Compare the2022 Nissan Rogue SportVS 2022 Volkswagen Taos

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Rogue Sport are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Taos doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Rogue Sport 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 Taos doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Rogue Sport’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Taos.

The Rogue Sport (except S) offers an optional Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Taos 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 Sport 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 Taos’ blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Rogue Sport 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 Taos.

The Rogue Sport (except S)’s optional 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 Taos doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Rogue Sport and the Taos have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

Nissan’s powertrain warranty covers the Rogue Sport 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Taos. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Taos ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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

There are over 68 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rogue Sport’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Rogue Sport’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Taos’ camshafts. If the Taos’ belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

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 Rogue Sport’s reliability 54 points higher than the Taos.

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 Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 67 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan 21st in reliability. With 35 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 11 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Rogue Sport has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Taos FWD’s standard fuel tank (14.5 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Rogue Sport 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 Taos doesn’t offer a CVT.

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

The Rogue Sport 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 Taos doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For superior ride and handling, the Nissan Rogue Sport 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 Volkswagen Taos has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Rogue Sport has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Rogue Sport flat and controlled during cornering. The Taos 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Rogue Sport is .5 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Taos.

For better maneuverability, the Rogue Sport’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Taos’ (36.9 feet vs. 37.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Rogue Sport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Taos (7.4 vs. 6.6 inches), allowing the Rogue Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Rogue Sport is 3 inches shorter than the Taos, making the Rogue Sport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Rogue Sport has 2.7 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Taos.

The Rogue Sport has a higher standard payload capacity than the Taos (1115 vs. 937 lbs.).

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

The Rogue Sport’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 Taos’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Rogue Sport has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Taos only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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

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