The new Nissan Rogue Hybrid, besides being the most efficient Rogue offered in America, is also the most potent one. It packs 225 horsepower, and even more torque from its dual electric motors. Also, with how SUVs have become the de facto vehicular form factor, it wouldn’t be crazy to wonder if Nissan might consider giving it the Nismo treatment and maybe squeezing more power out of it.
A reporter from The Drive asked a Nissan product planner just that, and the answer was a pretty definitive “no.”
2027 Nissan Rogue Hybrid from the front three-quarter angleNissan
One Of The Problems Is The Question Of Buyers
The product planner The Drive spoke with was actually Chief Product Planner for Nissan North America, Ponz Pandikuthira. So if anyone has the final say on what kind of products Nissan launches on our continent, it’s him, and he doesn’t think it makes sense, saying, “How many real customers do we have for a product like that?” He said that after describing what sounded like an extremely cool, 300-horsepower hypothetical Rogue, but one that would obviously cost a huge amount of money to develop, and, to his point, might not find buyers.
His somewhat extreme hypothetical was also to illustrate his other point, that he wants Nismo to “be authentic” and have a strong reputation for high-end performance. On the plus side, this probably means that anything with the Nismo badge will bring some significant performance improvements, particularly increases in power, rather than just upgraded suspension and some unique styling. The downside, of course, will be that we won’t have a particularly broad range of Nismo models to pick from, and they might even be a bit expensive.
Nissan X-Trail Nismo in JapanNissan
The irony to Pandikuthira’s statements are that Nissan’s home office clearly has no problem with giving nearly every car it makes a light Nismo treatment. In fact, the Rogue’s overseas twin, the X-Trail, got its first-ever Nismo variant in Japan last year. Not only that, but the Nismo version is based on the previous-generation E-Power Hybrid. It didn’t get any power increases, though it did get upgraded suspension, a snazzy body kit, and Nissan changed how power is distributed between the two electric motors to favor the rear. It might be enjoyable, but it doesn’t sound like something that Pandikuthira would be interested in.
2026 Nissan Armada NismoIan Wright/CarBuzz/Valnet
This doesn’t mean some odd Nismo models won’t find their way to America. Nissan currently sells a Nismo version of its Armada full-size SUV in America. It’s not an off-road-oriented variant, either, which would seem like the more logical option for a body-on-frame SUV, particularly one related to the Land Cruiser-fighting Patrol. It does at least feature more power than any other U.S.-market version of the SUV, whether it has a Nissan or Infiniti badge. Plus, it has a high enough price tag that it’s probably easier to justify development costs for it.
Are There Any Performance-Oriented Small SUVs?
Even though subcompact and compact SUVs have displaced much of the traditional sedan and hatchback market, we haven’t seen sporty versions of the SUVs like we did with the cars. Hyundai made the most credible small performance SUV with the Kona N, but it only lasted one generation, while the Elantra N stuck around. The current-generation Tucson was available in an N-Line trim, which features sporty looks, but no real performance upgrades, and it was discontinued for 2026.
2022 Hyundai Kona N front 3/4 angle in blueHyundai
Still on the market include Mazda’s turbocharged versions of the CX-30 and CX-50, as well as VW’s new high-output Tiguan, but all of those are marketed more as alternatives to premium brands, rather than hot-hatch fighters. The most overtly performance-oriented small SUV right now, though, is the RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid GR Sport, which features unique styling, suspension tuning, and 324 horsepower. However, that power is identical to that of other RAV4 Plug-in Hybrids.
2026 Toyota RAV4 PHEV GR Sport front 3/4 angle in red while parkedJared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/Valnet
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Right now, it feels like there’s a dearth of relatively affordable and practical sporty vehicles on the market. So, it’s disappointing to hear that Nissan probably won’t be giving something as mainstream as a Rogue a fun Nismo option in America. With that said, the fact that almost every small SUV has an off-road-oriented trim, and almost none have a performance one, suggests that Pandikuthira is right.
Small SUV buyers just don’t seem to be interested in having a sporty version of their tall family haulers.
Source: The Drive
