I press the hill descent management button within the heart of the drive mode dial and take a deep breath earlier than slowly letting my foot off the brake. The Nissan Rogue Rock Creek crests a peak and begins rolling down a steep path stuffed with chunky 2-inch diameter rock and unfastened sand.
The anti-lock brakes furiously buzz from one nook to the subsequent, however the Rogue maintains a 2mph or so pace and safely makes it down a path merely generally known as the Tetons.
Nissan invited me to Holly Oaks ORV Park, 50 miles north of Detroit, to check its new Rogue Rock Creek trim for 2025. The Rock Creek sits proper in the course of the lineup, above the S and SV trims, however beneath the SL and Platinum. It stands out with commonplace all-wheel-drive, all-terrain tires, “off-road view” cameras, and a mega roof rack.
How does the Rock Creek philosophy, which I first skilled on the Pathfinder, apply to the two-row, compact crossover Rogue? Desirous to study, I headed north and stated goodbye to pavement for a morning to seek out out.
In brief: The 2025 Rock Creek version up-levels the Nissan Rogue’s functionality simply sufficient to instill confidence to hunt out a bit extra journey off the paved route. All-terrain tires are a giant a part of this functionality, however sadly, the crossover SUV has no skid plates to guard undercarriage powertrain vitals. Nonetheless, hold a detailed eye on the strategically positioned digicam views, and also you’ll probably be tremendous. The Rogue gives loads of area and affordable consolation inside, too. Consider it like an off-road starter equipment that’s additionally well-suited for on a regular basis city adventures.
Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires grip a wide range of surfaces properly
Off-road digicam views assist make it a lot simpler to keep away from obstacles
Inside gives a superb mixture of easy-to-clean and luxury
Beneficiant cargo area
No skid plate
The all-terrain tires and the large roof rack hurts gas financial system
Repeatedly variable transmission as an alternative of an computerized
8.0″ center display a touch on the small side (SL and Platinum trims get a 12.3″ display screen)
Robin Warner
2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek Evaluation
(Picture/Robin Warner)
What Makes a Rogue Rock Creek?
Nissan adopted a really related playbook to the Pathfinder Rock Creek right here. The largest change is a set of Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires, dimension 235/65R17, mounted on satin black wheels. They grip surfaces properly and supply good traction for the usual all-wheel-drive to work with. Nissan fees $1,400 to swap from front- to all-wheel-drive on the opposite 4 trims.
(Picture/Robin Warner)
Wildpeak tires dig in to loose-gravel and sand properly sufficient to permit applied sciences like hill descent management to work when traversing steep slopes. To not point out the off-road driving mode, which permits the powertrain to behave extra appropriately for unpaved terrain. 4 different drive modes come alongside for the journey, by the best way: Sport, Eco, Auto, and Snow.
When in off-road mode, a set of cameras mounted all through the Rogue illuminate what’s instantly in entrance of and across the aspect of the Rogue, so long as speeds don’t exceed 12 mph. And no worries in the event that they do; they mechanically come again on as soon as speeds drop down once more.
(Picture/Robin Warner)
Rock Creeks additionally get a beefy, tube metal roof rack mounted on prime, which might deal with 220 kilos of stuff whereas touring. And, Rogue usually gives a beneficiant quantity of cargo capability inside — greater than 31 cubic toes of area with the second row up, 74 cubic toes with the seats folded.
The roof rack additionally helps make the Rogue Rock Creek look the half, as does a novel black grille with silver accents just under the hood line and lava crimson accents on the base of the entrance bumper. A strip of crimson provides aptitude to every of the black wheels. And Rock Creek badging emblazons the entrance doorways and the liftgate in again. The $425 optionally available Baja Storm metallic paint finishes the look properly.
(Picture/Robin Warner)
And that’s it. Nissan leaves the Rock Creek with the usual Rogue’s 8.2 inches of floor clearance. Nor did it obtain any type of skid plates to guard very important powertrain parts. That limits how a lot additional functionality you get, definitely. But it surely additionally helps make the Rock Creek really feel very similar to an everyday road-going crossover. That helps, at the very least theoretically, whenever you enterprise to extra city and suburban jungles.
Spacious Compact
(Picture/Robin Warner)
Touchdown in the course of the Rogue lineup, the Rock Creek will get a combined bag of luxuries inside. You do get heated entrance seats, a power-adjusting driver’s seat, and an 8-inch heart show display screen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. However, SL and Platinum trims get a 12.3-inch display screen with wi-fi cellphone connectivity and a digital instrument cluster, too.
Nissan gives a Rock Creek Premium package deal for $800 that gives a number of comforts, I most admire the wi-fi smartphone charger, heated steering wheel, and power-adjusting passenger entrance seat. However, particularly contemplating the digicam views provided in off-road mode, the 12.3-inch display screen would turn out to be useful.
(Picture/Robin Warner)
Rock Creeks additionally get particular water-repellent materials on its seats referred to as ballistic nylon, making them each tougher to get soiled and simpler to wash. You additionally see the identical Lava crimson inside, used for accent stitching, and piano black dashboard trim. Lastly, within the cargo space, Nissan added a 12V port to energy your individual devices again there. Useful.
(Picture/Robin Warner)
Essentially, the Rogue gives a whole lot of area for a crossover on this class. Furthermore, the second row gives sufficient consolation for adults. Each rows of seats present good ranges of assist. And the motive force’s seat stored me planted and comfy for two hours of very sluggish, very bumpy journey.
Plucky Powertrain
(Picture/Robin Warner)
A turbocharged three-cylinder stays the one and solely engine provided within the Rogue for 2025. With the assistance of Nissan’s variable compression know-how, it produces 201 horsepower and a wholesome 225 pound-feet of torque.
With simply three cylinders pumping, the 1.5L emits a little bit of a buzzy exhaust be aware. However, actually, in comparison with different three-cylinder engines on the market, the Nissan sounds probably the most refined.
A repeatedly variable transmission bolts as much as that 1.5L after which sends energy to all 4 wheels. I felt nervous about off-roading with a CVT, nevertheless it behaved properly. The CVT engaged rapidly and supplied regular energy supply, even up steep hills, with no bizarre surges or lags. Moreover, the ratios appeared acceptable for all of the totally different situations I threw on the Rogue, together with a 12-inch deep, 100-foot-long pond I splashed by way of.
By no means leaving the off-road park, my prime pace within the Rock Creek possibly exceeded 25 mph as soon as. However Nissan provided me an opportunity to take a Rogue Platinum out on a fast interstate jaunt. Even at freeway speeds, the three-cylinder stored quiet and the CVT usually behaved, offering a large sufficient ratio vary to stand up to hurry rapidly, however cruise at low engine revs. And, with the Rogue weighing slightly below 3,750 kilos, 201 horsepower felt sturdy.
The Rock Creek won’t really feel fairly nearly as good on the interstate if it’s something just like the Pathfinder. Not solely does the large roof rack rob a little bit of freeway mpg, nevertheless it additionally provides extra wind noise to the expertise. All-terrain tires don’t assist both. That stated, you continue to handle 27 mpg within the metropolis, 32 on the freeway, and 29 mixed. Not unhealthy.
Off-Street Park Shenanigans
(Picture/Robin Warner)
Holly Oaks off-road park combines an fascinating cross-section of steep but brief hills, uneven trails with a number of sharp crests, and a mixture of hard-packed gravel and unfastened sand. It throws in just a few water hazards of assorted sizes to maintain issues fascinating.
Some areas embrace deeply rutted paths. In others, you’ll discover rocks of assorted sizes sprinkled all through. However, usually talking, there’s little fear of clearing jagged rocks as you go.
This setting proved preferrred for the Rogue Rock Creek and its sufficient 8.2 inches of floor clearance, and reasonable 19, 17.9, and 23.6 levels of clearance for method, breakover, and departure angles, respectively. A few minor scrapes of the decrease entrance bumper occurred, in any other case it left unscathed.
Even whenever you reached the highest of a hill and also you solely noticed sky out of the windshield, the entrance digicam provided a pleasant view of the trail instantly in entrance. And both sides digicam gave a detailed have a look at what your entrance tires needed to take care of. Nissan even imprints a yellow line on the display screen to point how far the entrance tires will stick out with the steering absolutely locked.
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None of this implies you need to guide a visit out to the Moab. Quite, really feel assured that you just certainly could make it to that extra distant trailhead or scenic campsite. The Rogue Rock Creek takes you one stage farther off the overwhelmed path than your common SUV. It’s like going to your favourite Indian restaurant and ordering your meals medium as an alternative of gentle.
2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek Evaluation: Abstract
(Picture/Robin Warner)
Simply because the Rock Creek trims fall in the course of the Rogue lineup, the $36,810 beginning value places it kind of in the course of the Rogue value vary. You will get an S for simply over $30K, whereas going Platinum with all-wheel-drive places the value tag properly into the $40s.
Personally, I believe $800 for the premium package deal is cash properly spent. I’d pay that for simply the wi-fi smartphone charger and heated steering wheel. Contemplating the usual all-wheel drive, the sturdy roof rack, and the remainder, it seems like an inexpensive method to get a extra adventure-ready however in any other case completely regular and spacious crossover.
Thoughts you, aside from the higher rubber, mechanically talking, Nissan gives a inventory compact two-row crossover SUV. To be honest, it does additionally obtain a novel steering help and shock absorber tune, however that’s largely to account for the totally different tires and make the Rock Creek really feel much like different Rogues.
That’s the purpose,: The 2025 Rogue Rock Creek stays a usable, helpful, compact crossover, able to deal with youngster pickup in school, grocery runs, and all the same old menagerie of recent life. It additionally gives simply sufficient spice so as to add some taste to life when time permits.
