Compare the2022 Subaru CrosstrekVS 2021 Nissan Rogue Sport

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

© 1999 - 2024Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2024/05/01

The Subaru Crosstrek has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Crosstrek has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Crosstrek. But it costs extra on the Rogue Sport.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Crosstrek CVT’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Crosstrek and the Rogue Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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

	Crosstrek	Rogue Sport
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	121	399
Neck Stress	304 lbs.	349 lbs.
Neck Compression	42 lbs.	106 lbs.

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 Subaru Crosstrek is safer than the Nissan Rogue Sport:

	Crosstrek	Rogue Sport
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.9 inches
Hip Force	346 lbs.	408 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	428 lbs.	504 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
HIC	201	326

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, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Crosstrek the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 137 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Rogue Sport has not been fully tested, yet.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Crosstrek’s reliability 45 points higher than the Rogue Sport.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 17th in reliability. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 21st.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 5 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

Engine

The Crosstrek’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 11 more horsepower (152 vs. 141) than the Rogue Sport’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Crosstrek Sport/Limited’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 41 more horsepower (182 vs. 141) and 29 lbs.-ft. more torque (176 vs. 147) than the Rogue Sport’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Subaru Crosstrek is faster than the Nissan Rogue Sport (automatics tested):

	Crosstrek 2.0	Crosstrek Sport/Limited	Rogue Sport
Zero to 60 MPH	8.8 sec	7.8 sec	9.8 sec
Quarter Mile	16.7 sec	16 sec	17.5 sec

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Crosstrek lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Crosstrek gets better mileage than the Rogue Sport:

			MPG
Crosstrek
AWD	Auto	2.0 DOHC flat-4	28 city/33 hwy
		2.5 DOHC flat-4	27 city/34 hwy
Rogue Sport
FWD	Auto	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/32 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Crosstrek CVT’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Crosstrek has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Rogue Sport (16.6 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Crosstrek higher (7 out of 10) than the Nissan Rogue Sport (5). This means the Crosstrek produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Rogue Sport every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Crosstrek stops much shorter than the Rogue Sport:

	Crosstrek	Rogue Sport
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	137 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	136 feet	139 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Crosstrek has larger tires than the Rogue Sport (225/60R17 vs. 215/60R17).

Suspension and Handling

The Crosstrek Premium handles at .81 G’s, while the Rogue Sport SL 4x4 pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Crosstrek Premium executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.3 seconds quicker than the Rogue Sport SL 4x4 (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 29.6 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Crosstrek’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Rogue Sport’s (35.4 feet vs. 36.9 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Crosstrek has a 1.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Rogue Sport (8.7 vs. 7.4 inches), allowing the Crosstrek to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Crosstrek has 4.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rogue Sport (100.9 vs. 96).

The Crosstrek has .2 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, 1.7 inches more front hip room, .1 inches more front shoulder room, 3.1 inches more rear legroom and 8.3 inches more rear hip room than the Rogue Sport.

Cargo Capacity

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Crosstrek. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Crosstrek has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Rogue Sport has no towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Crosstrek is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Rogue Sport. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Crosstrek and the Rogue Sport have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Crosstrek is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Rogue Sport prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Crosstrek’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Rogue Sport’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Crosstrek’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Crosstrek Base). The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its NissanConnect can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Crosstrek Limited has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Rogue Sport doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Crosstrek’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Rogue Sport offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Crosstrek, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Nissan Rogue Sport isn't recommended.

Consumer Reports performed a comparison test in its January 2018 issue and the Subaru Crosstrek Premium won out over the Nissan Rogue Sport SV 4x4.