through: Robert Duffer, Editor-in-Chief
Posted Sep 6, 2022 / 7:15pm CDT
Updated September 6, 2022 / 7:16 pm CDT
(The Car Connection) — According to a report by Automotive News, Nissan will say goodbye to the small crossover Rogue Sport later this year. It will join the Nissan Maxima big sedan among the Nissans dropped for the 2023 model year.
Introduced in 2017, the Rogue Sport never really stepped out of the shadow of Nissan’s best-selling compact crossover, the Rogue. Smaller, lower and in no way sportier, the Rogue Sport used a 141 hp 2.0-liter inline 4 with a continuously variable automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive was standard, while all-wheel drive was available for around $1,500. With a starting price of around $25,000, the 2022 Nissan Rogue Sport offered reasonable value for money with good standard safety features.
Production on the Japanese import ends this December as Nissan pivots to higher-volume crossover SUVs. The stunning Rogue Sport gives way to the edgier and more affordable Nissan Kicks, which is produced in Mexico. Nissan is expected to redesign the kicks for 2024, making them taller and adding all-wheel drive.
Many automakers have followed a similar path, retiring the first generation of their smallest crossover for a vehicle better suited to American buyers: Mazda replaced the cramped but sporty CX-3 with the larger CX-30; Toyota is about to replace the funky CH-R with the Corolla Cross; and Honda enlarged its restyled 2023 HR-V to almost CR-V proportions.
While the groundbreaking Nissan Maxima may return as an electric sedan, you can expect the Rogue Sport chapter to close after just one generation. Sales will continue through early 2023, and Nissan says it will deliver parts of the vehicle through 2033.
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