liter turbocharged triple that makes 201 hp and a healthy 225 lb-ft of twist.
The new engine is built in Tennessee and
uses the same trick variable compression technology already seen in the
turbocharged 2.0-liter four introduced for the 2019 Infiniti QX50 and Nissan
Altima. A new engine mounting system including two lower torque rods is tasked
to keep those quirky three-cylinder vibrations in check. Nissan hasn’t released
any performance figures for the latest Rogue but you can bet it’ll be usefully
quicker, with the bonus of consuming far less fuel. The old Rogue was rated at
a combined 30 mpg in its most fuel-efficient front-wheel-drive form, whereas
the new one is claimed to return 33 mpg. Nissan says the Rogue is now the most
frugal SUV in its class, which means those endless trips to the dealer for
recalls won’t cost you as much this time around.
Contributing to the 1.5 Rogue’s mileage
gain is a new Xtronic CVT transmission that has a 17 percent wider gear ratio
coverage and 32 percent less friction than the ’box it replaces. It also
features two oil pumps: one mechanical, delivering a small flow of oil or
smooth, slow shifts at light load, and one electric forcing through more lube
for fast ratio swaps in red-mist situations.
Naturally, all these bonuses don’t come
for free. The base front-wheel-drive Rogue S now costs US$ 26,700, up from last
year’s US$ 26,050, while at the other end of the scale, the price of the top-spec
Rogue Platinum AWD grows from US$ 37,230 to US$ 37,980. Option packs include a US$ 2,660
SV Premium Package and US$ 1,320 SL Premium Package, while a head-up display for
the Platinum trim will set you back US$ 400.
