2024 Nissan Rogue vs 2023 Toyota Sienna

For many shoppers, the minivan aesthetic was a challenging sell, as the sliding doors and slab-slide designs often resurrected memories from childhood, reminiscent of family road trips. The rise of body-on-frame SUVs in the 1990s diminished the minivan’s social status, but those bulky SUVs eventually morphed into car-based crossovers. These crossovers, designed to improve aerodynamics, essentially became high-riding minivans sans sliding doors. The 2023 Toyota Sienna aimed to dispel the stigma of minivan styling, embracing a look that combined a Japanese bullet train-front-end design with larger wheels varying by trim levels. The plethora of available trims, from the base LE to the luxurious Platinum, including the special 25th Anniversary trim, offered diverse choices for buyers. The interior of the Sienna, particularly in the Platinum trim, featured high-quality brown leather upholstery and wood-grain accents, making it a comfortable and stylish option for families.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue underwent its first major styling update since its 2021-model-year launch. The new larger grille harmonized with its standout stack headlights and daytime running lights. Although the rear fascia was redesigned, the changes were subtle, confined to the inner taillight elements. Exterior tweaks included satin-finish badging and varying wheel designs, with up to 19-inch machined-finish wheels on the Platinum grade. Inside, Nissan upgraded materials in nearly every surface of the Rogue SV trim and above, enhancing the Rogue's premium feel. Our Rogue Platinum test car featured leather seats with quilted stitching, and the new Chestnut brown color added an upscale touch without feeling out of place in the cabin, which appeared well-appointed for its segment.

The 2023 Toyota Sienna departed from traditional gasoline engines, opting for a hybrid system across all models since its 2020 reveal. Employing a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with electric motors, the Sienna achieved a combined system horsepower of 245. Despite this, the hybrid powertrain struggled to meet the performance benchmarks set by competitors, and the continuously variable transmission (CVT) added to the unenthusiastic acceleration. However, the Sienna’s chassis and steering shone brightly, offering a nimble drive despite its size, with an accommodating turning radius ideal for city driving. The various driving modes—EV, Normal, Eco, and Sport—were available, though the Normal mode proved to be the most practical.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue featured a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine, a part of Nissan’s VC-Turbo line, which allowed variable compression ratios to balance power and fuel efficiency. The engine produced 201 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque, outstripping most competitors' powertrains. Unfortunately, the Rogue’s performance was marred by a lackluster CVT that was slow to transfer the engine’s eager thrust to the wheels. The suspension in the Rogue Platinum was firmer than expected, compromising ride quality without enhancing handling, although the cabin's quietness was a plus. The engine's droning exhaust note detracted from an otherwise impressive power performance.

One standout feature of minivans like the 2023 Toyota Sienna was their extensive interior storage options, offering numerous cubbies, bins, and shelves. For instance, there was ample space for a large bag below the center console, and a long shelf ran across the dashboard, with wireless charging available in higher trims. Despite being over 200 inches long, the Sienna utilized its size effectively, providing 33.5 cubic feet of space behind the third row and 75.2 cubic feet with third-row seats folded. However, the middle row's seats couldn’t be fully removed or stowed into the floor, making the total cargo space slightly limited compared to competitors. The second-row captain’s chairs offered great functionality, including extending ottomans and a long sliding track that made room for adults in the third row.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue, part of the competitive compact crossover segment, provided nearly identical passenger space to its rivals. Its legroom offerings varied slightly, with the Forester offering more first-row legroom, while the Tucson led in second-row legroom. Cargo space for the Rogue maxed out at 36.5 cubic feet with rear seats in place and 74.1 cubic feet with them folded, which was less than a CR-V or Tucson but more than a Forester. Nissan’s Divide-N-Hide system added flexibility by allowing drivers to choose between a flat cargo floor or a lower floor for increased height. The Rogue also featured a power liftgate and a motion-activated liftgate in higher trims, along with convenient interior storage solutions like the pass-through center console and floor storage tray, albeit with some accessibility challenges.

The 2023 Toyota Sienna didn’t boast Toyota’s latest technology, relying instead on an older infotainment interface. While it included all core features like SiriusXM, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, the need for a wired connection was seen as a drawback. The 9-inch touchscreen, though not the largest, was complemented by physical buttons that were intuitive to use. Despite some user-interface quirks, the technology proved reliable, and the 12-speaker JBL audio system provided good sound quality.

In contrast, the 2024 Nissan Rogue introduced a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen for SL and Platinum trims, featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and Google built-in apps. Being the first Nissan model with Google built-in, the Rogue offered seamless integration for Google Maps and Assistant, though connectivity was provided free for only five years. While the infotainment system was a significant improvement over previous systems, booting up occasionally lagged, possibly due to the pre-production status of the test car. The Rogue also offered ample charging options, including multiple USB-C ports and a wireless charging pad in higher trims. Nissan Connect Services, extended to three years, added useful remote features through a smartphone app.

The 2023 Toyota Sienna excelled in safety with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that included automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning with steering assist, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control. It earned five stars in NHTSA crash tests and a Top Safety Pick+ from IIHS, demonstrating its robust safety credentials. Toyota didn’t include some niche features found in rivals, but its comprehensive safety suite was perfect for a family vehicle.

Similarly, the 2024 Nissan Rogue achieved top ratings from both IIHS and NHTSA, earning a five-star overall rating. Standard safety features mirrored those of the Sienna, with adaptive cruise control available in higher trim levels. ProPilot Assist, Nissan's advanced driver assistance system, added automated lane centering to adaptive cruise control for highway driving, with a more advanced version available on upper trims. Despite not being the most cutting-edge, ProPilot Assist offered more features than many rivals.