2024 Subaru Crosstrek vs 2023 Nissan Rogue

The 2023 Nissan Rogue was a testament to the brand's commitment to maintaining a classic yet appealing design. With its well-proportioned and chiseled styling, the Rogue exuded a rugged sense of purpose that resonated with consumers. The lineup offered various trims, from the base S FWD to the luxurious Platinum, each providing a blend of style and functionality. The Platinum trim, in particular, stood out with its upscale features, including diamond-pattern leather seats and a host of premium amenities, making it a compelling choice for those seeking a touch of luxury in a compact SUV.

In contrast, the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, while retaining a familiar look, introduced subtle yet significant updates. The new sheet metal and chassis, along with fresh colour options like Sun Blaze and Sapphire Blue, gave the Crosstrek a refreshed appearance. Despite maintaining similar dimensions to its predecessor, the Crosstrek offered improved departure angles and slightly reduced cargo space. The Wilderness trim added unique design elements, enhancing its rugged appeal. Inside, the Crosstrek focused on practicality with easy-to-clean materials and thoughtful features like a shorter liftgate grip height, catering to the needs of outdoor enthusiasts.

The 2023 Nissan Rogue featured a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine with a variable compression design, delivering 201 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque. This engine, paired with a CVT, provided a responsive driving experience in urban settings, though it lacked highway passing power. The Rogue offered various driving modes, including Eco, Auto, and Sport, with AWD versions adding Off-Road and Snow modes. Despite its innovative powertrain, the Rogue's fuel economy fell short of expectations, averaging 8.1 L/100 km in combined driving. The suspension system provided a balanced ride, though the steering felt lifeless, and the tires produced noticeable noise on rough surfaces.

The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, tested with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, delivered 152 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque. While not particularly quick, the Crosstrek's CVT was refined, offering smooth power delivery and minimal droning. The Wilderness trim, with its different gearing, enhanced off-road capabilities and increased towing capacity to 1,587 kilograms. The Crosstrek's updated powertrain reduced vibrations, and the new dual-pinion steering rack improved handling. Subaru's X-Mode traction management system, standard on all trims, provided excellent traction in various conditions. Fuel economy was reasonable, with estimates of 8.8 L/100 km in the city and 7.1 on the highway for the 2.0-litre engine.

The 2023 Nissan Rogue offered a spacious and practical interior, making it a suitable replacement for a traditional family car. It comfortably accommodated four passengers, with the option to squeeze in a fifth. The Platinum trim featured premium amenities like a triple-zone climate control system, panoramic sunroof, and Zero Gravity seats for enhanced comfort. However, the rear seat comfort was lacking, and the key fob design was frustratingly impractical. The Rogue provided ample cargo space, with up to 1,028 litres behind the rear seats and 2,064 litres with the seats folded down, thanks to the Divide-N-Hide feature.

The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, built on the Impreza platform, offered competitive cargo space and utility for a subcompact SUV. Rear-seat legroom and headroom were adequate, though taller passengers might prefer the front seats. The Crosstrek provided 564 litres of trunk space, expandable to 1,549 litres with the rear seats folded. The interior featured robust, easy-to-clean materials, with thoughtful touches like a centre console bin designed to fit large water bottles. The Crosstrek catered to outdoor enthusiasts with standard features like a protective cargo tray and heated steering wheel on most trims.

The 2023 Nissan Rogue's infotainment system, while functional, felt outdated compared to newer models. It featured an 8-inch or optional 9-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth, satellite radio, and wireless Apple CarPlay. The test vehicle included a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation display and a head-up display, though voice recognition was limited in functionality. The Rogue's infotainment system offered a decent user experience, but the lack of a widescreen display was noticeable.

The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek impressed with its 11.6-inch vertically oriented touchscreen, offering crisp graphics and intuitive controls. Standard on all but the base trim, it included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with a wireless charger available on higher trims. The Limited trim featured a 10-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. While the Starlink technology was generally impressive, it suffered from glare in bright sunlight, and some features required navigating through multiple menus.

The 2023 Nissan Rogue boasted a comprehensive suite of safety features, including 10 airbags, Safety Shield 360, and ProPilot Assist with Navi-link. The Rogue earned a Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS and a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA, though it received lower scores in specific crash tests. ProPilot Assist worked well, providing adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assistance, though braking could be abrupt.

The 2024 Subaru Crosstrek continued its tradition of safety excellence with Subaru's EyeSight driver assist technology. Standard on all trims, EyeSight included automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. The 2024 model featured a wider-angle lens and automatic emergency steering for enhanced safety. While the IIHS and NHTSA had not yet rated the 2024 model, the Crosstrek was expected to maintain its high safety standards.