2021 Nissan Rogue Platinum AWD

Nissan Rogue is the best-selling model in the industry’s largest segment.

“Nissan’s focus was on delivery, functionality, flexibility, technology, and safety arrived at by simply making life easier, especially for families,” said company spokesman Steve Parrett.

It’s the latest Nissan model to feature Nissan Shield 360, the standard safety feature suite across the entire lineup. The new Rogue has the most standard safety technologies in its class.

2021 Nissan Rogue is powered by a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine providing 181 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque. Power is coupled to the wheels through Xtronic CVT, and manual mode with paddle shifters provide more driver engagement.

Rogue has a fuel economy of 25 mpg city and 32 mpg highway, for a 25 mpg combined average.

The Rogue is fun to drive, and is complemented by such safety considerations as electronic parking brake with auto hold and rear disc brakes. All this power and performance rests on 19-inch alloy wheels.

Independent struts front suspension, independent multi-link rear suspension, Intelligent All-Wheel Drive, and five drive modes selectable with a dial will assure a quality ride whatever the driving condition may be.

Outside, the Rogue has a stance and personality all its own. Illumination is provided by A full suite of LED lighting including low and high beam headlights, daytime running lights, tail lamps, and fog lights. My favorite exterior feature is the standard power panoramic moonroof.

Inside the cabin, Rogue’s driver sits tall in heated semi-aniline leather seat with 8-way power adjustment, 2-way lumbar support, and memory system. The front passenger sits comfortably with 4-way power adjustment. 60/40-split folding rear seat is ideal for occasional large luggage.

The NissanConnect infotainment system has simple-to-use technologies like SiriusXM, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Give special attention to Nissan Door to Door Navigation, Travel Link, and SiriusXM Traffic. These tools will guide you all the way to your destination, even after you step out of the vehicle.

Nissan has made great enhancements to ProPILOT Assist, which uses next generation radar and camera technologies to provide smoother braking and better steering assist feel, plus improved detection performances when another vehicle cuts into your lane.

ProPILOT Assist can also integrate with the navigation system using Navi-link. This allows this driver assist technology to known the road ahead and proactively reduce speed for curves, junctions, and freeway exits.

This feature was most helpful to me on IH 20 East as a truck pulled ahead of me and then pulled back into my lane. The collision was avoided by ProPILOT Assist. The feature responded faster than I was able to.

The Rogue’s athletic stance and premium exterior appearance are most attractive. The contrasting roof and an evolved V-motion grille complements newly designed multi-level LED headlights.

New multi-level LED headlights with expanded illumination area are standard on all 2021 Rogue grade levels. They accent the powerful front grille design.

Standard safety features are too numerous to explore them all, but the HD Intelligent Around-View Monitor is the key component to help with blind spot Intervention, intelligent lane intervention, and intelligent forward collision.

The base MSRRP for the 2021 Rogue Platinum AWD is $36,830.

Rain, snow, and sleet fell on a large swath of Texas last weekend, but my family and I went about our necessary travels without the least semblance of dread. Nissan Rogue, combined with my marginal winter driving skills, allowed us to arrive at our destinations stress-free while feeling an air of accomplishment.

Durhl Caussey writes a car column read around the world. He may be reached at this paper or [email protected].