10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Nissan Rogue Outranks Subaru Crosstrek, Toyota RAV4 Prime

Seven years between major redesigns for the popular Nissan Rogue was nothing out of the ordinary for the compact-SUV class. Still, formidable foes like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 beat the Rogue to the punch with recent overhauls in a critical span of years, right in the thick of compact SUVs’ rise to market dominance — making the Rogue’s otherwise timely return seem somehow tardy. With the arrival of the new-for-2021 Rogue, the wait is officially over. Is it too little, too late, or better late than never?

Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of November: Hyundai Palisade Doesn’t Stink, but Blazer Lands Best Deal

In Cars.com’s most popular news story of the past week, we list what we like (and tick off what ticks us off) in our rapid-fire roundup of the 2021 Rogue’s pros and cons. There are more of the former than the latter, as the new SUV takes “two steps forward, one step back,” to hear Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays tell it.

We sing its praises for sharper handling, improved interior quality, powertrain refinement and safety and convenience tech. Meanwhile, it strikes a bad chord by eschewing a formerly comfy ride for a firm one as the trade-off for the sportier steering, as well as ditching the outgoing model’s sliding second row in favor of … what exactly? You can get the full details on our likes and dislikes by following the link below to our No. 1 story of the week — and, while you’re at it, you may also want to check out Mays’ comprehensive critique of the Rogue for the full context.

Also ranking high on this week’s countdown is another small SUV that received some notable updates for the 2021 model year, albeit not nearly to the extent of the Rogue’s redesign. The new Subaru Crosstrek got some light styling and tech upgrades, but it’s starting to lose ground versus competitors — which may be why we cited an equal number of compliments and complaints about the new model. 

The 2021 Crosstrek’s cushy ride, available safety features, ample passenger space, quality cabin and excellent visibility all earned our praise. For the details on all those, plus five observations on the flipside of the Crosstrek coin, follow the link below to our No. 4 article of the week.

At No. 7 is another newcomer to our weekly countdown: Cars.com reviewer Aaron Bragman’s fuel-economy test drive of the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid SUV. On his Michigan test route between Ann Arbor and Dearborn, Bragman resisted the urge to dip into the Prime’s considerable performance capability to instead see how close he could come to its EPA-estimated 42 miles of all-electric range. It was a fuel-sipping success.

“My test results showed the RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid was able to achieve 42.7 miles on pure EV power alone, which is an astonishing match to its EPA rating disregarding rounding,” Bragman reported. “It also exceeds the 39 miles of range that the Prime’s trip computer said it could deliver, though that prediction also factors in previous drivers’ behavior, and it’s distinctly possible other automotive journalists who drove the car before me preferred to explore the Prime’s performance chops instead of its efficiency.”

Beyond all that, we have headlines on the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe, the 2022 Acura MDX and much more — so make like Bo Derek circa 1979 and go to “10.” Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:

1. Is the 2021 Nissan Rogue a Good Car? 4 Pros and 2 Cons

2. Winter Is Coming: 7 Great Cars for Snow Driving

3. Which Electric Cars Are Still Eligible for the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit?

4. 2021 Subaru Crosstrek: 5 Things We Like and 5 Things We Don’t

5. 2021 Ford Bronco Sport Review: Who Ordered the Budget Land Rover?

6. Which 2021 Vehicles Have the Best Warranty Coverage?

7. How Many Miles of EV Range Can We Get in the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime?

8. How Much Does the 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Cost?

9. 2022 Acura MDX: Cost Up, Fuel Economy Down

10. What’s New for Ford in 2021?

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