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Identifying the First-Gen Ford MustangDoes the 2025 Rogue Outshine the 2025 Honda CR-V?
It’s a big battle between two compact SUVs! The 2025 Honda CR-V goes up against the 2025 Nissan Rogue on fuel efficiency, features, safety, and cost.
Can the Nissan Rogue Overcome the Popular Honda CR-V?
Shopper demands have changed over time and continue to do so. While some opt for a large pickup truck, others prefer a subcompact sedan. Yet, there’s still a large space for compact SUVs, a blend of comfort, utility, and style. Both, the Rogue and the CR-V made our ranking of the best compact SUVs of 2024. How do the 2025 models compare, though?
The Nissan Rogue is one of the more popular compact SUVs, continuing to make good sales figures. Maybe that’s because Nissan continues giving shoppers a reason to get excited about the Rogue. The 2024 Rogue just received a mid-generation facelift and the 2025 Rogue introduced the new Rock Creek trim, an off-road oriented trim.
However, according to data from Jato Dynamics, the Honda CR-V actually beat out the Ford F-150 for the first time in over 40 years, to become the best-selling vehicle in America in 2024. That’s a statement! The 2025 CR-V remains unchanged after big updates on the 2023 model. So, the question is: do the impressive CR-V sales figures mean that it’s a better buy than the 2025 Rogue? Let’s find out!
Specs
The 2025 Nissan Rogue uses a 1.5-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder engine and Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). That combination makes 201 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque, enough to tow small trailers or boats that are under 1,500 lbs.
The newest Rogue is available with 17-inch, 18-inch, or 19-inch wheels. It’s a front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) SUV and the fuel efficiency numbers really depend on the drivetrain and powertrain. The best Environmental Protection Agency-estimated gas mileage the 2025 Rogue will get is on the S or SV trims with FWD. That configuration gets 30 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. Those numbers are some of the best for any compact SUV.
Unlike the Nissan Rogue, the 2025 Honda CR-V has two powertrains, one with an internal combustion engine and the other with a hybrid setup. The gasoline-powered, turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine is good for 190 horsepower and 179 lb-ft of torque. The hybrid pairs a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with two electric motors to produce 204 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque. With a gas engine under the hood, the 2025 CR-V maxes out at 1,500 lbs. when towing, the same as the Rogue. The hybrids can handle up to 1,000 lbs.
Fuel efficiency numbers are varied with the options for options for FWD, AWD, and the hybrid engine. The best numbers CR-V owners can expect is with the hybrid engine and FWD. That combination delivers 43 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. A gasoline engine with FWD is rated for 28 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway, not quite as good as the Rogue.
Driving and Performance
The Nissan Rogue’s turbocharged engine is certainly punchy, making it easy enough to get up to speed on the interstate. There’s a little road noise when doing so, but the real downfall of having all that power is that it’s not as smooth in other situations. The CVT can lag a little bit. The 2025 Rogue does handle nicely around corners. It’s not fun, but it’s not really meant to be. For most daily driving scenarios, the Rogue is a composed ride that’s likely to be appreciated.
After crash tests, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the Rogue an overall five-star safety rating. Whether it’s from test drives or crash tests, the 2025 Rogue is getting some good reviews.
Neither of the CR-V’s engines are especially powerful, but they’re acceptable. They’ll get up to highway speeds quickly. There’s some noisy acceleration to deal with, but that’s to be expected. The hybrid version and gas-powered engine are both smooth in most instances. Steering and brakes both respond quickly in a variety of road conditions. Every CR-V can make use of hill descent control on slippery slopes or steep declines. The Rogue’s Rock Creek trim adds hill descent control, but it’s not standard across the lineup like it is on the CR-V.
Just like the Rogue, the 2025 CR-V does have a five-star NHTSA overall safety rating. However, there was a recent recall issued by Honda after uncovering a potential problem in the steering rack. In some instances, a gear within the rack swelled, adding to the steering load in the wheel. It was determined that the cause of the swelling was a steering gearbox worm wheel that wasn’t properly produced.
Comfort and Interior
The 2025 Nissan Rogue isn’t luxury, but it does have comfortable, zero-gravity front seats that are trimmed in cloth, leatherette, or genuine leather. There are physical knobs on the dash and buttons on the steering wheel that make it easy for drivers to control the cabin. The interior looks like any modern dash you’d find, one with a large digital touchscreen, plenty of built-in cubbies.
It’s not just the look of the cabin and the feel of the seats that make the 2025 Rogue comfortable. It’s also the amount of space passengers have. Nissan offers up 41.5 inches of legroom up front and 38.5 inches of legroom for rear-seat passengers. There’s a decent amount of cargo space as well. With the seats upright, shoppers have 36.5 cu. Ft. Of space to utilize. Flip those seats down, and that becomes 74.1 cu. ft. of space to work with.
Like the Rogue, the cabin of the 2025 CR-V is updated and comfortable. Designers placed storage compartments in several areas of the vehicle, whether it’s for drinks or other small objects. About half of the 2025 CR-Vs are outfitted with cloth seats, but they are designed to decrease fatigue on longer road trips. You have to get into the higher trims to get leather upholstery.
This compact SUV isn’t lacking when it comes to space. Legroom in the first row measures 41.3 inches, nearly as much as the Rogue. Second-row CR-V passengers get 41.3 inches, more space than the Rogue by a few inches. So, does the CR-V have less cargo space? No, it doesn’t. With second-row seats upright, the cargo hold equals 39.3 cu. ft. When the seats are flipped down, cargo measures 76.5 cu. ft.
The 2025 CR-V is 184.8 inches in overall length compared to the 183″-long Rogue, so Honda has a little more space to work with. They also seemingly made better use of the space, especially when it comes to second-row passengers.
Trims and Features
Buyers can choose between five different 2025 Nissan Rogue trims. First up, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $29,230, is the 2025 Rogue S. Even at the base level, the S comes with forward collision mitigation, blind-spot monitoring with a rear cross-traffic warning, rear parking sensors, and a lane departure warning. The tech isn’t outstanding, but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration are both standard. There’s an eight-inch infotainment touchscreen to control the cabin, too.
The SV adds adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance along with the comfort of heated front seats. Then there’s the new off-roading Rock Creek trim, equipped with all-terrain tires, a specially tuned suspension, a roof rack, and an off-road camera view. A digital instrument panel, full leather upholstery, a 360-degree camera, wireless front-row charging, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen all add some extra value to the SL. In addition to that, the SL has a Google-based infotainment system which also gives it voice command and navigation functions.
The top-of-the-line Nissan Rogue Platinum finishes things off with driver’s seat memory settings, a 10-speaker Bose stereo system, and the options to add tri-zone automatic climate control, a head-up display, and heated rear seats. That version of the Rogue is upwards of $39,520, so a little over $10,000 what the base trim costs.
With six different trims, the 2025 CR-V starts off with the LX, priced at $30,100. It’s got the features you’d expect, like Apple and Android smartphone integration, but that’s where it ends. It’s got LED lights, a seven-inch touchscreen, and a push-button start, but those aren’t necessarily impressive features. Lane-keeping assist, forward collision warning with automatic braking, and adaptive cruise control are all included as driver assists, though.
One step up, the EX adds heated side mirrors, heated front seats, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, dual-zone climate control, and six speakers instead of just four. A blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic alert is also part of the deal. The Sport Hybrid, priced at $34,650, has the same features as the EX but the exterior is given a darkened makeover, making it a little more edgy.
The EX-L is the top of the line, for gas-powered CR-Vs anyway. The interior comes packed with a leather upholstery, driver’s seat memory settings, wireless Android and Apple connectivity, and a wireless charging pad. The center screen, however, is only nine inches. Front and rear parking sensors and low-speed automatic braking round out the safety features of the EX-L.
There are still two more hybrid models in this lineup: the Sport-L and the Sport Touring. The Sport-L starts with the features of the Sport hybrid and combines them with the added features of the EX-L. Meanwhile, the Sport Touring is truly at the top and costs $41,100.
Most of the elements here are amenities. For example, a hands-free liftgate and ambient cabin lighting are both included with the Sport Touring. An integrated navigation system, a heated steering wheel, and a 12-speaker Bose audio system help level up the cabin. AWD is standard.
The Verdict
This one is clear. If you have loyalty to Nissan, or are a previous Rogue owner, you may end up going with the Rogue (we’d recommend at least going with the SV or the new Rock Creek trim), but the 2025 Honda CR-V is the better buy.
The CR-V has more powertrain options, is nearly as fuel efficient with a gasoline-powered engine, has more legroom, has more cargo space, and has more available trims. The Rogue isn’t shabby by any means. It even has Google-based infotainment that Honda doesn’t. Besides the Nissan/Google exclusive, the CR-V has every other feature, and most of them are offered in the EX-L trim which starts at $35,000. If you compare that to the Rogue’s SL trim, starting at $36,090, you’re actually saving some money by choosing the CR-V.
If you have your heart set on a Rogue or just like the styling a little better, don’t worry. You won’t go wrong either way. Both are good daily drivers for a single-person household or for a family of four. For the purposes of this comparison, it has to be said that the CR-V comes out on top. No matter which SUV you prefer, you’re going to be able to find it here. We even put together a quick guide to help you refine the results of your SUV search.
