Off Topic ‘25 Nissan Rogue rental, pleasantly adequate

[ruthrj]

I had fun leaving a brief review on a Mercedes C300 diesel rental we had on vacation in Scotland, figured I’d do it again for a 2025 Rogue we rented in Canada. We could choose any car available in the garage by checking in ahead of time via Alamo. There were only two midsize SUVs available when we landed, a Chevy and a Nissan. After getting a used Titan (and after seeing how poorly Chevys AWD handled in light off-roading in a random YouTube video) I was partial to the Nissan. We took the Rogue. We looked sadly at the AWD CX-5s that were only for Alamos preferred customers as we loaded the Rogue.

The Rogue is incredibly basic and practical. I hate to admit it but it handles better than our RAV4 hybrid. The steering is just as numb as our Toyota but the suspension is more stiff and doesn’t have much body roll. Cabin noise is fine, no complaints. Not as quiet as the CX-5 but I think it’s quieter than my Toyota. The turn radius on the Rogue seems horrendous though, no fun parking this thing. Google says it has a tighter turn radius than the CX-5 and RAV4 but it just doesn’t feel like it.

It gets up and goes just fine when you hit the gas. I’m also embarrassed to admit I didn’t know it was a 3 cylinder turbo until looking it up today. The engine isnt a slouch and is more than adequate. No complaints with the CVT either. I hate CVTs but the paddle shifters and using them to engine brake on long downhills worked very well.

What most impressed me was how well the Rogue climbed a British Columbia service mountain road. Tires are Dunlop with a M&S rating, forgot to note the specific make. We went from 3000 ft to 8600 ft elevation over a 12 km drive (pardon my mix of units). See photos for the car at the peak as well as a view of Golden BC. I put it in off-road mode and it handled the unpaved gravel/dirt with ease. We did a steady 20-40km/hr and the 4x4 display read 50/50 distribution of power almost the whole time. Coming downhill was no issue. I used the paddle shifters to go between simulated 1, 2 and regular D as I coasted down. My biggest worry was dragging the brakes 12km downhill so downshifting worked great to keep the brakes cool and share the stopping power.

MPG has been impressive going up, down and around these mountains. We’ve gone through about a tank and a half so far and have averaged about 6.7L/100km.

Would I buy one? Probably not, but it’s an ok choice. The engine longevity is admittedly questionable with hundreds of failures being reported, but unfortunately all manufacturers have skeletons in that closet. Nissan has supposedly improved the CVT design with a chain vs a belt, that’s a question mark for reliability. Anyway, I’m walking away from the rental experience having more respect for this model. It’s plain jane boring, practical, and it got the job done all over the Canadian Rockies. In the end we may have lucked out with this choice vs a CX-5. I cringe thinking what the CX-5 would’ve felt like on the Three Sisters parkway doing 50-80 km/hr on that gravel, it was rough enough with the Rogue and thankfully it didn’t shake itself to bits!

 

[Lazy2.5]

I did not even realize that Nissan switched to a 3 cylinder. Here I am still thinking it was the 2.5L 4 cylinder, which was actually nearly identical to the Skyactiv 2.5L.

The car market is just becoming more and more ridiculous. If you want an NA engine and a normal geared automatic, literally your only two options are Mazda or Toyota. Don't even get me started if you want a manual transmission.

I fear Toyota may shove their 2.4T into later year Camry's soon.

I'm sure the CVT will be decent if you perform regular transmissions services on it, but no way I would ever take a chance on one. Though, I hear that the E-CVT in Toyota Hybrids are very good.

After much deliberation, I've decided on a Honda Civic SI for my next car. I want a manual, sporty, sparsely equipped vehicle that's good on gas and reasonably spacious and a LSD. SI does all these things so well, I'm willing to look past the fact it's got a turbocharger.

 

[ruthrj]

After much deliberation, I've decided on a Honda Civic SI for my next car. I want a manual, sporty, sparsely equipped vehicle that's good on gas and reasonably spacious and a LSD. SI does all these things so well, I'm willing to look past the fact it's got a turbocharger.

Great choice! I had similar wants when I was shopping for a used truck (except gas mileage, I needed it for towing so that was written off lol). I initially was looking for Ram 1500 classics but stumbled on the 2nd gen Titan. V8, no electric motor assist, no stop/start, gas engine without all the diesel gizmos to reduce emissions. Never letting my truck go, they simply don’t make them like this anymore!

Best of luck purchasing your Civic, as you said manuals are a dying breed. That little turbo 4 cylinder will be nice and peppy. I bet it’ll be sought after the longer you hold onto it!

 

[Lazy2.5]

Great choice! I had similar wants when I was shopping for a used truck (except gas mileage, I needed it for towing so that was written off lol). I initially was looking for Ram 1500 classics but stumbled on the 2nd gen Titan. V8, no electric motor assist, no stop/start, gas engine without all the diesel gizmos to reduce emissions. Never letting my truck go, they simply don’t make them like this anymore!

Best of luck purchasing your Civic, as you said manuals are a dying breed. That little turbo 4 cylinder will be nice and peppy. I bet it’ll be sought after the longer you hold onto it!

I don't know too much about Nissan, but if I ever needed a truck, I would only look at Toyota or Nissan.

Indeed! It's always going to be a sought after vehicle, and for good reason. I really enjoyed the 2020 that I test drove last year. It's a great little sports sedan.