We've waited years to drive Nissan's new Rogue Sport crossover to see if it's worth $27,000 — here's the verdict

Nissan Rogue Sport

The Nissan Rogue Sport is helping Nissan beat Honda and Toyota in the race to sell the most crossover SUVs.
The Rogue Sport arrived in the US for the 2017 model year but has long been a hot seller internationally as the Nissan Qashqai.
The base Nissan Rogue Sport starts at $21,640 while our top-spec SL AWD test car cost $31,380.
We loved the Rogue Sport's styling and functionality but was disappointed by the anemic performance of its 141 horsepower engine.

The Nissan Rogue is the best selling crossover SUV in America. In a market with an almost insatiable appetite for these vehicles, the Rogue now reigns supreme over its closest rivals from Toyota and Honda.

But there's a catch, the Rogue is actually two different vehicles. There's the compact Rogue and the subcompact Rogue Sport.

Nissan North American does not separate the two models when it reports sales figures. Fortunately for the Franklin, Tennessee-based outfit, even when you merge the sales figures of Toyota's RAV4 with its subcompact C-HR and Honda's CR-V with the subcompact HR-V, the Rogue still emerges victorious by a substantial margin.

Through the first two months of the year, Nissan sold 74,303 Rogue and Rogue Sports in the US. Toyota's RAV4 and C-HR duo moved 64,888 units. While Honda's tandem of CR-V and HR-V recorded 63,228 in sales.

Much of the Rogue's recent surge in popularity, outside of its tie-in with Star Wars, can be attributed to the arrival of the Rogue Sport in 2017.

The Rogue Sport will be a familiar sight for many of you outside of the US. It's been a hot seller for years as the Nissan Qashqai (pronounced Kash-Kai). The Rogue itself is sold internationally as the Nissan X-Trail.

Recently, Business Insider had the chance to spend a few days with the Rogue Sport in Nashville, Tennessee.

Waiting for us at the airport was a black 2017 Rogue Sport with AWD in top-spec SL trim. The Rogue Sport carries over virtually unchanged for the 2018 model year.

The base 2018 Nissan Rogue Sport S FWD starts at $21,640 while an AWD SL has a base price of $27,640. Our 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport SL AWD test car carries an as-tested price of $31,380 after options and fees.

Here's a closer look at the Nissan Rogue Sport/Qashqai.

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