The 2017 Rogue Sport is a downsized, renamed Nissan Qashqai for the U.S.

By Stephen Edelstein January 8, 2017

Confirming previous reports, Nissan is bringing its European-market Qashqai crossover to the United States, but it’s ditching that hard-to-pronounce name. Say hello to the 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport.

While Rogue Sport is certainly easier to say than Qashqai, the renaming may also lead to a bit of confusion. The Rogue Sport looks very similar to the current Rogue, although it is somewhat smaller. It’s about a foot shorter than the Rogue, and 5 inches lower. However, the Rogue Sport is almost as wide as the Rogue, and its wheelbase is just 2.3 inches shorter.

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The result is a crossover that’s a bit more compact than the non-Sport Rogue, but still decently practical, unlike the smaller Nissan Juke, which is more of a glorified subcompact hatchback. Nissan won’t discuss pricing, but Rogue Sport may fall somewhere between those two models. Whereas the larger Rogue is available in a three-row, seven-seat configuration, the Rogue Sport will be a five-seater only.

The sole powertrain option in the 2017 Rogue Sport is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, hooked to one of Nissan’s continuously-variable transmissions. It produces 141 horsepower and 147 pound-feet of torque. Front-wheel drive is standard, with all-wheel drive optional. The Sport rides on the same Common Modular Family platform as the larger Rogue, but perhaps carrying less bulk around will enliven the driving experience a bit more.

Like the exterior, the Rogue Sport’s interior closely follows the template of its big sibling. Notable standard features include Bluetooth and Siri Eyes Free voice controls, a SiriusXM satellite radio receiver, a rearview camera, and Nissan’s Hands-Free Text Messaging Assistant. An upgraded infotainment system with app suite and navigation, as well as remote engine start, are among the available options.

The 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport debuts this week at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, and goes on sale in the spring. We’ll find out if Nissan’s name game pays off then.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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Tesla posts exaggerate self-driving capacity, safety regulators say

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The warning dates back from May, but was made public in an email to Tesla released on November 8.
The NHTSA opened an investigation in October into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the FSD software, following three reported collisions and a fatal crash. The investigation centers on FSD’s ability to perform in “relatively common” reduced visibility conditions, such as sun glare, fog, and airborne dust.
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Meanwhile, “Tesla’s X (Twitter) account has reposted or endorsed postings that exhibit disengaged driver behavior,” Gregory Magno, the NHTSA’s vehicle defects chief investigator, wrote to Tesla in an email.
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Tesla’s official website also promotes conflicting messaging on the capabilities of the FSD software, the regulator said.
NHTSA has requested that Tesla revisit its communications to ensure its messaging remains consistent with FSD’s approved instructions, namely that the software provides only a driver assist/support system requiring drivers to remain vigilant and maintain constant readiness to intervene in driving.
Tesla last month unveiled the Cybercab, an autonomous-driving EV with no steering wheel or pedals. The vehicle has been promoted as a robotaxi, a self-driving vehicle operated as part of a ride-paying service, such as the one already offered by Alphabet-owned Waymo.
But Tesla’s self-driving technology has remained under the scrutiny of regulators. FSD relies on multiple onboard cameras to feed machine-learning models that, in turn, help the car make decisions based on what it sees.
Meanwhile, Waymo’s technology relies on premapped roads, sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar (a laser-light radar), which might be very costly, but has met the approval of safety regulators.

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