The Nissan Rogue was built around simplicity and is usually offered in just a few trims with a single-engine option. The 2014 Rogue is no different, sharing its lightweight 2.5L engine with the Sentra and Altima.
Key Points
- The 2014 Nissan Rogue‘s 2.5L inline-four engine delivers 170 horsepower and 175 lb.-ft. of torque for capable, if not exactly impressive, performance when paired with CVT.
- All-wheel drive is optional on all trim levels, but with towing capacity maxing out at 1,000 pounds and just 8.5 inches of ground clearance, it’s not much of an adventure vehicle.
- At an EPA-estimated 26/33 mpg city/highway, with a 14.5-gallon tank, the 2014 Rogue is especially efficient for a 2014 SUV. Expect a mile or two less per gallon on AWD models.
- 2014 Rogue’s 2.5L is ideal for daily commuters and can handle most errands with ease, but for those off-roading, towing, or running late, the engine is a little lacking.
2014 Nissan Rogue’s Engine Options have been Streamlined Down to a Single 2.5L Inline-four
The Nissan Rogue has always been a simple, streamlined SUV. The aim isn’t to overwhelm you with options, but to deliver a solid grocery-getter that you can drive for years with few worries. To that end, the 2014 Nissan Rogue comes with just one engine option and one transmission across the entire lineup.
What you’re getting under the hood is a 2.5L inline-four producing 170 horsepower and 175 lb.-ft. of torque. With a curb weight topping out at around 3,500 pounds, those specs are solid, if not exactly high-performance, landing on a zero-to-sixty time of around 8.5 seconds.
If you want to get technical, it’s a 2.5L QR25DE I4, launched in 1999 and redesigned in 2007. This is the same engine you’ll find in a number of Sentras, Frontiers, and Altimas, as well as the Japan-only Murano, and it is still in use in the newer Nissan Terras.
So if you’ve driven any of those nameplates in the last 15 years, you should know what to expect. The 2007 version’s reliability, efficiency, and relative lack of major mechanical issues made it the brand’s flagship 2.5L for over a decade, and it’s unlikely to be retired anytime soon.
The engine is married to a one-speed continuously variable transmission. Many drivers find CVT to feel a bit wimpy, but with sport mode giving you a nice little rpm boost, the Rogue will give you the confidence to merge and pass without worry. And, while the one-speed transmission isn’t for everyone, it does guarantee more fuel-efficient shifting, with the car getting an EPA-estimated 26/33 miles to the gallon city/highway with a 14.5-gallon tank.
The SUV is front/all-wheel drive with 8.3 inches of ground clearance, but don’t expect this to become your new mudding machine. Engaging all four wheels will keep you trucking along broken roads and snowy driveways, but with towing capacity topping out at 1,000 pounds and no way to get that horsepower above 170, the car’s off-roading capabilities are modest at best.
The Rogue, like its competitors, the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4, isn’t so much a rugged exploration vehicle as it is a sedan with an extra-roomy interior.
2.5L Engine is Reliable, but Make Sure to Claim the Recalls and Change the CVT Fluid
With an annual repair bill estimated at around $466, the 2014 Rogue is roughly on par with the Honda CR-V, and almost $200 cheaper than the 2014 Escape, with an estimated annual maintenance cost of $641. J.D. Power gives the 2014 Rogue a ranking of “average” for reliability, noting a slightly higher than average rate of repair, while Repair Pal ranks the car right in the middle, as the 13th most reliable compact SUV out of 26.
As is always the case when we’re talking repairs and reliability, your mileage may vary. One driver may go 10, 15 years with no major issues, while another could be seeing a breakdown every few months. So, checking in with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there’s one major issue you’re going to want to be on the lookout for.
The car was recalled twice for potential engine stall. The first recall was in April of 2015 for just under 30,000 units, and the second recall was in March of 2016 for just under 47,000 units. Both recalls addressed the same issue: improper plating within the fuel pump could see the pump failing, leaving the engine running on fumes even with a full tank of gas.
In both instances, all recalled units were 2014 Nissan Rogues. With Nissan having sold nearly 200,000 units in 2014, that would have about one in every three 2014 Rogues being affected by one of these recalls, so make sure to check your VIN.
Beyond these recalls, you’ll just want to be aware of the additional maintenance that goes into driving a CVT. Nissan recommends that you change the transmission fluid every 25,000 miles or so. If you fail to do so, you can expect total transmission failure well before you roll over those first six figures on the odometer. With conventional transmission fluid, you’re going to be changing it every 60,000 miles or so, depending on what your owner’s manual says. A lot of first-time CVT owners aren’t aware of this stark contrast, so you wind up with one-speed transmissions going out early.
In other words, don’t skip the test drive when buying a used CVT. You want to make sure that the previous owner knew what they were doing.
2014 Rogue’s Engine Delivers Everything You Expect, as Long as You Don’t Expect too Much
The 2014 Nissan Rogue’s 2.5L inline-four is adequate. It doesn’t really excel at anything, it’s not an off-road beast, it can’t do any real towing, it’s not quite as nimble as a compact hatchback, and it’s not exactly sporty. In short, this engine is difficult to get excited about. But, the Rogue isn’t that kind of car in the first place. This is your daily commuter, your grocery-getter. It’ll take you from point A to point B without a lot of hassles and headaches.
To that end, there’s simply not much under the hood to complain about, and that’s what you want to see in a daily driver.
Photos: Nissan
