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Nissan offers a wide range of crossover SUVs, but the five-passenger Rogue outsells them all. The popular compact crossover received a significant refresh for the 2024 model year with updated styling and features. For 2025, the lineup expands to add a bit of off-road adventure to the product line with the new Rogue Rock Creek. With standout looks and unique features designed for off-pavement excursions, the Rogue Rock Creek is surprisingly capable when tasked with some light off-roading.
Photo: Perry Stern
While the Rogue remains primarily unchanged for the 2025 model year, the new Rock Creek edition elevates the compact crossover with:
The 2025 Nissan Rogue has five trim levels: S, SV, Rock Creek, SL, and Platinum. Prices range from around $30,000 to around $42,000, with front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) available on all trims except Rock Creek, which is exclusively AWD.
JD Power previously published a review of the 2024 Nissan Rogue. This review focuses on the new Rock Creek trim and how it potentially impacts the Rogue’s overall consumer appeal.
For this 2025 Rogue review, Nissan provided a test vehicle equipped with Rock Creek trim and the following options:
The test vehicle's price was $38,890, including the $1,390 destination charge to ship the SUV from the Nissan assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, to your local dealership.
The Rogue is the second model in Nissan’s lineup to get the Rock Creek treatment; the Nissan Pathfinder was the first. Like the Pathfinder, the Rogue Rock Creek stands out from the rest of the lineup with a gloss black grille and simulated engine air intakes at the base of the hood. The gloss black treatment spans the front of the SUV, with Lava Red highlights on the lower fascia and a large Nissan logo at the center of the grille.
Lava Red highlights pop in the Rock Creek logos on the front doors and the SUV’s rear. Rogue lettering at the rear is black, further contrasting with the Lava Red Nissan logo.
Adding to the Rogue's rugged appearance is the unique tubular roof rack, which is both stylish and functional. The rack can handle 220 pounds of dynamic load; Nissan offers a range of Yakima rack accessories like skis, bikes, or kayak carriers. All-terrain tires on special 17-inch satin black alloy wheels complete the Rogue Rock Creek's off-road-ready look.
Photo: Perry Stern
Sliding into the Rogue Rock Creek's cabin, you find heated seats trimmed in moisture-repellant seating material that is both stylish and comfortable. Lava Red stitching, trim, and Rock Creek logos embossed in the front seat backs tie the interior design to the rugged exterior style. All-season floor mats unique to the Rock Creek keep the cabin clean, especially when dragging in mud from off-road adventures.
The top-level trims of the 2025 Rogue feature a large 12.3-inch touchscreen display running a new Google Built-in infotainment system, but unfortunately, Nissan relegates the Rock Creek edition to its older system displayed on a smaller 8-inch touchscreen. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring are standard but require a wired connection.
Photo: Perry Stern
While Nissan designed several features to help the Rogue Rock Creek in its off-road endeavors, the tires make the most significant difference when compared to the standard Rogue. The Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail tires are rated for mud and snow and provide good traction during light off-roading.
Other updates exclusive to the Rock Creek include unique tuning to the vehicle dynamics control (VDC) for improved power distribution and better traction in slick or challenging terrain and unique tuning of the power steering to maintain good drivability on the pavement with the off-road tires. Hill-descent control is also standard on the Rogue Rock Creek.
Perhaps one of the most remarkable and valuable features is the "Invisible Hood View" that shows the driver what's ahead of the front bumper, with views along each front wheel for better control in tricky conditions.
Customers who venture off-road with the Rogue Rock Creek will need to keep in mind that it doesn't get any underbody protection. Drivers will need to be aware of rocks or other dangers that can cause significant damage to the undercarriage. The ground clearance of 8.2 inches is the same as the standard Rogue.
Nissan invited me to the Holly Oaks ORV park just north of Detroit, Michigan, where there's a range of trails with different terrains to see how the new 2025 Rogue Rock Creek handles an off-road adventure.
I settled into the SUV and set the drive mode to off-road. In addition to changing the VDC settings, this activates the off-road camera. The display screen keeps the camera view active as long as the Rogue remains under 12 mph. The camera shuts off above that speed but turns on again once speeds go below that threshold.
The Rock Creek gets the same variable-compression, turbocharged (VC-Turbo) 1.5-liter engine as the rest of the Rogue lineup, putting out 201 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque. Aside from the unique VDC tuning, the AWD system is the same as that in the rest of the Rogue lineup, but it works very well in loose traction conditions. The Rogue had no problems traversing uneven, bumpy surfaces with rocks and mud. Power would redistribute when a wheel came off the ground or lost traction. In a few seconds, forward momentum continued.
Taking the Rogue up a particularly steep incline, I discovered the value of the off-road camera. As I neared the top of the hill, all I could see out the windshield was the sky since the vehicle's nose was pointed up. I knew there was another vehicle ahead of me, but I couldn't even see the crest of the hill, so I only knew if the road was clear once I looked at the Invisible Hood View.
The smaller display screen made it hard to see much detail, but the view plainly showed the trail ahead and the view down the other side of the crest. I could see that there were no obstacles, and I continued my momentum climbing the hill without worrying about running into an unseen obstacle. This is a simple but excellent off-road feature, and it certainly came in handy.
As they say, what goes up must come down, and after climbing that steep slope, there was an equally big descent on the other side. With a narrow path and a loose, rocky surface, the route ahead looked daunting. However, I pressed the center button on the drive-mode controller, which activated HDC.
With HDC, the Rogue maintains a speed of 3 to 5 mph while the driver steers; the HDC system takes care of braking and traction. It is a bit unnerving to move down a steep slope without touching the brakes, but the HDC system does a fantastic job of maintaining a safe speed and adjusting traction and braking to keep the Rogue stable on the way down.
While Nissan didn’t design the Rogue Rock Creek to tackle extreme off-road conditions, it does a commendable job handling rough terrain, especially for a compact crossover SUV. For the type of off-pavement driving most Rogue customers might enjoy, the Rock Creek's capability should be more than sufficient.
Photo: Perry Stern
Already one of the most popular SUVs in America, Nissan is upping the Rogue's game by introducing the adventurous Rock Creek edition. The new Rogue Rock Creek adds appeal to the compact crossover for those shoppers looking to venture off the beaten path.
While the Rogue Rock Creek doesn't get a raised suspension or skid plates, these features are available on rivals like the Subaru Forester Wilderness and Ford Bronco Sport Badlands. But with its grippy all-terrain tires, excellent AWD system, hill-descent control, and the innovative Invisible Hood View camera, the new Nissan Rogue Rock Creek could be just the answer for the compact crossover shopper who's ready for a bit of adventure.
Perry Stern has worked in the automotive industry for over 30 years and has always been a car enthusiast. Driving almost every new car on the market, Perry has written for multiple publications in addition to his work for JDPower.com. Recently relocated to southeast Michigan, Perry is still crazy about cars, especially his 2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata.
