[Music]
Nissan has hit the jackpot with the
rogue it's not the Altima from the
brand's top spot and isn't looking back
so if your Nissan what do you do well
you build a rogue sport of course a
smaller fun to drive version that's
perfect for a younger audience known as
the cash guy in overseas markets
Nissan's smartly changed the name here
to capitalize on the insanely popular
rogue it also shares the Rogues global
unibody front drive platform and
regardless of its less expensive pricing
the rogue sport also cribs most of its
bigger brothers advanced safety features
while the rogue supports an optional
third row of seating and is sized for
family duty the rogue sport is over a
foot shorter Nissan believes this is the
one that'll bring new customers to the
brand young city couples who love the
Rogues look but needn't nor want its
additional size easier to turn and park
in tight spots the sport has its urban
advantages though gas mileage isn't one
of them despite its smaller 2-liter
engine the sport checks in with the same
27 mpg and combined driving has the
rogue unlike its European counterpart
there are no diesels or manual
transmissions here the 141 horsepower
4-cylinder is mated to a continuously
variable transmission Nissan calls
xtronic there's not an overwhelming
amount of engine here but in its native
stop-and-go environment the sport feels
amply powered the CVT isn't quite too
Subarus benchmark standard but it's
mostly inoffensive the best part of the
drive is the sports responsive steering
and nimble handling running errands and
dashing through the city is the sports
forte get it out on the open road and
it's less distinguished though still
pleasant to drive
there's no sport mode for the engine or
paddle shifters for the gears there is a
sport mode for the steering providing
greater feedback and firmness the one
thing that doesn't need more feel is the
fully independent suspension riding on
these 19-inch eco-friendly Bridgestone's
with a narrow sidewall the sport is
constantly transmitting the road to the
driver some like that but on pothole and
manhole cover riddled city streets it
doesn't seem to make much sense as it
turns out the rogue sport is the perfect
addition to Nissan's SUV lineup it's
extremely likeable from this ultra
comfortable driver's seat to its frisky
maneuvers it's the kind of vehicle
owners are going to fall in love with
sized right priced right styled right
Nissan has got this formula down Plus
this SL trim is fully loaded now for an
urban vehicle the ride quality should be
softer in the CVT is well a CVT you can
grab a base front drive rogue sport s
for 20 to 395 $3,000 less than a rogue
or go all-in on an SL all-wheel drive
like this one here with a starting price
of 28,000 395 mine goes even further
with the only two available packages the
premium and the Platinum for a total
MSRP of 31 thousand to forty five it's
surprisingly well-appointed with full on
safety and convenience features and
blends a premium feeling with cabin
quietness moonroof real leather super
fast heated seats heated steering wheel
remote start navigation mobile apps and
services around view monitor the sport
is giving you a solid bang for the buck
plus it's got all of the key safety
features of Nissan safety shield
including intelligent cruise control
Auto high beams blind spot warning
forward emergency braking and more the
six speaker sound system sounds great
but there's no HD radio
there's also LED front lighting - the
fogs though an extra $190 - the dealer
can score you those as well speaking of
which there are dozens of factory and
dealer installed accessories for the
sport that allow you to customize what
areas could use improvement how about a
height adjustment for the passenger seat
an upgrade to the latest version of
nissanconnect with full smartphone
integration better placement of
auxiliary buttons and the addition of a
power liftgate
the rear seats don't slide or recline
and sit rather low though they do offer
up ample leg and Headroom in the back
there's a cargo management system called
dividing hide and surprise Chrysler
didn't already trademark this that even
allows you to neatly stow the rear shelf
with the seats folded the sport offers
up luggage volume that's greater than
that of the Chevy Trax and a little less
than the Honda HRV
but the rogue sport pushes the luxury
level beyond those two allowing
customers to get more of the full rogue
experience in a smaller package it's
very well done and should sell as well
if not better than its bigger namesake
for test drive now.com i'm steve Hammes