Compare the2022 Nissan RogueVS 2022 Kia Niro

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Kia Niro doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The Nissan Rogue has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Niro doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

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 Niro 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 Niro doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Rogue offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Niro doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Rogue SL/Platinum has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Niro only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

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. Only the Niro LXS/LXS SE/Touring SE/EX Premium offers a blind spot warning system.

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. Only the Niro LXS/LXS SE/Touring SE/EX Premium has a rear cross-path warning system.

The Rogue SV/SL/Platinum has standard NissanConnect, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Niro doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Rogue and the Niro have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver 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, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Nissan Rogue is safer than the Kia Niro:

	Rogue	Niro
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Rogue is safer than the Kia Niro:

	Rogue	Niro
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	95	138
Chest Movement	.4 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	99 G’s	196 G’s
Hip Force	339 lbs.	342 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	162	170
Spine Acceleration	31 G’s	77 G’s
Hip Force	513 lbs.	993 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	162	214
Hip Force	398 lbs.	712 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

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 Niro has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

The Rogue’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Niro runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are over 40 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Rogue’s warranty.

Reliability

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 Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 6th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 2 places higher in reliability than Kia.

Engine

The Rogue’s 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 62 more horsepower (201 vs. 139) and 30 lbs.-ft. more torque (225 vs. 195) than the Niro’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Rogue has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Niro (14.5 vs. 11.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Rogue has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Niro doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

The Rogue has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Niro doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Rogue’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Niro:

	Rogue	Niro
Front Rotors	11.7 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	11.5 inches	10.3 inches

The Rogue stops much shorter than the Niro:

	Rogue	Niro
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	138 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	145 feet	152 feet	Consumer Reports

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 Niro are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Rogue has larger tires than the Niro (235/65R17 vs. 205/60R16). The Rogue S’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Niro (235/65R17 vs. 225/45R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Rogue S has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Niro LX/LXS/EX Premium. The Rogue SL/Platinum’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Niro Touring SE.

The Rogue has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Niro doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Rogue has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Niro; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The Rogue has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Niro doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Rogue Platinum AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Niro LXS pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Rogue Platinum AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Niro LXS (27.9 seconds @ .59 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Rogue has 4.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Niro (105.4 vs. 100.9).

The Rogue has 1 inch more front headroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 1.1 inches more rear legroom, 5.1 inches more rear hip room and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Niro.

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

Cargo Capacity

The Rogue has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Niro with its rear seat up (31.6 vs. 19.4 cubic feet). The Rogue has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Niro with its rear seat folded (74.1 vs. 54.5 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 Niro doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Rogue (except S) offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or on the Rogue SL/Platinum, by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Niro doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Towing

The Rogue has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Niro has no towing capacity.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Rogue SL/Platinum, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Niro doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Rogue SL/Platinum’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Niro doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Rogue Platinum offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Niro doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Rogue’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Niro’s parking brake has to be released manually.

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 Niro’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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

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

Both the Rogue and the Niro 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 Niro.

Both the Rogue and the Niro 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 Niro doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Recommendations

The Nissan Rogue outsold the Kia Niro by almost 13 to one during the 2021 model year.

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