Did you know the Nissan Rogue is one of the best-selling SUVs in America? It handily outsells everything from the Detroit brands and ranks third overall behind the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. Nissan hopes to gain even more ground on its Japanese rivals with the burly Rock Creek Edition.
Nissan invited us to check out its new trim, and we were surprised to see Holly Oaks Off-Road Park as the destination. This is a large converted gravel pit in Detroit’s northern suburbs where, a week prior, I was jumping the Ram RHO. There would be no jumping this time around, but Nissan believes the Rock Creek Edition has enough mojo to explore places where other Rogues would struggle. To prove it, the automaker set up an hour-long off-road drive filled with big hills, rocky terrain, and yes, even a rock face.
Spoiler alert: All Rogues survived, but not without some scars.
| Quick Specs | 2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek Edition |
| Engine | Turbocharged 1.5-Liter Inline-Three |
| Transmission: | Continuously Variable |
| Output: | 201 Horsepower / 225 Pound-Feet |
| Efficiency: | 27 City / 32 Highway / 29 Combined |
| Base Price / As Tested | $36,810 / $38,901 |
Every 2025 Rogue has an updated face that largely centers around a bigger grille, but the Rock Creek has a bit more going on. Its grille gets an aggressive mesh pattern punctuated by three rectangular faux vents at the top. The entire front clip is devoid of chrome, opting instead for an abundance of black punctuated with fake orange tow hooks in the lower fascia. It has a cool roof rack designed to carry kayaks, cargo boxes, or up to 220 pounds (while driving) of whatever outdoorsy gear you need to carry. After all, Nissan says the Rogue Rock Creek Edition is an “adventure vehicle.”
To further drive that point home, Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires are mounted to black 17-inch beadlock style wheels. Note we said beadlock style—you won’t be clamping anything into place here. Each wheel has a single orange strip in support of its adventurous persona, and all the Nissan badges have an orange script too. On the inside, seats are covered with hydrophobic nylon. And of course, they have orange Rock Creek branding.
Now, let’s talk about the upgrades that support this off-road persona. Nissan says the suspension components are the same as other Rogue trims, but the dampers are retuned. The ride height is the same, though, and of particular interest to anyone actually venturing off the beaten path, there aren’t any skid plates. Frankly, you can stick all-terrain tires and skid plates on a Mazda Miata and reach places that would shock your Wrangler-owning neighbor.
Pros: Surprisingly Good Off-Road, Still Great On Pavement
But, Nissan makes some changes to the Rock Creek Edition’s computer brain. When you engage Off-Road mode, power is routed to all four wheels for optimal traction. If one or two of them lift off the ground, the system detects the spinning tire and reroutes power to those still on terra firma.
It functions like an electronic differential lock, and while it’s not new technology, it works very well here. There were a few instances on the trails in Holly Oaks where multiple wheels lifted. An ordinary Rogue would be trapped, but in the Rock Creek Edition it was just a brief pause. Some lights blinked on the dash, a buzzing sound akin to angry hornets reverberated through the interior, and suddenly we were moving again. Not bad, Nissan.
Hill descent control is also part of the Rock Creek Edition, and it’s quite effective on both hard and loose surfaces. It activates with a simple press of the button and maintains a downhill crawl until you either turn it off or touch the gas. If you do goose the throttle, it will reengage automatically when you apply the brakes and slow back to a crawl. It’s particularly useful for longer descents that occasionally level out, basically giving you one-foot control.
For climbing hills, Nissan doesn’t add any special equipment—but you can at least see where you’re going thanks to a dedicated off-road camera setting. With Off-Road mode engaged, a forward and top-down view of each front wheel projects onto the 8.0-inch touchscreen at speeds below 12 miles per hour.
The top-down view is particularly useful for guiding the Rogue through narrow passages, letting the driver navigate within inches of obstacles on either side. The forward view aims downward at approximately 45 degrees, which is perfect for peeking over crests where you’d normally be looking skyward.
All combined, these minor changes do give the Rogue Rock Creek Edition some proper off-road cred. That was confirmed when Nissan pointed us toward the calmer side of a rubber-caked rock face and said go for it. Could most crossovers climb this section of the cliff? Probably, though it may have required a bit more care to nab just the right line. Seeing the Rogue climb wasn’t impressive. But, seeing it climb like this was just another boring trip to Starbucks? That’s not bad. And the tires still had full air pressure for street use.
Cons: Not The Prettiest Face, Unremarkable Interior, No Skid Plates
Speaking of which, what’s the rock-climbing Rogue like on actual roads? Even Nissan admits that most Rock Creek Edition buyers will spend most of their time using it like a normal Rogue, which is why it still drives like one. That’s to say, it’s quiet and comfortable despite the all-terrain Falkens. The 201-horsepower turbocharged three-cylinder buzzes along pleasantly. The CVT is uninspiring, but that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be in this application. If you like the current Rogue, you’ll be just fine with the Rock Creek Edition.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to accept the smaller center touchscreen and analog gauges of the SV trim to get it. Nissan places it between the SV and SL, the latter of which gets a full digital dash with a 12.3-inch screen. The good news? This keeps pricing on the lower end of the scale, $36,810 to be exact. The only notable option is the $800 Rock Creek Premium Package, which adds auto-dimming mirrors, a heated steering wheel, a power front passenger seat, and a motion-activated liftgate. Choosing any color other than black also adds $425 to the sticker.
Nissan already sold nearly 200,000 Rogues through September, and sales are actually down this year. Adding the Rock Creek Edition to the lineup could entice a few more buyers with its rugged ambiance, and those people would be properly impressed with its off-road capability.
That said, we’d love to see skid plates and an extra inch of ground clearance here. Even on our guided, slow-speed trip through milder sections of Holly Oaks, heat shields and plastic panels were sacrificed to the off-road gods. Competitors like the Subaru Forester Wilderness arguably offer more capability, and at a lower price point to boot.
But, as Nissan told us after the mud had settled, most Rogue Rock Creek buyers probably won’t come close to the off-road environment found in Holly Hills ORV Park. At least the orange red Lava-colored trim will look neat in the drive-thru waiting for that double espresso.
Gallery: 2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek Edition First Drive Review
Competitors
2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek Edition
