2023 Honda CR-V vs 2023 Nissan Rogue

We’ve gathered detailed answers to the most common questions about these two compact SUVs. Here’s what you should know about the 2023 Honda CR-V and 2023 Nissan Rogue in this model year. 

1. What’s New for 2023?

   The 2023 Rogue was redesigned in 2021. It gained a better soft-touch interior and a new look. For 2022, it added a new engine that makes it more competitive in the compact SUV class. For 2023, the model continues to offer a wide range of features and technologies.

   On the other hand, the 2023 Honda CR-V is totally new this model year. This has allowed Honda to move the needle on quality. Examples include a more robust entertainment system that is easier to use, a new high quality upholstery, and a more refined fit and finish.

   The interior, which feels especially roomy due to its low dash, is packed with different soft-touch materials. The vents have a honeycomb pattern that helps diffuse the air, something that makes air conditioning especially effective even on our hottest summer days in Phoenix. A similar honeycomb pattern continues on the doors and dashboard instruments, helping to conceal scratches or prints. 

   Giving it a 10 out of 10, Car and Driver has elevated the CR-V to its 10Best List and named it an Editor’s Choice. They write that the driving experience definitely demonstrates some moxie. Kelley Blue Book rates it number one in the compact SUV class and named it a Best Buy Award.

2. What’s Standard on the CR-V vs Rogue?

   The 2023 Nissan Rogue and 2023 Honda CR-V have similar entertainment and connectivity standards. At the outset, shoppers can expect Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and a touchscreen. To earn its price tag, the CR-V has more standards, including automatic climate controls and push button start. Assisting the analog gauges, a 7-inch digital gauge cluster helps elevate the upscale feeling in the newly refined CR-V. 

   Creating a more unique space, Honda has moved the radio tuning closer to the driver and uses buttons instead of a knob. Plus the other tactile buttons look just right since they are kept flush with the screen. A 6-speaker audio system places equipment in the pillars and doors as well as the dash. Plus, the USB ports are illuminated for fast finds in the night.

   In addition to the higher quality black cloth upholstery on the CRV, Honda is able to offer an alternative color scheme for EX shoppers. This special gray cloth is matched with black accent panels for a duo tone look. Both the EX-L and Sport Touring have leather upholstery with similar color choices. Sport models have contrast orange stitching.

3. How Spacious is the SUV?

   With any vehicle, we want to claim the maximum amount of space for our automotive dollar. These two are quite similar in the cabin, offering ample space given that these are compact SUVs and not midsize SUVs like the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

   In one respect, however, the Honda compact crossover does have a big advantage. This year, it offers a full three inches of extra second-row legroom. The CR-V easily beats competitors like the Ford Bronco Sport, and it certainly holds its own against midsize SUVs like the Hyundai Santa Fe.

   Having grown almost 3 inches longer, the CR-V now has very similar exterior measurements to the Rogue. Part of the CRV redesign includes a bigger greenhouse where passengers and the driver can see more of what’s around them.

   This is the first year where the CR-V Hybrid cabin is exactly the same size as the standard CR-V. Frankly, with a whopping 41 inches of wiggle room, Honda’s hybrid can claim better 2nd row legroom than most hybrid and electric SUVs on the market.

   

   As it has for years, Honda maintains a lead in the overall volume . On standard models, it has some 8 extra cubes of cargo area. Hybrids have the same amount of space as the top trims of the Nissan Rogue. Both vehicles have available adjustable floors to provide organization.

4. How Comfortable Are These Compact SUVs?

   The Nissan has what it calls Zero Gravity seats to help fight fatigue. Honda has new Body Stabilizing front seats that serve the same purpose. A power driver’s chair is standard on the CR-V and available on higher trims on the Rogue.

   New Honda CR-V front seats have a more stable inner structure and specially curved seat cushion. Honda altered the steering wheel angle to address comfort levels. This gives the driver the elevated SUV seating with a more comfortable sedan-like steering wheel feel.

   Meanwhile the CRV rear seats have been redesigned to provide a better recline angle, and there are eight settings to really personalize the chair for the passenger. This makes the small SUV more like its larger counterpart, the Honda Passport.

   Since it’s all new this model year, the 2023 Honda CRV has more sound absorbing materials in the roof, pillars, floor, wheel liners, and windows. The new design allowed engineers to discover more ways to block the glare and unwanted reflections. As many reviewers have noted, inadequate noise insulation detracts from the Rogue’s ride quality.

5. Which One Has the Best Performance?

   As mentioned, the 2023 Nissan Rogue gained a new engine in 2022. This unit is a turbo inline-three. This 1.5-liter engine generates a healthy 201 horsepower that is controlled by a CVT automatic and front-wheel drive.

   New CRVs have a 190-horsepower 1.5-liter turbo on the EX and EX-L trims. However, the Sport and Sport Touring models have a more potent 204-horsepower output. The unit combines a hybrid powertrain with two electric motors. 

   Naturally, the hybrid CR-V claims the best fuel economy of these three engines. It earns 43 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. Kelley Blue Book rates the hybrid CR-V as the Best Hybrid among all hybrid SUVs this year. Plus it is the most fun to drive of these small SUVs.

   Hybrid performance has been enhanced with new driving modes, including Sport, normal and Sport. The special ECON mode can be enhanced with the new interface with the hybrid’s standard navigation. Hill Descent Control recognizes steep declines. Drivers can select a speed from 2 to 12 mph to keep the vehicle from rolling too fast on a slippery grade.

6. What are the Safety Features and Driver Aids?

   Both compact SUVs have earned a Top Safety Pick Plus from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. This year the Honda has next-generation airbags and more of them, giving it the most contemporary safety system of the two rivals.

   The two competitors have similar driver aids, including collision avoidance with an autobrake, a lane keeping system, and a blind spot system. However, Honda driver assistance is definitely state of the art this model year.

   For 2023, these systems and others have been updated. There’s new low-speed braking control, traffic sign recognition, and traffic jam assist. Engineers have updated the adaptive cruise control, lane keeper, blind spot watch, front sensor camera, forward-facing radar, and rearview camera for greater accuracy.

7. How to Compare Price and Value?

   The Nissan pricing scheme starts out lower than the Honda CRV price. However, the Nissan Rogue price goes up without offering a new engine choice. CRV trim levels include the hybrid as a natural part of its trim level ladder. This means you go from the EX and EX-L with the regular powertrain without paying a huge premium for the CRV Sport hybrid.

   Rogue trim levels include the S, SV, SL, SL Premium, and Platinum. The top trim comes out with a price tag around $43,000 according to Kelley Blue Book. This is due to the extra cost of all-wheel drive.

   With a power-adjustable driver’s chair as a standard feature on every trim, CRV trim levels include the EX, EX-L, Sport (hybrid) and Sport Touring. The CRV Sport Touring price, which includes top amenities and the hybrid powertrain, starts at $38,600 with standard all-wheel drive.

   CRVs are known for holding more of their value at resale. In addition to good resale values, the hybrid ownership costs are kept low by the remarkable fuel economy. Plus Hondas come with two years of complementary maintenance.

Conclusion

While the 2023 Nissan Rogue is a good SUV, the 2023 Honda CR-V is a better one. It hits all the benchmarks, provides incredible 2nd-row legroom, and the best cargo space. The Honda hybrid powertrain just sweetens the deal.

When you schedule a test drive, ask about the latest specials at your Earnhardt Honda dealer.