Getting a bit of seat time in Nissan’s first hybrid for North America.
Nissan had a problem. Its competition in the compact SUV segment (read: RAV4, CR-V, Forester, et al) all now offer hybrids, an option that’s rapidly becoming the de facto internal combustion powertrain of choice, according to Nissan Americas chairman Christian Meunier. Without one in North America, Nissan and its Infiniti luxury brand have been at a disadvantage.
To help solve that pesky lack of a hybrid issue, Nissan is rolling out the 2026 Nissan Rogue Plug-in Hybrid. It’s what’s known as a bridge vehicle, a much-needed model that an automaker rushes out as quickly as possible until its next-generation version is ready.
In this case, it’s bridging the gap to the automaker’sall-new, fourth-generation Rogue with the Nissan e-Power hybrid system, in which the gas engine acts as a generator. It’s coming soon, but not until the 2027 model year. So, until the new Rogue arrives to save the day, Nissan turned to its alliance partner Mitsubishi, who just happened to have a plug-in hybrid Outlander that Nissan was able to quickly draw from to get an electrified Rogue to market.
Given that it might only be around a model year or two, we jumped into one in Franklin, Tennessee, where Nissan is headquartered, for a quick spin to see what we’ll soon be missing.
Tapping the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
The Rogue PHEV is a three-row SUV with essentially the same powertrain and other key componentry from the Outlander: primarily its 131-hp, 144-lb-ft, 2.4-liter I-4 engine that sends power to motors on the front and rear axles separately. Total output is 248 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque, with most of the drive from the motors. As a result, on the road, it drives more like an electric car than a traditional hybrid and accelerates quickly and smoothly. Although it doesn’t shoot off the line quite like a pure EV, the electrified Rogue is much more powerful than a base Rogue with its tiny 1.5-liter turbocharged I-3 engine.
It also makes whirring sounds, like an EV. And it comes with a one-pedal mode called e-Step that’s also used in the electric Leaf and Ariya. But in the Rogue PHEV, it’s a bit of a misnomer as e-Step provides aggressive regenerative braking but won’t come to a full stop.
Like the Outlander, the electrified Rogue also has 38 miles of electric only range. When it runs out, the transition to the gas engine is seamless. Its battery can be charged in 7.5 hours on a Level 2 AC charger, but relies on a J1772 port, not NACS, and cannot take advantage of DC fast charging.
Among safety features is Nissan’s ProPilot Assist 1.1 that aids in accelerating and braking as part of the adaptive cruise control and offers some steering assistance but not enough to handle big turns. The Level 2 driver-assist system is quick to tell the driver to keep their hands on the wheel. We understand why Nissan isn’t spending more to equip this vehicle with Level 2+ system given its short lifespan and a desire to keep the price down.
The cost-cutting continues inside, where the touchscreen is propped on the dash with little effort to integrate it, and the clunky gearshift and switchgear look dated. Nissan did a nice job on the quilted pattern on the black cloth seats with leather bolsters. And rear passengers have air vents, heated seats, and HVAC controls.
The 2026 Nissan Rogue PHEV goes on sale in the first quarter of 2026 and will be available in SL and Platinum trims. Pricing will be announced closer to the sale date, but it’s expected to start at about $40,000, similar to the Outlander.
One and Done?
The Rogue PHEV could be a one-and-done given that the new Rogue hybrid is hot on its heels. The 2027 hybrid finally brings Nissan’s e-Power system to North America, a powertrain that’s been used in Japan since the Note in 2017 and was available for the Qashqai (2WD) and X-Trail (AWD) in Europe. (The 2027 Rogue Hybrid for North America will be all-wheel drive only.) It worked for those markets, but Nissan felt it lacked the desired efficiency in highway driving to bring it to the U.S. until the issue was addressed with the third-generation system. One of the defining features of e-Power is that it uses its gas engine as a generator only—it does not move the wheels, making it what’s known as an EREV.
Nissan executives haven’t ruled out continuing to offer the plug-in hybrid alongside the new e-Power hybrid. But the reality is that the next-gen Rogue will be new and fresh in looks, technology, and powertrains. Not to mention, the e-Power powertrain itself will be more efficient, lower priced, and all Nissan. The expectation is that Nissan customers will prefer the e-Power setup and make the plug-in hybrid unnecessary, according to Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan Americas chief planning officer.
Another wild card is that a new Outlander is also coming, which itself will be based on the same platform as the next-generation Rogue. This isn’t a new idea: the Outlander was based on the Rogue in the first place, sharing much of its platform, switchgear, and components. Mitsubishi might also want Nissan’s e-Power system in the future, Pandikuthira says. Given the Rogue Plug-in, it’s probably only fair to let Mitsubishi have it.
