BestRide.com's First Look at The 2017 Nissan Rogue Hybrid

The midsize sedan has been shown the curb, at least in the USA. All hail, your crossover-lords (see what I did there). So it's no surprise that automakers are looking to expand their crossover offerings. Take Nissan, for example, which recently announced the 2017 Rogue Hybrid.

The fine folks over at BestRide.com have a first look at the new hybrid crossover that is well worth your time. Here's a few things that jumped out at us.

On fuel economy:

"The EPA says posts a 31 mpg city rating for the tested Rogue Hybrid SL AWD, but I didn’t get that. San Francisco’s hills can kill a vehicle’s mileage, so this should be seen as worst-case, but it was surprising to find a hybrid’s trip computer measuring 14-16 mpg on the daily errand run – sometimes less than half the EPA’s rating."

San Francisco or not, those are some disappointing numbers.

On Nissan's Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)

"You learn over time that the Rogue Hybrid has two zones of acceleration – an initial brief period when everything seems to click into place, followed by the delivery of ample power to get you up to speed."

This is not unique to the hybrid. Here's a sampling of CVT related complaints from Rogue owners:

  1. 2008 Rogue: CVT failure
  2. 2014 Rogue: Most annoying shake when put into drive
  3. 2014 Rogue: Engine revs to 5,000 RPM while driving
  4. 2011 Rogue: Won't accelerate and stops while driving
  5. 2013 Rogue: Loss of acceleration

Nissan's CVT doesn't have a trouble-free past.