Finally, A Nissan Rogue You Can Off-Road: First Drive Review

Did you know the

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.

Photo by: Christopher Smith / Motor1

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. 

Photo by: Christopher Smith / Motor1

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