2021 Nissan Rogue vs. 2021 Honda CR-V Comparison

Nissan made some questionable design choices with the Rogue’s front end, but even the funky split headlight look doesn’t ruin what is otherwise a clean, modern design. Inside, the Rogue has clever fabrics and color contrasts that give it a grown-up feel.

If chic SUV style is a priority, a Mazda CX-5 or Volkswagen Tiguan are better choices. The CR-V got mild updates for 2020 that brought sharper styling, but the Honda is a practical choice, not a particularly emotional one. Inside, the vehicle prioritizes utility over flash, though it’s a handsomely finished space with plenty of room.

There’s not an overwhelming amount of power available, but there doesn’t have to be. The Rogue makes its way around town easily and has no trouble navigating highway speeds.

The new CR-V Hybrid becomes the most powerful model, with 212 system horsepower, and it’s peppy, smooth and efficient in any situation. The standard gas model’s turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder produces 190 horsepower and is paired with a continuously variable transmission. Though it’s not going to win any underground street races, the CR-V’s ride is comfy and compliant over all but the worst road surfaces.

Nissan’s Zero Gravity Seats are a wonder of modern engineering and are easily among the best of any crossover in the Rogue’s class. The rear seat offers acres of leg and headroom, and thoughtfully designed doors allow for easy loading of kids and gear.

The Honda’s interior packaging is near-flawless, with a roomy, reconfigurable center console, clever storage nooks and cubbies, easy-folding rear seats and vast cargo space befitting a larger SUV. An aging infotainment system with a stingy screen and troublesome touch controls is a sore point.

Though it lacks a hybrid option, the Rogue delivers solid fuel economy. With front-wheel drive, the crossover is rated at 27 mpg in the city, 35 mpg on the highway and 30 mpg combined. The SV, SL and Platinum trims are rated slightly differently drops each figure by 1 mpg in each category. All-wheel drive shifts those numbers to 26 mpg city, 33 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined. The top three trims with AWD also lag by 1 mpg in each category.

With front-wheel drive, the non-hybrid CR-V delivers EPA-estimated fuel economy of 28 mpg city, 34 mpg on the highway and 30 mpg combined. All-wheel reduces those numbers a bit, to 27 mpg city, 32 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined. The CR-V Hybrid returns a much more thrifty 40 mpg in the city, 35 mpg on the highway and 38 mpg combined.

The Rogue comes standard with many of the most helpful advanced safety features, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, rear automatic braking and an intelligent driver alertness system. The 2021 Rogue is an all-new model so it hasn’t yet been crash tested.

The 2021 CR-V earned a Top Safety Pick designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Those impressive safety scores are on top of an equally substantial list of standard safety kit. Honda adds forward collision warnings, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist to every CR-V, while the EX trim adds blind spot monitors.