It’s not a new idea. Take a humble compact SUV with car-like, unibody construction, give it all-wheel drive, all-terrain tires, and a macho appearance package, and voila. An anonymous daily driver becomes a rugged off-roader, just like that. Most mainstream car brands have tried this formula with varying degrees of success. We’re pleased to report that the 2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek is one example of an off-road trim of a compact SUV that actually delivers the goods off-road.
An Off-Road Nissan Rogue?
We admit that when we looked at the spec sheet and saw that the Rogue Rock Creek had the same ground clearance and approach angle as every other Rogue, we weren’t expecting much. We’ve been fooled before by raised roof racks and faux recovery hooks. However, when Nissan brought us to some muddy trails in South Bend, Indiana, to test the Rogue Rock Creek in terrain that very few of its owners will ever encounter, it performed better than we imagined it could.
It starts with its VC-Turbo 3-cylinder engine under the hood. This is the smallest iteration of Nissan’s clever variable compression turbo engine, which can change the engine’s compression ratio on the fly to optimize the balance of power and efficiency based on the driver’s inputs. The result is 201 horsepower, 225 lb-ft of torque, and an EPA-estimated 29 combined mpg (up to 33 mpg in a front-wheel-drive-equipped Rogue, which is best-in-class for a non-hybrid).
Going Rogue
We climbed into the ballistic nylon seats with orange contrast stitching, turned the drive mode selector into the off-road mode, pressed the hill descent control button, and tested what the Rogue Rock Creek could do. It started with some easy parts: muddy trails with fresh autumn foliage and a few tight, technical turns. This is where the 360-degree camera with off-road mode came in handy; it gave us better visibility of the location of the front tires and what’s right underneath the front of the vehicle, almost like an “invisible hood” feature on more expensive off-roaders.
Then came a rather intimidating incline. It had rained the night before, and a few Rogue models went before me, creating slippery, low-traction conditions on this steep incline. After a small head start, I got on the incline with decent momentum, and the Falken Wildpeak A/T tires, all-wheel-drive system, and all three cylinders under the hood had their work cut out for them. It got a little dicey in some parts, but the little Rogue that could made it up the incline competently. The way back down the same incline was effortless, thanks to hill descent control.
The takeaway is this: The Nissan Rogue Rock Creek isn’t the best off-roader in its class, but it can handle just about any off-road challenge or inclement road condition that the average Rogue driver will encounter.
Not-So-Secret Recipe
The off-road capability of the Nissan Rogue Rock Creek exceeded my expectations, but it also highlighted the reality of these “soft-roader” trims. The secret sauce to making a compact SUV an off-road all-star isn’t that complicated. All-wheel drive, all-terrain tires, and some ground clearance can make just about anything in this class as good of an off-roader as this humble Nissan. It didn’t even have optimized approach or departure angles, steel skid plates, or fancy gauges like an inclinometer or tilt meter.
I don’t say this to minimize the accomplishments of the Rogue Rock Creek. I say it to celebrate how far we’ve come in what an affordable little SUV like this can do, especially right from the factory. The average Nissan Rogue driver might not pay much mind to what tires are on their SUV. But the right tires can change what a car or SUV is capable of, whether we’re talking about mud, rain, snow, a race track, or plain old dry pavement.
Comfy and Practical
Oh, and we did log a lot of miles on highways and city streets, too. The all-terrain tires didn’t create noticeable extra noise or discomfort; they’re in the sweet spot of off-road traction and on-road comfort. Aside from the rubber, the Rogue Rock Creek has the same virtues as the rest of the Rogue lineup, like Nissan’s comfortable Zero Gravity seats, handy safety and infotainment tech features, and enough interior space for a small family. Even if you never venture off-road and just like the appearance package, the Rogue Rock Creek is a dutiful daily commuter and errand-runner.
The 2025 Nissan Rogue starts at $30,620 for the base S trim, $36,810 for the Rock Creek edition, and $40,910 for the range-topping Platinum model. That makes its pricing pretty typical for a compact SUV, and the Rock Creek trim is priced closely to the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Woodland Edition, Chevy Equinox Activ, and Kia Sportage X-Line.
