2027 Nissan Rogue Preview: First Impressions of the e-Power Hybrid

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – The 2027 Nissan Rogue will feature a hybrid system called e-Power that promises range, efficiency, and an EV-like experience, just backed by a tank of gas.

e-Power is a new technology for the United States market, though it’s been on sale in Japan since 2017, Europe since 2020, finding a home in millions of Nissan vehicles globally.

The U.S. market gets the third generation of the technology, which Nissan says will be the most robust and refined yet. The company calls it a series hybrid, where the gas engine powers a generator but does not directly power the wheels. Nissan says it could be considered an extended range electric vehicle, which are coming into vogue as some automakers pivot away from pure electrics to more gasoline engines and hybrids. Goldman Sachs is projecting that hybrids will earn a 12 percent share of new vehicle sales globally by 2030, up from 10 percent last year.

We briefly tested Nissan's e-Power hybrid system on a cold February afternoon in a European-spec Qashqai, a crossover fairly similar in size and purpose to the new Rogue. Industry insiders may remember Nissan previously sold the Qashqai in the United States as the Rogue Sport, but this is not that vehicle, and it was replaced by the Kicks in the subcompact segment. The Qashqai is still sold in Canada.

The European-spec Qashqai runs a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine making as much as 202 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque. Nissan isn’t saying what e-Power’s fuel economy and power will be in U.S. models, but this is a decent baseline.

The onboard dash offered that our test vehicle had more than 520 miles of range with a full tank, a promising figure. Our tester was front-wheel drive, though we’ll get all-wheel-drive Rogues when they go on sale later this year. 

Nissan’s goal is to offer an electric driving demeanor without range anxiety. It’s relatively quiet, and there’s a touch of that enjoyable, instant, electric torque upon acceleration. There’s some brake regeneration (the instrument panel said the taillights illuminated) and a very light one-pedal driving element that we didn’t really notice. The gas engine kicking on sounds like a gas engine, regardless of its purpose to power a generator instead of directly driving the wheels.

We generally liked the system, and it should bolster the Rogue lineup, which has stagnated as the old model prepares to phase out. Rogue sales fell 11 percent last year to about 218,000 units, but it remains Nissan’s top-selling model.

Playing in the hotly contested compact crossover segment, the Rogue is one of Nissan's most important models, serving as a gateway to new and younger customers, who then may buy larger and more expensive models.

Hybrid systems are again gaining traction as automakers hedge their bets against market uncertainties, especially in the U.S., which has been roiled by tariffs and the removal of the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs.

Nissan already sells a plug-in hybrid Rogue, which offers 38 miles of pure electric range and 420 miles of total range with 248 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque. The 2026 model also has a turbocharged gasoline variant.

AutoGuide's Take:

e-Power makes a lot of sense for Nissan and many of its customers. And hey, the Qashqai is a pretty nice crossover, too, if you’re ever in Canada or Europe.

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