Last month, the Brazilian patent office
published design filings that appear to belong to the next-gen 2021 Nissan
Rogue / X-Trail, as they clearly resemble camouflaged prototypes spotted by our
spy photographers in the wild in recent months. The all-new Rogue will feature
split headlights, a more prominent V-Motion grille, vertical air intakes and
door mounted side mirrors (unlike its predecessor).
Based on the design filing, the rear end
will have horizontal taillights that cut into the fenders, which feature more
pronounced rear haunches housing an upward-sweeping belt line. There’s also a
slightly sloping roofline, much like the one found on today’s model.
If this is indeed to be the next-gen Rogue
/ X-Trail, as rendered here by Kolesa, then it looks like its design will be
one of its main weapons against the 2020 Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and all the
other competitors in the heavily challenged compact SUV segment.
We also know a little bit about what the
Japanese crossover will look like on the inside, with higher-quality materials
present, a flat-bottom steering wheel, a new digital instrument cluster and a
freestanding infotainment display to go with the small shifter and dedicated
terrain mode dial.
As for powertrain options, while nothing’s
been confirmed yet, it’s possible that the 2021 Rogue might adopt the 188 HP
2.5-liter four-pot used by the Altima, instead of the current model’s 170 HP
unit in North America. Nissan will likely launch the 2021 Rogue / X-Trail later
this year, possibly in an online setting – unless world governments give us the
all clear in time for people to assemble at a car show.
