Whether you commute from Oakville along the QEW and Gardiner Expressway to the downtown core; drive from Pierrefonds to Peel and Ste-Catherine Streets in Montreal via the Décarie Expressway; or you’re schlepping over the Lions Gate Bridge on the way to Burrard and West Georgia Streets in Vancouver’s Financial District, things never change — the traffic is gnarled, and more often than not, you’re creeping through it, cursing the early-to-rise late-for-work syndrome so many face.
Yes, things are moving faster than normal right now, but the bad-old pre-COVID-19 traffic days are starting to loom large!
For any commuter, comfort and ease of use are the keys. While there is undeniable pleasure pushing a sports car down a twisty road like Twyn Rivers Drive in Scarborough, Ont. or the road up to Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area in Milton, Ont., the reality is this is a once-in-a-while pleasure. The rest of the time is spent enduring the boredom that defines car life when it comes to the weekday commute or out grabbing groceries.
The 2021 Nissan Rogue Platinum is a large, roomy and comfortable crossover that eases the ennui with some thoughtful commuter-friendly features.
Crank the engine to life with the key fob’s remote engine start with intelligent climate control feature, and it looks at the ambient temperature. When it’s cold it turns on the heater, heated seats and steering wheel, so it’s toasty and ready to roll. Once under way, those heated seats get hot enough to toast buns! Conversely, on a hot day it activates the air conditioning to get the internal furnace down to a comfortable temperature. This neat heat/cool feature also works through the NissanConnect smartphone app.
The Platinum’s 12.3-inch digital instrumentation is clean and it displays all the safety features between the two large digital dials. This gives a snapshot of what’s on and working within Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 suite of technologies.
This list includes everything from blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and lane-keep assist; to auto high-beams and intelligent auto-emergency braking with pedestrian detection. Heading around the blind corner ahead of “Ford” hill, which runs past the company’s Oakville assembly plant on the QEW, after a long weary day, having a second set of eyes watching for the inevitable sudden stop in traffic is more than welcome. Likewise, having the system watch for and being ready to brake for a text-distracted pedestrian stepping off the curb, as they are wont to do anywhere along Yonge Street, is a massive boon.
The Platinum also scores ProPILOT Assist with Navi-link. This semi-autonomous system keeps the crossover centered in its lane and at a pre-set distance behind the car ahead. The twist is the Navi-Link extension readies the Rogue for an up-coming off-ramp by reducing speed. It is one more step towards full autonomy. While many will cringe at this thought, on that mind-numbing commute, it might actually play a welcome role. The same applies to the serpentine drive to the Whistler or Tremblant ski resorts.
The infotainment system is readily reached and easy to master. The nine-inch touch screen is supported by a blend of hard buttons and on-screen icons, which, again, eases operation and minimizes the time your eyes are away from the road ahead. The system works with Apple CarPlay — both wired and wirelessly. Android Auto must be wired. A welcome distraction from the hum-drum of the commute is the solid 10-speaker Bose sound system. The clarity is clear and there is very little distortion when the volume is cranked up enough to drown out the phalanx of tractor-trailers.
Nissan’s Zero Gravity power front seats deliver better-than-average lateral and thigh support, and, for the driver, the correct driving position. This is an overlooked part of the comfort equation. There’s also plenty of “stuff” space. Along with the spot for the smartphone ahead of the shifter comes a handy under centre-console storage area that’s large enough for a lunch bag or purse.
The rear environment is as accommodating. The seats deliver lots of lumbar support and they can be reclined, which makes the long-distance drive between Toronto and Ottawa painless — the ability to change the rake of the backrest brings a renewed freshness to the seating position. There’s also enough room for a pair of six-footers with 978-millimetres of leg space.
Cargo-wise, there’s 1,028-litres with the seats up; and 2,064L with them folded flat. The plus is the Divide-N-Hide cargo management system. The adjustable dividers and shelves create 18 different cargo configurations, including one that prevents the groceries from spreading all over the load floor after a dab at the brake pedal.
In spite of its capacity, the Rogue does not feel bloated — the quick 2.5 turns lock-to-lock and a good surround-view camera system make a tight parking lot a snap. Those concrete fender-crunching posts you find in every underground parking lot remain in view! Likewise, the suspension is well-tuned and deals with a variety of road surfaces in stride. It controls body roll nicely and the response to steering input is crisp. The setup is equally well-suited to the morning commute as it is a long-distance drive.
The Rogue Platinum arrives with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder that pushes 181 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque through Nissan’s Xtronic continuously variable transmission and a good all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. The combination will not set your heart on fire, but it does deliver solid all-round performance. About town it brings a smooth, seamless drive and the responsiveness needed to pass a slower vehicle. Conversely, on the highway there’s little wind or road noise. Yes, the engine tends to drone under hard acceleration, but that’s at the extreme. The rest of the time the Platinum is quiet and pleasant haven.
Rogue whisks its riders to 100 kilometres an hour in 9.4 seconds and it has a posted average fuel economy of 8.3 litres per 100 kilometres. According to National Resources Canada (NRCan) the Rogue Platinum with AWD has an annual fuel cost of $2,075 compared to the front-wheel-drive model’s $2,025 cost. This difference is inconsequential given the all-weather stability and ability AWD delivers. Just think of it, no more slip-sliding on the climb from Pottery Road and on up the Bayview Extension.
The 2021 Nissan Rogue Platinum is a solid commuter choice. It’s comfortable, spacious and flexible, taking care of the riders and cargo equally well. The plus is it does not feel its size in a cramped urban environment.
