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 Escape 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 Escape doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.
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 Escape only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.
Both the Rogue and the Escape have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.
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 Ford Escape:
|
Rogue |
Escape |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
95 |
197 |
Chest Movement |
.4 inches |
.9 inches |
Abdominal Force |
99 lbs. |
191 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Spine Acceleration |
31 G’s |
43 G’s |
Hip Force |
513 lbs. |
816 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
162 |
344 |
Hip Force |
398 lbs. |
462 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Nissan Rogue is safer than the Escape:
|
Rogue |
Escape |
Overall Evaluation |
ACCEPTABLE |
MARGINAL |
Structure |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
290 |
391 |
Head Peak Forces |
81 G’s |
93 G’s |
Neck Tension |
245 lbs. |
379 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
MARGINAL |
Shoulder Deflection |
.94 in |
1.1 in |
Torso Max Deflection |
.94 in |
1.77 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
6 MPH |
8 MPH |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
MARGINAL |
Pelvis Force |
803 lbs. |
1160 lbs. |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Neck Tension |
89 lbs. |
201 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
1.22 in |
1.54 in |
Torso Max Deflection |
.87 in |
1.5 in |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Pelvis Force |
535 lbs. |
1093 lbs. |
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 Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 80 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Escape is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.