ProPILOT-ing | 2018 Nissan Rogue SL Platinum AWD Review

With the rise of driving assist features, consumers have more options than you might expect. We put Nissan's ProPILOT Assist® to the test!
Nissan is one of the first manufacturers in North America to release a steering assist driving aid in the consumer segment with the 2018 Nissan Rogue SL Platinum AWD ProPILOT Assist®. Our full tour and review of this compact crossover SUV goes over the exterior design and features such as the LED headlights, 360º camera system, and power opening rear lift gate.
We also go over the interior design choices made by Nissan including the almost completely plastic dashboard and door cards, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, dated navigation system, and the rear arm rest that opens up into the trunk space.
We also take this Rogue on a road test, talking about how it feels, performs, and drives overall. We then turn on the ProPILOT Assist® system to see how it's semi-autonomous driving mode works in the real world.
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TestDrive is proudly produced in Acton, Québec, Canada.

[@somrtony]

Great review thank you. I honestly like the design of the 2018 version better than the 2021 version. The safety features and configurable cargo space make this vehicle stand out to me. On another note, I find it good that the seat memory buttons are out of the way. I wouldn't want to accidentally trigger a setting of a person much larger or smaller than me while driving... Edit: I actually find the load-through armrest in the rear-seats a great addition that allows you to load longer cargo, such as snowboards without having to sacrifice seating. That is a feature I have to pay extra usually.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Great points! Its not often we hear that someone prefers the older design, but it’s one of the reasons we try to feature as many different vehicles as possible followed by any major changes down the road.

[@Abitofeverything876]

Am just In love with the interior.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Fair enough!

[@HALWG51]

You have to remember, you are a HUGE guy in a small car. Most people aren't your size and are quite comfortable in the Rogue.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Oh wow, I hadn’t noticed. Thanks for the info!

[@IPGAuto]

The AWD lock is locking the differential not permanently keeping the car AWD. The car is mechanically permanent AWD, that button like the Toyota Rav4 is for the diff

[@MrAOVM]

PRN_TestDrive Screw him! He’s a HUGE a-hole for posting that unnecessary comment. Your videos are great dude, keep it up.

[@d_4701]

Que saudade da Rogue!!!! gostei muito.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Glad to hear it!

[@mtwool9744]

Great SUV. SL has every possible safety and convenience feature available today. Seat comfort excellent. Gas mileage great. Engine and transmission are no problem. Every vehicle today is geared to MPG today so slow to pickup speed. Tried all of the compact SUV's. There is good reason why Rogue is best selling Compact in the U.S.

[@PRNTestDrive]

There's certainly a number of reasons why it's a best-seller, people seem to really love them.

[@imaprinta]

Brings the term critic to a whole new level since most of what he said was critical! There was so little good to say about Nissan's best-selling vehicle and a top 3 small SUV sales leader at 400k units last year? I just leased my second one and I can tell you this: the CVT is quiet and very smooth unless you floor it, which is true of any transmission; it is not a 0-60 speed demon, but it is plenty quick enough in both city and highway traffic; I average about 27 miles per gallon; the interior is nicely appointed and the seats very comfortable. I checked out most of the competition before leasing another Rogue and at the end of the day found myself going back to Nissan. I wouldn't bother with the Pro-Pilot - too much money for what seems like a gimmick to me at this stage of development. My friend has a new Mazda CX-5 and because of reviews like this never tried the Rogue, but after using mine said he wishes he had.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Best seller doesn't mean it's the best out there. In Canada, Nissan spends a lot of their money on advertising, in print, television, radio, and social media. Advertising and marketing is what ultimately sells these cars, that, and affordable lease/finance rates. People like these cars beyond that, but this is't the best compact crossover on the market, not by a long shot. For 2018 it has a couple features that makes it stand out, but 2019 the competition is catching up. Here's a little secret. Aside from retro episodes of MotorWeek, I don't watch or read any other reviews on any new car. None of my videos, praise, or criticism is ever influenced by others. If my dislike towards this vehicle aligns with the majority of automotive journalists, then as far as I'm concerned I'm experiencing the same thing without outside bias or influence.

[@imaprinta]

@@PRNTestDrive While it would be difficult to argue that there is not some correlation, if it were based on advertising dollars then Volkswagen would hold the top overall sales spot world wide since they are the third largest business advertiser based on dollars spent. Further down the list is Toyota, at number 16 - the actual car sales leader, both by numbers and dollar volume. General Motors, Ford, Fiat Chrysler along with some other European automakers fall in line above Toyota's spending budget, but not in sales. Much further down the spending list from that is Nissan at number 39. Yet they have the best selling small SUV - more than out of step, considering the smaller amount they spend on advertising. As was mentioned, lease and finance rates also factor in, but it is my personal experience that Nissan is not very much different than most of the big names, save for Kia and Hyundai being the least expensive. I would never imply Nissan was the best product - the best is a subjective term and I don't personally believe that this brand is best across the board. Nor am I stating you are the only one to have found critical aspects of the Rogue - i.e. the CVT bothers many people; others find it perfectly suitable. To expand my point previously, a vehicle that has sold over 1 million units over the last 3 years can't be all bad. Many times critics are trying to look at things from such a clinical point of view, they miss the connection with the masses that actually makes a product a success. I would suggest this video might be missing much of what that target group sees. I have owned new versions of a Grand Cherokee, Ford Explorer, a Toyota RAV4, a BMW, an Altima and a Rogue (as well as several sports cars) prior to buying a 2018 Rogue. Each excelled at some things and lacked at others. imo the Rogue is the most well balanced. And Nissan is the first brand I have ever owned that did not require more than regular maintenance during ownership. Obviously my experience is far different from this video, as evidenced by buying my first repeat automobile ever. Then again, the Rogue has been one of my daily drivers, whereas this review was culled from driving the car for perhaps a week - not uncommon for a review, but it's little wonder I see more. On the other hand, so do more than a few other reviewers.

[@PRNTestDrive]

There's no doubt that there's usually a wide gap between what journalists like and what the consumer likes. We're in the unique position where, for the most part, we get the opportunity to drive everything, often for a week at a time to figure out how it compares. Either way, we didn't hate the Rogue. It has some features that make it stand out, like that 360º camera system, I believe we found it to be exceptionally good. But there are some things it really doesn't do well, like reusing the same parts Nissan has been using across all their models/brands for almost a decade now. To someone like me it shows that they're cutting cost in order to produce the vehicles quickly. Either way it sells well, and something we always mention when we hear from owners: if you love the car, don't worry about what others think about it. Go out there and enjoy driving it!

[@repawnd1]

In my country (South Africa) they call this a Nissan Qashqai. Don't ask me how to pronounce it, I doubt anyone knows except for a hand full of people working at Nissan :D

[@PRNTestDrive]

Nissan also sells the Qashqai here but it's a slightly smaller compact crossover with a lot of features stripped out. It's interesting how their naming conventions are so different all around the world.

[@Tonyx.yt.]

repawnd looks similar but qashquai is 40cm shorter, also is not longer available with awd

[@805NAVE]

Isn’t the Nissan Armada the Partrol elsewhere in the world also?

[@repawnd1]

Ah, they look so similar. I still remember when Nissan were named Datsun here. My dad had a Datsun king cab that just kept going forever, eventually the rust got too bad, it had almost done a million km.

[@erikl2280]

Nile, first wanted to say great test drive videos keep em coming! I'm pretty set on the Mazda cx5 GT, last three vehicles have been Murano's, which I have loved the styling but wanted something a little smaller, and better tech...Question for you since you have the cx5 GT, how does that tech compare against the pro pilot assist tech in the rogue? Would be a great video as I searched and no one is doing any compares at all like this...Thanks

[@PRNTestDrive]

The ProPilot system works, not overly well though. Nissan seems to be the first consumer manufacturer offering this type of tech, as Cadillac and Tesla are the only other two we've heard of, and the Cadillac system is the only one I've tested. Personally we found the ProPilot served no purpose, it just enhanced the lane keep assist enough that you didn't have to worry about slight turns in the road, however we found on larger curves on a road/highway it was late to react, forcing us to take over at the last second. Since the Mazda doesn't offer an enhanced system like this it would be hard to compare, but we found after short testing with the Nissan ProPilot system that it wasn't working for us, and we left it off. The rest of the safety tech is still enabled, like lane keep and active cruise control, and it works about the same as any other we've driven so far.

[@erikl2280]

@@PRNTestDrive thanks, but help me understand better, as the CX5 does have LKA, ICC, FEB, along with other driver based tech, so even though they are more separate systems in the mazda, does not that come close to what the pro pilot assist does? And maybe I'm missing something obvious but want to check again with you....Thanks

[@lexusfan100]

but it does had auto and car play right...so the inbuilt nav dont really matter eh

[@PRNTestDrive]

So does the $9,995 Chevrolet Spark.

[@805NAVE]

Wow over 10 sec to 60mph? My 2006 Lexus ES330 does it in 7.5 sec.

[@Tonyx.yt.]

DIAMLER lazy engine + cvt + awd ...

[@PRNTestDrive]

The CVT is definitely the killer.

[@husseinadib7666]

I don't get why it is so slow! I would take the Mazda CX5 over it just for that.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Mazda all the way! We would have done a Showdown with it, but it's hard using the best in the segment, makes everything else look bad 😛

[@J1Z06]

I have a 2005 Acura TSX that has 200hp. I am getting rid of The Acura for The Rogue. The Rogue is fine on power.

[@daviddobbs303]

CVT for 2017 and Higher Models have changed in the way they shift.. I have a 2017 Pathfinder and love it. Alex F.. Not a true statement.. Go get buy another vehicle, like a Dodge or KIA..

[@PRNTestDrive]

The CVT in this wasn't the worst, in fact some of the newer ones like Honda uses also feel better than older iterations of CVTs. For many though it's a deal killer right from the start.

[@TheMohawk102]

i like the rogue . but put 4 adults in it and you wish it was a 6 cylinder

[@PRNTestDrive]

That's certainly true, it's one of the least powerful engines in this segment, matted to that CVT doesn't help.

[@Tonyx.yt.]

Lol 10.3 tachometer seconds for 0-100 is shamefull for 170hp midsize crossover... But dont worry, Alfa Romeo Stelvio doesnt have such a problem, 0-100 is under 6 seconds (and tachometer error is only 0.2% by real gps speed!) Xtrail with 1.6 130hp turbodiesel, manual transmission and awd has been tested for 0-100 in 11.1 gps seconds, so this version with bigger and more powerfull engine is even slower by comparison...

[@PRNTestDrive]

It was painfully slow, and we even had it in Sport mode. The Minivans we drove in Eco mode had quicker accelerations than this. But people buy them, in droves. We see so many newer Rogues on the road here.

[@bendavidson7122]

Should have bought a Rogue instead of an Accord

[@alexf4894]

Lousy engine + CVT = Bad purchase from the get-go

[@PRNTestDrive]

I don't know why the Japanese auto makers love their CVTs so much. I have to believe it's because most of their buying demographic don't care.

[@MrRandomTwat]

Its weird because I do not get why all the people from the US hate the CVTs so much...

[@alexf4894]

@@MrRandomTwat Because they suck. There is no excuse for it when there are 6,7,8 speed transmissions available in economy cars these days

[@Tonyx.yt.]

*Nissan Xtrail for european folks

[@PRNTestDrive]

I wonder if the name helps sell better over there.

[@805NAVE]

It’s just a Rogue lol. Nothing else

[@PRNTestDrive]

Pretty much! Another 'just a car'.

[@MrChronos1971]

Spent $32k on a Nissan with ProPilot, it does NOT work on any lane of the Annapolis Bay Bridge which is 5 miles. Eastern or Western span, nada. Nissan Fail! Lame.

[@PRNTestDrive]

Very interesting! It's our understanding that the single camera in the dashboard needs to be able to see both lines on either side of the car along with having the front sensor clear of any debris. It's possible there's something about the road lines along that bridge that confuse the system. We had similar issues with Cadillac's Super Cruise Control, but they use a completely different system that relies on Lidar mapped navigation routes.

[@MrChronos1971]

There are lines, not brand new paint but still. I think it may be the type of lines. They are double yellow but spaced apart. Just ironic because I became interested in the car seeing the Propilot in use on a bridge in a commercial and it doesn’t activate at all on one of the scariest.