Nissan paid a lot of attention to the interior for the 2014 Rogue, creating a cabin that is inviting, attractive and comfortable for a variety of body types. Slide into the driver’s seat and the combination of command seating and low dashboard creates excellent visibility to the front and sides. Rearward visibility is still a bit challenged, becoming even more difficult when the optional third-row seats are raised.
Controls are mostly well-placed; the only issue comes from switch placement for the blind spot warning system and the transmission’s Sport mode — they’re low and to the left on the dash where they cannot be easily seen or touched.
Seating is flexible, spacious and remarkably comfortable. Nissan continues to make hay over its so-called Zero Gravity seats that were supposedly designed with input from NASA, but regardless of their origin in Andromeda or Nissan’s Atsugi, Japan, design center, they actually deliver the promised comfort.
The second row of seats is also quite spacious at 37.9 inches, with much more legroom than expected for a compact SUV, stadium-style layout and long, tall windows for rear seat passengers that help prevent claustrophobia. The 2014 Rogue’s second-row legroom grew 2.6 inches over the 2013 model. Add in the huge panoramic sunroof overhead and the Rogue’s cabin feels tall, airy and pleasantly open. Climbing in and out of the backseat is also easier with doors that now open 77 degrees, allowing for easier placement of things like child-safety seats.
New for the Rogue this year is an optional third row of seats that’s available only on the base S and midlevel SV trim levels — if you really want a three-row crossover that tops $30,000, Nissan would instead like to show you the Pathfinder. The Rogue’s 50/50-split bench folds into the cargo area’s floor and doesn’t impact carrying capacity versus the standard Rogue when in the folded position. Given that this is a compact SUV, this is not a bench meant for adult-sized humans. If you’re planning on putting adults in the third row, try a Pathfinder. Even Nissan admits that the third row is best limited to children and over shorter distances. But with a standard second-row sliding feature that helps to equalize some legroom for all the passengers in the vehicle, it is indeed usable in a pinch.
