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The 2023 Nissan Rogue has a lot of wins under its hood. MotorTrend ranked it the No.1 compact SUV for Spring 2023. It also ranks well on Kelly Blue Book's most fuel efficient SUVs list. It was named to the Ward's 10 Best Engines List. If safety is important to you, you'll notice it was a 2023 IIHS top safety pick.
It's wise to take the advice of professionals ranking these vehicles. But if you want to know what the average person thinks about the 2023 Rogue, check out some of my thoughts after driving it for a weekend.
Handling
Within a normal day and weekend, I drive from the east suburbs of Salt Lake to downtown, I drive up and down hills, and I drive around town. Nothing too out of the ordinary for the average Utahn.
Those few days I drove the Rogue, it rained, snowed and melted. The freeways and roads are torn up from a rough winter, but you wouldn't be able to tell in the Rogue. One of the first things my sister said to me as we started driving is, "Wow. Smooth ride."
Much of this efficient handling comes from the smart technology Nissian builds into their vehicles. There is a dial in the car that allows you to shift from one type of road to another. There are snow, auto, sport, eco and off-road modes you can choose to get you safely where you're going.
For driving up hills, your Rogue will use hill start assist. This programmed feature "holds the brake pressure, helping to prevent you from rolling backwards," Nissan describes on its website. With this pressure, you can jump from the brake to the gas without rolling back.
In addition to the hill assist, you'll find the Rogue can drive around tight corners with the intelligent trace control. Essentially the car will limit and brake each wheel as needed to hug a curve or turn. You can see a full list of these features on the Nissan website.
Interior
If you're anything like me, you spend a lot of time inside your car. Making sure it's a comfortable ride with plenty of space is essential.
Across the board, car experts rated the 2023 Rogue highly on the interior of the vehicle. Andrew Wendler writing for Forbes said, "...the Rogue gets a leg up from its supremely comfortable front seats."
In addition to comfy seats, you'll get Apple CarPlay (which I absolutely love), a nine-inch screen, and a Bose sound system. Listening to a true crime podcast never sounded so good.
Let's talk about baggage. We all have it. But the Rogue can store all of it neatly and efficiently.
The cargo area of the 2023 Rogue has 36.5 cubic feet with the rear seats upright. As you can see in this image, I had zero problems putting several large bags of clothes and other thrift store donations in the trunk with room to spare.
There are even different compartments in the cargo area for you to transport groceries and smaller bags or boxes that are likely to move around during a typical car ride. If you've got something you don't want others to see while you're parked, there are covers hiding those compartments.
In addition to all of this space for stuff, you can open the hatch by kicking your foot under the bumper of the car. Imagine doing the hokey pokey—put your right foot in and shake it all about. Voila! Your back door opens automatically.
Fun features
These are some of the features that I would tell my friends or family about. They're the things I think about days after handing the keys back to the dealer.
First is the incredible camera system Nissan equips in the car. You can see your car from a bird's eye view and tell exactly where you are parking. You can see lane lines, cars in front of and behind you when parallel parking, and even if you're pulling in too far in the garage. This is by far the feature I miss most when I return to my own car after a test drive weekend.
Second is the speed limit feature. When you're driving, the car will pick up the speed limit signs in the area you're in, then project the speed limit onto the dash of your odometer. It's easy to miss a new speed limit change when you're focused on the road, but the 2023 Rogue takes the guesswork out of driving.
Finally, I love the remote control seats in the back. If you've got a piece of furniture to move or just made a Costco run and need a lot of cargo room, you don't have to manually heave the seats up or down. Just press a button and the car does the work for you.
Overall thoughts
I always enjoy driving the Nissan Rogues, as I did back in 2021. Between their city-to-adventure capabilities and the great gas mileage (for an SUV), you won't be disappointed in the 2023 Rogue. Take one out for a test drive today at your local Nissan dealer.
