We all love the thought of being a little adventurous in our daily grind, and once in a while, taking the road less traveled.
That’s why we wear those knobby-soled Merrell hiking shoes for hikes in the park. Or buy brightly-colored Patagonia – better-known as Pata-gucci – wind-breakers for strolls on the beach.
And for bike rides along Bayshore, it has to be a carbon-framed Trek Supercaliber mountain bike with a dozen gears and a $14,999 price tag. Get it muddy? Not at that price.
That’s why Nissan has hit a home run with its ruff ’n rugged Rogue Rock Creek 4×4 compact crossover. No, it’s never going to tackle Moab’s punishing Cliff Hanger Trail. Or conquer Tahoe’s Rubicon. But it looks like it just might.
See it in the metal and if Bear Grylls was an SUV, he’d be a Rogue Rock Creek. Everything about it screams adventure. From that thick, black-painted tubular roof rack for strapping down a kayak or two, to the black-painted 17-inch alloys shod with deep-grooved all-season tires, it’s one tough-looking sport ute.
A distinctive new front grille too with faux air intake slots that look like Godzilla’s nostrils. And lots of Lava Red splashes to add extra raciness.
And while Nissan didn’t add even a hint of extra ground clearance to clear that bump in the road, the Rock Creek isn’t without substance.
Like the fact that all-wheel drive is standard, as too is hill descent control. And those Falken Wildpeak A/T tires will do a great job of extracting you from a soggy Little League parking lot, or a soft sandy beach when you launch that kayak.
Climb aboard and the seats front and rear are trimmed in hose-it-down Prime-Tex leatherette with nice red contrast stitching and Lava Red Rock Creek logos in the seat backs. Hose-out rubber floor mats front and rear complete the adventure look.
Why didn’t Nissan go further and make the Rock Creek a true, go-anywhere off-roader? They didn’t need to as that’s not what the audience for this soft-roader wants.
The Rogue is already Nissan’s best-selling model here in the U.S. and this latest Rock Creek is, for many younger buyers attracted by the Rogue’s attractive price tag, a nice, head-turning option.
Impressively, the Rogue Rock Creek kicks off at just $35,485 and even when you throw-in a few options, you’re looking at under $38,000.
So how does it drive? Three words – it’s a blast.
That’s a bit of a surprise considering that powering this cute ute is a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder. Yes, you heard that right – three cylinders.
Yet Nissan manages to extract a hearty 201 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque from the little three-banger and hooks it up to a continuously-variable transmission that actually feels like a regular automatic.
No, it’s not going to win any performance awards. Zero to 60 mph takes a leisurely 8.0 seconds. But the Nissan never feels slow or sluggish, the turbo-3 punching it smartly off the line and having enough oomph to scoot past slower traffic and merge easily from that freeway on-ramp.
The electric-assist steering is precise enough and nicely-weighted, with those groovy tires providing plenty of cornering grip while giving a surprisingly smooth ride.
It’s a practical funster too, with an interior that’s spacious enough for five with no shortage of legroom in the back. Flip forward the rear seat and there’s cavernous space for all that adventure gear for when the mood to hit the trail grabs you.
Of course there’s no shortage of competition is this corner of the market. Heavy hitters include Subaru’s Forester Wilderness, Ford’s Bronco Sport Badlands, Jeep’s Compass Trailhawk and Toyota’s RAV4 TRD.
But while this little Rogue Rock Creek can’t boast of being a true off-roader, it offers the look of one which, to most of us Bear Grylls wannabes, is enough.
