We drove Nissan's best-selling SUV in Europe and it's a reminder that America is missing out

Nissan Qashqai

The Nissan Qashqai is one of the most popular subcompact crossover SUVs in the world.
In Europe, it's Nissan's most popular model by a wide margin.
The Qashqai is sold in the US as the Rogue Sport.
Its rivals in the market include the Honda HR-V, Toyota CH-R, Mazda CX-3, and Hyundai Kona.
In March, we drove a Rogue Sport in the US and found it to be a pleasant vehicle, but underpowered.
Over the summer, we drove a 2018 Qashqai diesel that really impressed us with its strong performance and driving dynamics.
In the UK, the Nissan Qashqai starts at £19,300 while the US Rogue Sports starts $22,110.

Qashqai. Nissan Qashqai.

Pronounced Kash kai, the subcompact crossover SUV has long been both a sales and critical success in the UK and Europe. In October, Qashqai was not only Nissan's top-selling vehicle in Europe, but it also out-sold the brand's next three most popular models combined.

The Qashqai is named after the nomadic Qashqai people of Iran.

After years of waiting, Nissan finally brought the second generation Qashqai to the US in 2017 as the Rogue Sport. And, it's certainly been a major help to Nissan's bottom line, helping the Rogue family of crossovers reach 215,000 units sold over the first half of 2018. That's up 10% over the same period last year.

In March, I spent a few days behind the wheel of a new Rogue Sport on the roads around Nashville, Tennessee, not far from Nissan's North American headquarters.

Unfortunately, the Rogue Sport's 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine proved to be woefully underwhelming. The little four-cylinder just didn't have to grunt to haul around the 3,400-pound crossover.

Over the summer, Nissan let us borrow a diesel-powered 2018 Qashqai Pilot One Edition in the UK. The base Qashqai starts at £19,300 or $24,380 while our top-of-the-line test car carried an as-tested price of £34,170 or $43,163.

In the US, base Rogue Sport starts at $22,110 while our SL AWD test car cost $31,380.

Let's see if the diesel engine can make up for its gasoline-powered sibling's shortcomings:

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In March, I spent time with a new Nissan Rogue Sport in Nashville, Tennessee.

Overall, I really enjoyed the Rogue Sport.

"It's got quite a lot going for it. It looks great, it's got plenty of room, it's comfortable, it's loaded with tech, and it all comes at a very reasonable price," I wrote in my review of the Rogue Sport.

Unfortunately, its little 141 horsepower four-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission proved to be an "anemic" duo that sapped the joy from the driving experience.

"The Nissan Rogue Sport is grossly underpowered," I wrote. " The 141 horsepower, 2.0 liter, naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine tries its hardest but lacks the grunt to keep up with the needs of this 3,400-pound crossover."

Sadly, the result is a crossover that's "loud, wheezy, and gets worse fuel economy than the big brother Rogue," I added.