Compare the2022 Nissan RogueVS 2022 Buick Encore GX

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Rogue have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Buick Encore GX doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The Rogue Platinum has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Encore GX doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Rogue has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Encore GX doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Rogue has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Encore GX’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Rogue has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Encore GX.

The Rogue’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Encore GX doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Rogue and the Encore GX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rogue its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 74 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Encore GX is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.

The Rogue’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Encore GX’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Rogue has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Encore GX’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Buick vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Buick is ranked 12th.

The Rogue’s 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 64 more horsepower (201 vs. 137) and 63 lbs.-ft. more torque (225 vs. 162) than the Encore GX’s standard 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder. The Rogue’s 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 46 more horsepower (201 vs. 155) and 51 lbs.-ft. more torque (225 vs. 174) than the Encore GX’s optional 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Rogue gets better mileage than the Encore GX:

The Rogue has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Encore GX (14.5 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Rogue’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Encore GX are solid, not vented.

The Rogue stops shorter than the Encore GX:

For better traction, the Rogue has larger tires than the Encore GX (235/65R17 vs. 225/55R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Rogue SL/Platinum has standard 19-inch wheels. The Encore GX’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For superior ride and handling, the Nissan Rogue has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Buick Encore GX has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Rogue has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Rogue flat and controlled during cornering. The Encore GX’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Rogue’s wheelbase is 4.3 inches longer than on the Encore GX (106.5 inches vs. 102.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Rogue is 1.3 inches wider in the front and .7 inches wider in the rear than on the Encore GX.

The Rogue Platinum AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Encore GX AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Rogue’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Encore GX’s (35.4 feet vs. 36.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Rogue has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Encore GX (8.2 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the Rogue to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Rogue has 11.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Encore GX (105.4 vs. 94.3).

The Rogue has 1.4 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more front legroom, 2.2 inches more front hip room, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 2.5 inches more rear legroom, 5.9 inches more rear hip room and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Encore GX.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Rogue’s rear seats recline. The Encore GX’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Rogue has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Encore GX with its rear seat up (31.6 vs. 23.5 cubic feet). The Rogue has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Encore GX with its rear seat folded (74.1 vs. 50.2 cubic feet).

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Rogue SL/Platinum’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Encore GX doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Rogue’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Encore GX’s (1500 vs. 1000 pounds).

The Rogue’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Encore GX’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the Rogue’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Encore GX’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Rogue’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Encore GX’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Rogue to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Encore GX doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Both the Rogue and the Encore GX offer available heated front seats. The Rogue Platinum also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Encore GX.

Both the Rogue and the Encore GX offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Rogue has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Encore GX doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its December 2020 issue and they ranked the Nissan Rogue Platinum AWD higher than the Buick Encore GX AWD.

The Nissan Rogue outsold the Buick Encore by almost three to one during the 2021 model year.