Off-road vehicles aren't what they used to be. Turning a standard two-row Nissan Rogue SUV into the Rock Creek version isn't about adding heavy-duty axles, a long-travel suspension or skid plates. It doesn't even have a lifted ride height. In the modern era, making a family SUV into a capable off-roaders is about computer control.
The cars of today have computers influencing nearly every aspect from the brakes to the fuel mileage and transmission, to climbing and descending impossible-looking cliff faces and hills.
The 2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek is one of several new "soft-roading" SUVs featuring all-wheel drive and a more rugged look to appeal to outdoorsmen and women. Soft-roading is term used to describe trail driving that isn't extreme, and doesn't require the type of hardware purpose-built off-roaders are often equipped with.
The Rock Creek package for Rogue comes with a unique front end with red accents, black mirrors and a roof rack. The SUV wears Falken all-terrain tires on 17-inch satin black wheels. Water-repellent leatherette material with red accents covers interior surfaces.
When pointing downward on a 55-degree incline on soft sand, slipping sideways towards a drop off, there's little of those features that truly matter. In that moment, I was thankful for the algorithms working in the background.
In that situation, and in plenty of others, a computer is continuously calculating and recalculating, making decisions about the best way to proceed. When a on a sandy hill at an off-road park in Holly, Michigan, the SUV's Hill Descent Control was able to brake each tire individually, even as the incline got steeper, while allowing me to keep the vehicle pointed towards the landing zone, all without touching the pedals.
Many vehicles, including many of soft-roaders like the Subaru Wilderness offerings, GMC's AT4 SUVs and the Ford Bronco Sport, can do the same thing. But in this latest generation of software, the Nissan's descent was smoother than most, and quieter. Though there is some antilock brake noise as it works, it's not the racket you'll experience in other systems.
The 360-degree cameras, usually used to stitch together a birds-eye view picture for parking, are reprogrammed on the Rogue Rock Creek to show where each front tire is, and any obstacles over a hill when cresting using the front bumper camera.
All 2025 Nissan Rogues come with a 1.5-liter Variable Compression Turbo (VC-Turbo) engine rated for 201 horsepower (hp) and 225 pound-feet (lb-ft) of torque. It returns 29 miles per gallon (mpg) combined with the all-terrain tires and a stop/start system, when combined with all-wheel drive and Nissan's -branded continuously variable transmission (CVT).
That CVT is computer controlled, making the Rogue's 201 hp feel like more, both on city streets and highways. I pressed the pedal about halfway down getting onto the expressway and it quickly moved the engine to high revs and maximum torque with a comparatively good feeling of pull. It stayed that way for a while before it slowed down and readjusted to maximize fuel mileage, allowing for an easy merge into traffic.
CVTs were annoyingly bad when they first debuted several decades ago, but have improved enormously with practice and better controls. I wouldn't say the Nissan Rogue is fun to drive in traffic, but there was never a point when I asked for passing power and didn't properly receive it.
On the highway, the Rogue Rock Creek was surprisingly stable. Many times, when automakers build a vehicle like this to be better off-road, it loses much of its on-road comfort, but not here. The Rock Creek didn't sway or wallow like some, and I didn't hear much tire noise from the slightly more aggressive rubber.
The Rock Creek trim livens up the cabin a little and though the infotainment screen seems a little small, works well and is easy to reach. The drive mode dial is also close and I love the physical controls. However, the climate knobs temperature adjustment doesn't work unless done slowly, with clicks not aligning with up or down temperature settings.
I didn't have a chance to put the kids in the back but the rear area is spacious and comfortable for adults and the cargo space is large with only two rows.
The Nissan Rogue competes in one of the toughest segments on the market today, up angainst the includes the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. The Toyota has its own rugged version in the RAV4 TRD Off-Road ($38,295). Kia's rival version is called Sportage X-Pro ($36,290). The 2025 Rogue Rock Creek is $35,420 making those the three best options for those that want to go slightly beyond the dirt roads (but not too far).
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