2023 Toyota Sequoia vs 2024 Nissan Rogue

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia was a striking presence on the road, with its bold design inspired by the Toyota Tundra pickup truck. The SUV's exterior featured a traditional grille and front bumper, which distinguished it from the Tundra's more unconventional look. Inside, the Sequoia shared many design elements with the Tundra, offering an industrial yet upscale feel, especially in the Capstone trim. This top-tier version boasted a luxurious cream white-over-black two-tone interior, dominated by a 14-inch infotainment system. Despite its premium appearance, some materials reminded drivers of its pickup truck origins. The Sequoia lineup included various trims, each catering to different preferences and budgets, with the TRD Pro and TRD Off-Road trims offering enhanced off-road capabilities.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue underwent its first major styling update since its 2021 launch, featuring a larger grille and distinctive stack headlights. The rear fascia saw minor changes, with redesigned taillight elements. The Rogue's trim levels in Canada included S, SV Moonroof, SV Premium, SL, and Platinum, each offering unique features. Inside, the Rogue's dashboard was updated to accommodate a new 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, giving it a more premium feel. The Rogue Platinum trim offered leather seats with quilted stitching and a new Chestnut brown colour option. The interior design and materials contributed to a refined cabin experience, making the Rogue a strong contender in its segment.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia was equipped with a powerful hybrid powertrain, featuring a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 engine, a 10-speed automatic transmission, a 36-kilowatt electric motor/generator, and a 1.87 kilowatt-hour nickel-metal hydride battery pack. This setup delivered an impressive 437 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 583 pound-feet of torque at 2,400 rpm. The Sequoia's towing capacity increased to 4,137 kilograms (9,120 pounds) in Canada, surpassing the previous model's 3,356 kilograms (7,400 pounds). Fuel efficiency improved, with a rating of 11.7 L/100 km in combined driving with 4WD. The Sequoia offered various driving modes, including Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, and Sport+, allowing drivers to tailor the driving experience. However, the regenerative braking system felt unresponsive, and the steering was slow, requiring effort in tight spaces.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue featured a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine, part of Nissan's VC-Turbo lineup, which varied its compression ratio for optimal power or fuel economy. The engine produced 201 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque, outperforming many competitors in its class. Despite the engine's capabilities, the continuously variable transmission (CVT) was slow to transfer power to the wheels. The Rogue's suspension felt firmer than expected, affecting ride quality without enhancing handling. While the engine's performance was commendable, the exhaust note was less impressive. The Rogue came standard with all-wheel drive in Canada, providing added traction in various conditions.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia excelled on highways, offering a quiet cabin with comfortable front seats, a JBL premium audio system, and a triple-zone automatic climate control system. The Sequoia's interior featured power-deploying running boards, a panoramic glass moonroof, and second-row captain's chairs with separate climate controls. However, the third-row seat was less comfortable due to its high floor and low roof. Cargo space was limited, with only 325 litres available with the third-row seat in place, expandable to 631 litres by sliding the seat forward. The Sequoia's hybrid powertrain compromised overall utility, with a maximum cargo capacity of 2,460 litres, significantly less than its predecessor.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue offered competitive passenger space, with slight variations in legroom compared to rivals. Cargo capacity was 1,033 litres with the rear seats in place (1,028 with the moonroof) and 2,098 litres with the seats folded (2,064 with the moonroof). The Rogue featured the optional Divide-N-Hide system, allowing drivers to choose between a flat cargo floor with hidden storage or a lower floor for increased cargo height. The cargo area included a molded-in space for grocery bags and a power liftgate on higher trims. The centre console provided additional storage, though accessing it could be awkward.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia featured a new Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment system, with an 8-inch touchscreen on the base TRD Off-road trim and a 14-inch touchscreen on higher trims. The system included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with connected services offering features like an Intelligent Assistant and Drive Connect plan. The Capstone trim added a 10-inch head-up display and a surround-view camera system. However, the system experienced some glitches, and the display was prone to glare.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue came with an 8-inch touchscreen on lower trims and a 12.3-inch touchscreen on SL and Platinum models, featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Rogue was the first Nissan to offer Google built-in software, integrating Google Maps, Google Assistant, and the Google Play app store. The dual 12.3-inch screen setup improved the infotainment experience, though the system was occasionally slow to boot up. The Rogue included multiple USB-C ports and a wireless charging pad on higher trims. Nissan extended the free trial period for its Nissan Connect Services to three years, offering features like remote door lock/unlock and vehicle health reports.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia came standard with Toyota Safety Sense 2.5, which included forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centring assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic high-beam headlights, and road sign recognition. Additional features included blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and Safety Connect services. The Sequoia's adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assist systems enhanced highway driving, though the lane-departure warning system was somewhat intrusive. While crash test ratings were not available, the Sequoia's platform shared with the Tundra, which received high ratings from the IIHS.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue received top safety scores from the IIHS, with "Good" ratings in various crash tests and an "Acceptable" rating in the updated side-impact test. The Rogue also earned a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA. Standard driver assist features included automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, automatic high beams, and rear automatic emergency braking. ProPilot Assist, available on higher trims, offered advanced driver assistance with automated lane centring and navigation-based speed adjustments.