2021-2024 Nissan Rogue 1.5L Turbo Engine (KR15DDT): Longevity, Problems, and Specs

All American gearheads know Nissan Rogue. A couple of years ago it was one of the most popular SUVs in the country thanks to its wonderful design, powerful and reliable engine, comfortable and beautiful interior, and also a very pleasant price. But what has changed after Nissan presented the new generation of the Rogue? Why did it leave the top-10 best-selling SUVs charts?

Today, we'll tell you about the new base engine for the new Nissan Rogue - the 1.5L KR15DDT turbo engine engineered by Nissan and offered as the standard powertrain for the SUV. With this engine, the Rogue immediately became less appealing to all American potential buyers because we love big engines and high power in such cars.

Key features and my opinion about the engine

• Production years:2020-2024
• Average lifespan of KR15DDT:160,000-180,000 miles
• Fuel supply type:direct injection
• Power range:158-204 hp
• Fuel efficiency:good
• Engine block material:aluminum
• Engine reliability score:medium
• The most common problems:start-stop glitching, carbon buildup on intake valves, no hydraulic lifters, complicated variable compression system.

What should you know about the new 1.5L engine in the Rogue?

So, in 2021, the new generation of the Rogue was presented. Everything seemed to be really cool - new design, wonderful powertrain upgrades, etc. The upgraded 2.5-liter naturally aspirated engine got a direct injection system for fuel economy and efficiency. But suddenly, in 2022, this wonderful engine was only left in Canada while US buyers got "the chance" to buy the Rogue powered by the new 1.5-liter turbocharged engine.

Yes, the new powertrain delivers more power and burns less fuel. But this is the engine with a 1-liter smaller displacement and it even lacks one cylinder! Not all American SUV buyers are actually ready to drive a 3-cylinder SUV.

But first, let's see what kind of an engine it is:

• the engine is coded KR15DDT and it belongs to the KR family developed by Nissan and first introduced in 2018;
• these are relatively fresh engines and not a lot of them still have high mileage to make any conclusions about the problems;
• the 1.5L Nissan Rogue engine is a 3-cylinder 12-valve engine with a turbocharger that offers 201 hp of power and 225 lb-ft of torque;
• high power and torque are the saviors of this engine and this is the only reason why people still buy the Rogue with this engine under the hood;
• the engine introduces variable valve timing and also variable compression ratio for better flexibility and fuel economy;
• it's interesting that for now, this engine has only been used in the Rogue and X-Trail (the same car with a different name).

You may have seen the KR engines under the hood of the Infiniti QX50. But these vehicles use the 2-liter 4-cylinder version with more power and torque. The good news is that these engines in Infiniti got a lot of positive reviews and compliments from experts and buyers. This is the first important advantage of the series.

But we should say that the KR15DDT engine was first introduced in the USA with the 2022 Nissan Rogue and we just don't know enough about it to make any certain conclusions. We will still tell you what you think about the unit. But please don't rely on our words as on the final truth because we only try to base our conclusions on what we know now.

How many miles will your Rogue 1.5L engine go?

The 2.0 VC-Turbo in Infiniti (which is basically the same engine but with 4 cylinders) is thought to be able to go about 160,000 miles. That's not a lot given this is a normal-displacement engine with 4 cylinders and balanced work.

The 1.5-liter version of the Nissan Rogue is likely to have less time and fewer miles in it. We believe you will be a successful and lucky driver if you get to 140,000 miles in your Nissan Rogue 1.5L Turbo. Unfortunately, the longevity prediction is that pessimistic.

But why? We perfectly know that the engine is paired with the CVT which was also updated to make the vehicle even more dynamic. But this can play a bad joke on owners because Nissan CVTs have never been durable enough, and with these updates, they can fail even earlier than 100,000 miles.

What's even more, the engine itself is quite small with only 1.5 liters of displacement. And it has over 200 hp of power which is a lot for such a displacement. Also, it's a 3-cylinder engine that initially can't work smoothly. It will shake and vibrate all the time. This will also add to its premature death.

We see a lot of longevity problems, so our prediction of 140,000 miles is really optimistic. Of course, we can't say that for sure because we base it on our logic and some side data we can get from Infiniti cars.

What should be the common problems with the 1.5L Rogue engine?

Unfortunately, we can't make the certain list of problems. But we are pretty sure that our predictions will come true. This is not going to be the best Nissan engine in your life (unless it's the only Nissan you've ever had). We've analyzed reports about the 2-liter Infiniti QX50 turbo engine and came to some conclusions.

Here are some of the common issues you can expect from your Nissan Rogue 1.5L engine:

1. Construction problems and some recalls

If you buy the 1.5L Nissan Rogue, you should know that you are buying a new engine that has no reports, no history, and no recalls. This is all coming soon. Nissan rarely has really good engines or transmissions that don't go under recalls. And yes, it may seem like a little problem because Nissan will pay for all needed repairs. But it leads to two problems: time and safety.

You will have to spend your time and maybe leave your new Nissan for a couple of days in a dealer's service station. Also, you are never sure if your Rogue is safe and reliable enough to go to some other city in the state. So, freedom of movement can be the issue.

2. Bad carbon buildup

Yes, these are direct injection engines and they are prone to carbon buildup. And you will have to pay for cleaning these contaminations from time to time. But this is the general problem with nearly all direct injection engines, so let's not concentrate on it.

3. The new transmission

We don't know why but when the words "Nissan" and "transmission" come together, we get those goosebumps. Maybe it's because we remember how much money we had to pay for the replacement of the CVT transmissions in old Rogues.

The new upgraded CVT is just a box with surprises. It can be better or the same as previous versions of Nissan's continuously variable transmissions or it can be worse. We know some people with Infiniti QX50s who had to repair their transmissions way before the vehicles hit 50K miles and this is dreadful.

Well, there is a warranty and in the case of the Nissan Rogue 2022, you should do everything to avoid voiding this warranty.

4. Engine cooling problems

We guess the new 1.5L turbo KR15DDT engine will continue the tradition of cooling issues people have with basically all other Nissan engines. The cooling system needs to work hard to ensure the engine works at its comfortable temperature. If not, the aluminum block will be warped like hell.

Also, the gasket and the head may fail when overheating. If you see the temperature gauge going up, better stop your vehicle and turn off the engine. Until you understand what's going on, don't even try to start the engine again.

So, why you should and shouldn't buy the Rogue 1.5L?

We believe this vehicle is pretty good in terms of how it drives and what emotions it gives you when you drive it. Also, the vehicle is very economical. Nissan says that you will get between 30 and 37 mpg in this vehicle. Well, an SUV that gets 30 mpg in the city is something unique.

But what about bad news? We wouldn't buy this vehicle for at least a year or two to see what other buyers say because we have some considerations:

• this is a completely new engine with a completely new transmission and this is a frightening combination when we talk about the Nissan;
• the small-displacement engine has a lot of power and torque which means it's tuned to its maximum capabilities and won't live very long;
• the engine is packed with modern technologies which will make it quite hard to repair and maintain - this is an expensive unit;
• you have to always be careful and never drive your Rogue aggressively to avoid reducing the lifespan of the engine.

Too many uncertainties we can see here. And this is the key factor why we can't recommend the 1.5L Nissan Rogue for you. It may be a good car. But it may be not. It's totally up to you to decide whether you are ready to take that risk.