They’re out there. Timberlines and Trailhawks, XRTs, TRDs, and X-Pros, of the TrailSports and in the Wilderness, they’re everywhere. These off-road pretenders and soft-road intenders cash in on the SUV adventure craze with knobby tires and basic roof racks, enabling automakers to cash in on all their “rugged” marketing.
This year, Nissan expanded its Rock Creek grade, adapting it from the larger Pathfinder to the 2025 Nissan Rogue. Like other soft-roaders, the upgrades are mostly cosmetic with the exception of Falken Wild Peak all-terrain 235/65 tires wrapped around 17-inch black wheels. Unlike other soft-roaders, Nissan let me take it off-road in the mud and muck of some hilly hunting grounds of Middle America, Indiana.
Overnight rain turned the South Bend Sod Busters non-profit off-road grounds into mud soup. On a forest floor softened with oak and maple tree leaves, the Rogue Rock Creek spun out of boot-swallowing muck and ascended steep hills that got more progressively rutted out by our caravan of Rogues. There were more Sod Buster spotters on hand than Rogue drivers, and judging by their collective amusement it might have been the first time a caravan of compact crossovers plodded over their 18 acres.
They weren’t the only ones to come away impressed.
The course in this area of Michiana wound through deciduous forests with muddy creeks snaking around rolling hills. The Rogue Rock Creek lacks a 2-speed transfer case with low-range gearing or any mechanical enhancements aside from the tires. It appeared the terrain would exceed its capabilities, and would have made Subaru Wilderness owners tentative if not turned off. It mostly served as a reminder that off-road capability is as much a measure of the gear as it is the driver.
An Off-road mode with hill descent control dialed back a bit of the traction control to let slipping tires get a grip, but really it was the tires that most helped the standard all-wheel-drive system get the crossover to where it needed to go. It required a steady foot on the throttle, especially when the wheel slip starts, then evenly apply more force to get out, up, and over. The Rogue’s CVT did a good job of letting the same 1.5-liter turbo-3 variable-compression-ratio engine that powers every Rogue rev high enough to tap effectively into its 225 lb-ft of torque.
As with any off-road course, it was a trust exercise. Not every Rock Creek made it up and over so swimmingly, with our Sod Buster partners cheering and jeering as tentative drivers laid off in the middle of an ascent only to slip back down into the muckety muck. The Rogue Rock Creek’s ground clearance is a decent 8.2 inches, but it has no skid plates to protect you from bad decisions.
2025 @Nissan USA Rogue #RockCreek tackles muddy inclines at Sodbusters in Indiana.
A surround-view camera system gave me eyes on the sides of the front wheels and over the front bumper so I could see what I could not see: logs, sharp rocks, a clump of stumps, and an edge that could have ended my day. It lessened the anxiety of not knowing what came next when driving uphill, and provided assurances downhill that I wouldn’t tumble off into Sod Buster lore. In Off-road mode, it stayed on at speeds of up to 12 mph so there was no need to press extra buttons or neutral shift into low gear. The Rock Creek additions make soft-roading easy, and off-roading a little more accessible.
On the equally muddy descents, the hill descent button in the center of the drive mode dial acted like a low-speed off-road cruise control: hit the button, creep down the muddied slope, and the hill descent kept it rolling at about 3 mph. It can’t be adjusted for speed, but I could brake or tap the throttle to momentarily override it.
For nearly an hour we negotiated a course more technical than most soft-roaders would attempt, and even the Sod Busters who run mud bog races praised it.
Getting to and from such wooded muddy trails may be less impressive than driving on them. The all-terrain tires cause a little bit more road noise, and the tubular roof rack causes a bit more wind noise. Such are the tradeoffs. The rack can carry 220 pounds while motoring, though, so there’d be no problem loading up a Thule carrier and some bikes or paddle boards for an off-the-beaten-path weekend away.
Nissan’s combination of an efficiency-seeking turbo-3 with an efficiency-designed CVT can lead to some sluggish throttle responses. The variable-compression-ratio engine was Nissan’s answer to a question no one posed about how to get the efficiency of a hybrid with the power boost of a turbo. When the system is clear on your intentions, it can pop off the line with a nice burst, and when it’s under heavy throttle it’ll keep revving high. But when I needed to make changes, such as initiating a passing move while cruising, when the compression ratio demands go from low to high, it seemed as if the engine had to get approval from the CVT, which then needed to clear it with me before responding to the engine. In short, it took a bit of dancing around to make the move with confidence.
Overall, the Rogue handles well enough for a compact crossover, with a MacPherson front strut and multi-link rear suspension that’s common for the class. I exceeded the EPA estimate of 29 mpg combined for the Rogue Rock Creek, averaging closer to 31 mpg over my 300-mile weekend road trip. That estimate excludes the off-roading segment.
Building off the SV AWD trim, the 2025 Rogue Rock Creek adds water-repellent synthetic leather upholstery with red contrast stitching, heated front front seats, and gloss-black exterior elements with red trim flourishes, in addition to the roof rack and wheel and tire package for $36,810, with destination. That’s similar to the more adventuresome 2025 Subaru Forester Wilderness and the more pedestrian Toyota RAV4 Adventure; the TRD Off-Road touches $40,000.
My tester came with all the upgrades as part of the $800 Premium Package that smacks as a good deal for this build. It adds a power tailgate, heated steering wheel, wireless phone charger, power passenger seat, and a few other features that make for a comfy but capable crossover for under $40,000. Those kind of conveniences make playing in the mud fun.
Nissan paid for one night of lodging and a morning of off-roading for The Car Connection to present this firsthand report. The South Bend Sod Busters provided some good times and good people; a portion of profits get donated to hospice care.
Perth Scorchers 126 (Mooney 44, Halliday 41, Gardner 4-21) tied with Sydney Sixers 126 for…
Jaguar plans to replace its current lineup with three high-end EVs A concept previewing the…
Chemists have developed a novel way to capture and convert carbon dioxide into methane, suggesting…
Oppo announced on Tuesday that Google's in-house artificial intelligence (AI) model Gemini will be powering…
Richard Thompson, the ECB's chair, has revealed a target to raise at least £350 million…
Experts convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have identified five elements of a…