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History of the Nissan Rogue

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2021 Nissan Rogue in silver parked atop a hill
The 2021 Nissan Rogue

In October 2007, consumers could purchase the Nissan Rogue as a more compact crossover SUV option than what was on the market. At the time, the only comparable Nissan model available was the now-discontinued Xterra. Since its introduction, the Rogue has continued to increase in popularity, helping Nissan establish itself as a reliable automaker over the years.


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Early history and specs

The Rogue first entered production in 2007 at Nissan’s Kyushu, Japan, plant after debuting at the Detroit Auto Show on January 7, 2007. It was introduced as the replacement for the X-Trail in Canada and for the Xterra in Mexico. The first Rogue was available at three trim levels and was equipped with a 2.5-liter engine under its hood. The SUV eventually received its first five-star safety rating from the NHTSA in 2010 after modifying some of its components.

In 2013, the Nissan Rogue entered its second generation and arrived with updates including an optional third row, a standard four-wheel independent suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes, among others. The SUV received even more upgrades in the following years, like more advanced driver-assist safety systems. There was even a Rogue Hybrid model that debuted in 2017 as well as a special edition Star Wars edition to align with the release of the 2016 film Rogue One.

Nissan Rogue Star Wars Edition at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show
A special edition Star Wars Nissan Rogue at the Chicago Auto Show
Photo: The News Wheel

A new model is born

Another big thing that happened in 2017 was the debut of the all-new Nissan Rogue Sport. This smaller version of the popular Rogue was 12 inches shorter at the time of its introduction and had very similar styling to its larger sibling. In 2020, the Rogue Sport received a minor facelift and remains in the Nissan lineup today.


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Recent generation

Now in its third generation, the Nissan Rogue is assembled at the Smyrna, Tennessee, plant in the U.S. and the Kanda, Fukuoka, plant in Japan. While it still has a 2.5-liter engine under its hood, this version is much more advanced and efficient than its predecessors. Amazingly, the price of the Rogue hasn’t gone up that much in the last 14 years. Even with all of the updates that have been made to the SUV, the total MSRP is only approximately $6,000 more than when it originally debuted.