2022 Nissan Rogue’s New 1.5 Turbo Has Fewer CCs, More Gee-Gees

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 $26,700, up from last year’s $26,050, while at the other end of the scale, the price of the top-spec Rogue Platinum AWD grows from $37,230 to $37,980. Option packs include a $2,660 SV Premium Package and $1,320 SL Premium Package, while a head-up display for the Platinum trim will set you back $400.