When the forecast calls for slush on Route 1 or packed snow near Blue Hills, traction, visibility, and driver assists matter more than brochure buzzwords. Here’s a practical, winter-first look at the 2025 Nissan Rogue and 2025 Toyota RAV4—with the edge to Rogue for its simple Snow mode, uniquely helpful camera views, and available hands-free highway assist in supported scenarios for those I-95 crawls.

Twist-to-grip control: With available Intelligent AWD, Rogue adds Snow and Off-Road modes to the standard Sport/Auto/Eco set—just turn the dial when the plows haven’t reached Washington St. yet.

See past the snowbank: Rogue’s available 3D Enhanced Intelligent Around View® Monitor offers Front Wide View and Invisible Hood View for creeping past plow berms and tight, unplowed lots.

Hands-off relief in supported scenarios: Available ProPILOT Assist 2.1 can enable hands-off/eyes-on driving on compatible roads, reducing fatigue on long gray commutes.

Rogue: The available Intelligent AWD system constantly monitors for grip and offers up to five drive modes, including Snow and Off-Road, to help in variable New England conditions.

RAV4: Depending on trim, Multi-Terrain Select and available Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD help meter throttle/braking and enhance cornering traction; electronic on-demand AWD is standard on hybrid grades.

Bottom line: Both are capable; Rogue’s Snow mode is straightforward across AWD trims, which matters when flurries turn to ice on the Automile.

If you’ve ever nosed out from a plow wall near Norwood Center, you’ll immediately get the value of Rogue’s cameras. The 3D Enhanced Around View® Monitor adds Front Wide View to check cross-traffic and an Invisible Hood View that virtually “peeks” ahead of the bumper—confidence-builders in winter congestion and tight parking. (RAV4 offers a traditional surround-view on select trims, but not these Rogue-specific perspectives.)

Winter isn’t just snow; it’s fatigue from creeping along I-95 or detouring around Walpole St. closures. ProPILOT Assist 2.1 (available on Rogue) can enable hands-off, eyes-on lane-centering with lane-change assist on compatible roads—useful on long, stop-and-go hauls. RAV4’s Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 delivers adaptive cruise and lane tracing, but not hands-off capability in this generation. Driver-assist features don’t replace your attention—always be ready to steer, brake, or accelerate.

Check the IIHS pages for the latest test results by model year and trim details. For 2025 small SUVs, IIHS’s summary shows:

Rogue: Good (small overlap), Acceptable (updated moderate-overlap), Acceptable (updated side).

RAV4: Good (small overlap), Marginal (updated moderate-overlap), Acceptable (updated side). Both also include robust crash-avoidance tech (Nissan Safety Shield® 360 on Rogue; Toyota Safety Sense on RAV4).

Cold weather dings mpg, so starting efficient helps. EPA ratings list Rogue at up to 30/37/33 mpg (city/hwy/combined) for S/SV FWD; AWD versions post 28/35/31 (S/SV). The gas RAV4 typically lands around 27/35/30 mpg depending on configuration; RAV4 Hybrid does better if you’re set on electrification. For many Norwood commutes (short hops, cold starts), Rogue’s strong non-hybrid mpg means fewer fuel stops by February.

Wide-opening rear doors simplify loading groceries the Big Y on a cold Saturday.

Heated seats/steering wheel and remote start availability take the sting out of dawn scrapes in the Norwood Station lots.

Parking in plow berms after a Norwood Theatre show? The camera suite plus available parking sensors help you slot in cleanly.

Pro tip: For either SUV, snow tires remain the single best upgrade for braking/steering on ice and packed snow. Let our Nissan service center get the right tires for your vehicle!

Hybrid & Plug-in Hybrid choices are a RAV4 strength (with standard AWD on Hybrid trims). If you’re committed to hybrid ownership, keep it on your list. But if your winter priorities are simple Snow mode, next-level visibility, and hands-off assist in supported scenarios, Rogue is the smarter New England daily right now.

Swing by Nucar Nissan of Norwood (525 Boston-Providence Hwy, Norwood, MA 02062) for a test drive so you can try Snow mode, the camera system, and ProPILOT Assist 2.1 where you actually drive. Come see why Everyone loves a Nucar!

Nissan USA — 2025 Rogue overview (drive modes with Snow/Off-Road): https://www.nissanusa.com/vehicles/crossovers-suvs/2025-rogue.html

Nissan USA — 2025 Rogue driver-assist & cameras (3D AVM, Front Wide View, Invisible Hood View): https://www.nissanusa.com/interactivebrochures/suvs/rogue/rogue-driver-assist-safety/

Nissan USA — 2025 Rogue brochure (ProPILOT Assist 2.1 description & disclaimers, PDF): https://www.nissanusa.com/content/dam/Nissan/us/vehicle-brochures/2025/2025-nissan-rogue-brochure-en.pdf

IIHS — Small SUV class summary (2025 rows for Rogue, RAV4): https://www.iihs.org/ratings/class-summary/small-suvs

Nissan USA — Rogue AWD technical/feature section: https://www.nissanusa.com/interactivebrochures/suvs/rogue/rogue-awd/

Toyota Pressroom — 2025 RAV4 overview (TSS 2.5 standard; AWD/hybrid context): https://pressroom.toyota.com/tackle-everyday-streets-and-weekend-retreats-in-the-2025-toyota-rav4/

Toyota Support — What is Multi-Terrain Select?: https://support.toyota.com/s/article/What-is-MultiTerrain-10326

Toyota — Safety Sense page for RAV4 (TSS 2.5/2.5+ description): https://www.toyota.com/safety-sense/vehicle/rav4-hv/2025

EPA — 2025 Nissan Rogue fuel economy: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymodel/2025_Nissan_Rogue.shtml

EPA — 2025 Toyota RAV4 fuel economy: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymodel/2025_Toyota_RAV4.shtml