The Nissan Rogue is about to live up to its name with a new powertrain unlike any other in the compact crossover class.
The all-new 2027 Rogue Hybrid features Nissan’s e-POWER Hybrid drivetrain, which uses a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine as a generator to power dual electric motors that propel the all-wheel-drive car.
The layout is known as a series hybrid. It is typically seen in extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), such as the Fisker Karma and upcoming Jeep Grand Wagoneer REV, which have large battery packs that can be charged from an outlet for short periods of all-electric driving before the gas motor needs to kick in on long trips.
The Rogue Hybrid never gets plugged-in. It has a small-capacity battery like other hybrids and can only be filled up with gas. The benefits are simplicity and silence. Since it doesn’t have a transmission, the engine stays in a tight, optimized RPM range most of the time, instead of revving up and down across a wide band.
The all-wheel-drive Honda CR-V Hybrid works almost like the Rogue Hybrid, but not quite. It is driven primarily by its electric motors, but its four-cylinder engine has a single gear that connects it to the front wheels at highway speeds for efficiency. It doesn’t seem to help much, because the 204 hp CR-V Hybrid is rated at 37 mpg combined, while Nissan expects the 225 hp Rogue to be rated at 38 mpg combined.
GET THE AMERICAN CARS AND RACING IOS APP FOR THE LATEST UPDATES
On a brief test drive, I found the Rogue Hybrid to be as responsive as a fully electric car and barely heard the motor running when it was. Thiago Castro, Nissan’s head of U.S. Marketing & Sales, told me that it was benchmarked for refinement and performance against the class-leading hybrid Toyota Rav4 and also the Lexus NX 350h. The Rav4 does beat it on efficiency with combined fuel economy ratings of 41 mpg and 42 mpg for all-wheel-drive trims, but its four-cylinder engine speaks up and makes itself known more often.
READ MORE NEW CAR AND TRUCK REVIEWS FROM AMERICAN CARS AND RACING
One potential bugbear of a series hybrid setup is that if the battery’s state of charge gets too low, it might not be able to provide maximum power when needed. Nissan has sold e-POWER hybrids in Japan and other markets for a decade and found that earlier versions sometimes came up short when climbing America’s most challenging mountain passes, which is why it never offered it here before. Nissan Chief Product and Planning officer Ponz Pandikuthira told me the latest third-generation version was engineered to maintain a sufficient charge buffer that ensures this doesn’t happen, and that it has been validated across the U.S.
We’ll bring you a full Rogue Hybrid review when we get our hands on one for an extended test, but our preview drive was promising. Beyond the drivetrain, everything about it competes at the top of its class, including the Zero Gravity seats, which are designed with NASA science to reduce stress points.
Nissan plans to build the Rogue Hybrid in the U.S., but not before 2028. It will initially be imported from Japan when deliveries begin in November. The first trim offered will be a mid-tier SR with Technology Package priced at $43,065, but an entry-level $37,065 SR and $45,065 Platinum will join it early next year. The current U.S.-built Rogue will continue to be sold through 2027, until a pure internal combustion engine version that shares the hybrid’s new platform is introduced in 2028.
