Crossover With Two Names Grows Pricier In Mid-year Update

The Nissan Rogue Sport, introduced partway into the 2017 model year, carries the Qashqai moniker north of the border, and for some reason I’ve taken to saying its name with an invisible exclamation mark. It’s like saying Seattle! — it just seems appropriate.

In a bid to boost the sub-Rogue’s safety, Nissan has unveiled a mid-year update to the little crossover, and with it a new price. Peace of mind comes with a cost.

It might not matter to many customers, as the standard safety features coming to all 2018.5 Rogue Sports are increasingly becoming must-haves. Starting right away, automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, and rear cross-traffic alert appear on all trims, with intelligent cruise control (ICC) coming standard on the uplevel SL model. You’ll also find ICC added to the SV Technology Package.

To fund this added kit, the base S model’s MSRP grows by $470, ringing in at $23,085 after delivery. Beyond this, everything remains the same throughout the model’s lineup. You’ll still find a 2.0-liter inline-four making 141 horsepower and 147 lb-ft of torque mated to a continuously variable automatic, and all wheel drive remains an option on all trims.

So far, we’re not seeing the changes coming to the U.S. model carry over into Canadian versions. The Qashqai is still listed as a 2018 model up here, where you’ll find a standard six-speed manual transmission on the base trim.

It’s too bad Nissan bundles sales of the baby Rogue with that of its larger sibling, as it makes it difficult to judge the model’s popularity in the United States. Combined, the Rogue nameplate recorded a 6.7 percent sales increase in March, with volume over the first three months of 2018 rising 14.8 percent over the same period last year.

[Image: Nissan]