Compare the2023 Nissan RogueVS 2022 Toyota Highlander

Safety
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
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 Toyota Highlander doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row 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 Highlander 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 Highlander doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Rogue has a standard blind spot warning system that 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 Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Rogue has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum offers Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

Both the Rogue and the Highlander 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, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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 Toyota Highlander:

	Rogue	Highlander
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	261	292
Neck Injury Risk	33%	38.2%
Neck Compression	54 lbs.	55 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	70/234 lbs.	321/243 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	319	328
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Leg Forces (l/r)	481/312 lbs.	545/323 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 Nissan Rogue is safer than the Toyota Highlander:

	Rogue	Highlander
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	31 G’s	37 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	15 inches
HIC	162	366
Hip Force	398 lbs.	664 lbs.

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

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Rogue gets better mileage than the Highlander:

			MPG
Rogue
	FWD	S/SV 1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	30 city/37 hwy
		SL/Platinum 1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	29 city/36 hwy
	AWD	S/SV 1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	28 city/35 hwy
		SL/Platinum 1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	28 city/34 hwy
Highlander
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	21 city/29 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/27 hwy

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 Highlander doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Rogue higher (6 out of 10) than the Toyota Highlander (5). This means the Rogue produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Highlander every 15,000 miles.

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 Highlander doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Rogue stops much shorter than the Highlander:

	Rogue	Highlander
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

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 Highlander doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

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 Highlander doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Rogue Platinum AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Highlander Platinum AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Rogue’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Highlander’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Rogue has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Highlander (8.2 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Rogue to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Nissan Rogue may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 700 to 750 pounds less than the Toyota Highlander.

The Rogue is 11.9 inches shorter than the Highlander, making the Rogue easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The front step up height for the Rogue is 1.4 inches lower than the Highlander (17.6” vs. 19”). The Rogue’s rear step up height is .7 inches lower than the Highlander’s (18.5” vs. 19.2”).

Cargo Capacity

The Rogue has a much larger cargo volume than the Highlander with its rear seat up (31.6 vs. 16 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Rogue easier. The Rogue’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.4 inches, while the Highlander’s liftover is 31.2 inches.

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

Ergonomics

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 Highlander doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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 Highlander’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 Highlander’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Rogue and the Toyota Highlander, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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