2021 Nissan Rogue Will Get Turbocharged 3-cylinder Engine: Update

• It will be introduced to increase the Rogue’s fuel efficiency rating.

• It will be available with both FWD and AWD drivetrains.

The all-new 2021 Nissan Rogue landed on our roads less than six months ago and already they are everywhere, or nearly. Nissan’s best-seller compact SUV offers the complete package, from styling to content along with decent power. It seems as though Nissan wants to improve on one element and that is fuel efficiency.

Nissan will introduce, as part of a “small pilot program”, a turbocharged 1.5-litre 3-cylinder in order to boost the SUV’s fuel mileage ratings. Output numbers are not known for the moment, nor is pricing however, based on the EPA website, we do have fuel economy numbers. We also know that it will be coupled to a continuously variable transmission.

As shared by Car And Driver, with FWD, the 3-pot is rated at up to 30 mpg/city, 37 mpg/highway, for a combined 33 mpg. With AWD, the numbers are identical save for the highway rating which is 36 mpg. A quick conversion sets the unofficial rating at 7.1L/100km, which is a 1L/100km improvement over the FWD 2.5-litre Rogue, and a 1.2L/100km from the AWD version.

We’ve reached out to Nissan Canada to find out if we can expect it here as well. We’ll update later.

UPDATE: They’ve responded that they too are planning a pilot program with a new powerplant for the Rogue however they did not specify which one.