ProPilot Assist | The Car Magazine

The Rogue is Nissan Canada’s most popular model, and one look should make it easy to understand why. It was refreshed for the 2017 model year with Nissan’s wider, more U-shaped Vmotion 2.0 grille…

In Our Garage

2019 Nissan Rogue SL Platinum AWD

The Rogue is Nissan Canada’s most popular model, and one look should make it easy to understand why. It was refreshed for the 2017 model year with Nissan’s wider, more U-shaped Vmotion 2.0 grille that we think is more handsome than the original V, while its then-new quad-beam headlamps with LED daytime running lights, and its updated LED brake lights added premium-level sophistication to the look.

That facelifted 2017 model included additional styling tweaks on the outside plus updates within, a personal favourite being its flat-bottom steering wheel that still makes a sporty statement in the otherwise elegantly appointed top-line 2019 Rogue SL Platinum trimmed model currently in our garage. So equipped, that steering wheel is leather-wrapped with a heatable rim, a much appreciated mid-winter feature, as are the Quick Comfort heated front seats that come standard across the entire Rogue line, albeit the Platinum’s perforated leather upholstery is exclusive to this model.

The Rogue in our garage isn’t merely a regular SL Platinum, mind you, but rather includes a $500 SL Platinum Reserve Interior Package that replaces the regular Charcoal black or Almond tan leather seat surfaces with special quilted leather upholstery in an even richer looking Premium Tan hue, that comes across more like caramel or saddle brown.

There’s actually more to the seat design than that, the quilting just used for the centre inserts, whereas perforated leather gets added to the inner bolsters and contrast-stitched black leather on top of those bolsters for a little more sport mixed in with the luxury, the seats’ upholstery complemented by the same Premium Tan on the door armrests, centre armrest, padded knee protectors on each side of the lower centre console, and even the dash facing, which gets a similarly classy looking stitched leather pad ahead of the front passenger.

Icing on the proverbial cake comes in the form of Piano Black interior door inlays surrounding the usual chromed door handles, which match up nicely next to the same glossy black treatment rimming the dash vents, centre console, gear lever surround and otherwise leather-wrapped shift knob.

The latest Rogue SL Platinum doesn’t just look like a premium ride, its standard feature set is replete with top-drawer gear that one-ups plenty of luxury brands. For instance, the official name given to this trim level is Rogue SL Platinum with ProPilot Assist, the latter technology standard with all SL Platinum models and really quite impressive. It’s a semi-autonomous “hands-on-wheel” driving system, which means it has the ability to completely drive itself, but due to safety concerns only lets you remove your hands from the steering wheel for about eight seconds at a time. Still, it’ll impress your friends and might be useful to those who find highway driving intimidating, as it helps keep the Rogue centered within its lane and, along with its Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Intelligent Lane Intervention systems, may even help avoid an accident.

These latter two advanced driver assistance systems get pulled up to the SL Platinum from mid-range SV trim, as does Intelligent Emergency Braking (P-IEB) with Pedestrian Detection, High Beam Assist (HBA), and Intelligent Cruise Control, while a Rear Sonar System, Moving Object Detection (MOD), Backup Collision Intervention and Rear Intelligent Emergency Braking (R-IEB) join ProPilot Assist as options with the SV and come as standard equipment with the top-line model.

Along with all the usual active and passive safety features, some advanced tech pulled up from the base Rogue S to upper trims include Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) with a display showing individual tire pressures and an Easy-Fill Tire Alert, Intelligent Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Intelligent Emergency Braking (IEB), plus two features normally relegated to top-line trims, Blind Spot Warning (BSW) with Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), while Rear Door Alert is an oddly named albeit very welcome feature that actually warns against leaving something or someone in the back seat unattended after turning off the engine, by remembering that you opened a rear door before setting off on your drive. Smart.

I could go on and on listing the Rogue’s myriad features and talking engine, transmission, AWD tech, specifications, etcetera, but will leave such details to the upcoming road test review, at which point I’ll also talk about life with the Rogue during our weeklong test, and of course my driving impressions that included cruising down the highway with ProPilot Assist turned on and my hands off the wheel for longer than the recommended duration. Until then, scroll back up to enjoy our comprehensive photo gallery…

Nissan Canada just announced that its semi-autonomous “hands-on-wheel” ProPilot Assist technology will be added to its popular Qashqai subcompact SUV later this year, likely as part of its 2019 package. …

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Nissan Qashqai to receive ProPilot Assist self-driving tech later this year

2018 Nissan Qashqai — The Qashqai will receive Nissan’s semi-autonomous ProPilot Assist driving technology later this year. (Photo: Nissan)

Nissan Canada just announced that its semi-autonomous “hands-on-wheel” ProPilot Assist technology will be added to its popular Qashqai subcompact SUV later this year, likely as part of its 2019 package.

“Nissan continues to democratize technology, bringing our most advanced systems to our highest volume models, rather than reserving them for our most expensive vehicles,” said Bert Brooks, senior manager, product planning, Nissan Canada Inc., last year when introducing the technology to the larger compact Roque. “Customers are delighted when they realize they can afford technology usually reserved for high-end, expensive luxury vehicles. Bringing unexpected value is core to the Nissan brand and our Nissan Intelligent Mobility mission.”

Nissan ProPILOT Assist technology — ProPilot Assist, shown here in the Nissan Rogue, has been set up to work on North American highways, reading our signs and programmed for our driving style. (Photo: Nissan)

ProPilot Assist controls acceleration, braking and steering during single-lane highway driving, but take note you’ll be required to remain totally alert and involved during the process, with your hands on the wheel (at least most of the time).

ProPilot Assist is well tested, with Nissan having driven more than 320,000 kilometres of North American roads using the semi-autonomous technology, the automaker stating that it was specifically designed to respond to North American road markings and driving situations.

Nissan also claims ProPilot Assist is more intuitive and user-friendly than other driver-assist technologies, and furthermore that it can help reduce driver fatigue and allow for a more confident driving experience, especially for drivers that regularly experience heavy highway traffic.

Nissan ProPILOT Assist — The bright blue ProPilot Assist button can be set just like cruise control. (Photo: Nissan)

Those looking for even more autonomy from their future cars can take heart that Nissan will be evolving ProPilot Assist to include increasing levels of autonomy in future updates, with the ability to navigate city intersections and more.

The news of ProPilot Assist on the 2019 Qashqai comes hot on the heels of January’s milestone announcement of 75,000 global ProPilot Assist sales, when Nissan USA executive vice president Daniele Schillaci added, “ProPILOT is a breakthrough technology and an important building block for fully autonomous vehicles under our Nissan Intelligent Mobility vision. It delivers a much more exciting drive, so it’s no surprise that it has received such strong, early customer acceptance. ProPILOT is another example of how we’re delivering exciting technologies today through Nissan Intelligent Mobility that will move everyone to a better world.”

Nissan plans to make ProPilot Assist available in nine more Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance models by 2020, with North America, as well as the European, Japanese and Chinese markets, benefiting from the investment.

As noted in an earlier quote, ProPilot Assist is part of a larger technology suite dubbed Nissan Intelligent Mobility, which the automaker previously described as a “blueprint for transforming how cars are driven, powered and integrated into society.”

“The world is facing serious challenges such as climate change, traffic congestion, road fatalities and increasing air pollution,” said Brooks. “Through Nissan Intelligent Mobility, we are committed to addressing these challenges by making transportation safer, smarter, and more enjoyable. The new ProPilot Assist technology is a perfect example of how we can make drivers feel more confident and more connected to their vehicles.”

Along with the 2018 Rogue SL Platinum, ProPilot Assist is also available with the redesigned 2018 Leaf.

To find out more, check out this short explanatory video that accompanied the initial ProPilot Assist announcement as part of the 2018 Leaf:

Canadians choosing to fully equip their 2018 Nissan Rogue SUVs will soon receive the benefit of new semi-autonomous “hands-on-wheel” ProPilot Assist technology, a new system that could make your rush…

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Nissan adds new ProPilot Assist tech to 2018 Rogue

2018 Nissan Rogue with ProPilot Assist — The 2018 Rogue comes with ProPilot Assist in top-line SL models with the Platinum Package, providing semi-autonomous driving at a very affordable price point. (Photo: Nissan)

Canadians choosing to fully equip their 2018 Nissan Rogue SUVs will soon receive the benefit of new semi-autonomous “hands-on-wheel” ProPilot Assist technology, a new system that could make your rush hour commute to and from work a lot easier.

“Nissan continues to democratize technology, bringing our most advanced systems to our highest volume models, rather than reserving them for our most expensive vehicles,” said Bert Brooks, senior manager, product planning, Nissan Canada Inc. “Customers are delighted when they realize they can afford technology usually reserved for high-end, expensive luxury vehicles. Bringing unexpected value is core to the Nissan brand and our Nissan Intelligent Mobility mission.”

Wouldn’t it be nice if your car “took over the wheel” while in bumper-to-bumper traffic? That’s part of an autonomous vehicle’s appeal, and while such a utopian experience may be years or possibly decades away from being adopted en masse, some manufacturers are slowly inching us toward the dream.

Nissan introduced its ProPilot Assist technology in the 2018 Leaf, and now they’ve announced it will also be available in the 2018 Nissan Rogue SL with the Platinum Package, a compact SUV priced at $36,998 so equipped.

Choosing the Rogue as one of its first semi-autonomous vehicles makes a great deal of sense, being that it’s the best-selling Nissan in North America. Here in Canada the Rogue’s year-to-date sales of 33,180 units over the first nine months of 2017 have resulted in a gain of 11.6 percent compared to the first three quarters of 2016, and last year the Rogue sold in record numbers too.

So how does it work? ProPilot Assist controls acceleration, braking and steering during single-lane highway driving, but keep in mind you’ll need to remain totally alert and involved in the process, with your hands on the wheel (at least most of the time).

Nissan has driven more than 320,000 kilometres of North American roads using ProPilot Assist, the automaker stating that the semi-autonomous system was specifically designed to respond to North American road markings and driving situations. Nissan also promises it will be “more intuitive and user-friendly compared to other driver-assist technologies,” and furthermore can “potentially help lessen driver fatigue and create a more confident driving experience – especially for drivers who experience heavy highway traffic on a daily basis.”

For those wanting even more autonomy from their future cars, take heart that Nissan will be evolving ProPilot Assist to include “increasing levels of autonomy” in future updates, with the ability to also “navigate city intersections.”

Additionally, Nissan plans to make ProPilot Assist available in 10 more Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance models by 2020, and North America, as well as the European, Japanese and Chinese markets, will be in on the action.

Of note, ProPilot Assist is part of a larger technology suite dubbed Nissan Intelligent Mobility, which the automaker describes as a “blueprint for transforming how cars are driven, powered and integrated into society.”

“The world is facing serious challenges such as climate change, traffic congestion, road fatalities and increasing air pollution,” added Brooks. “Through Nissan Intelligent Mobility, we are committed to addressing these challenges by making transportation safer, smarter, and more enjoyable. The new ProPilot Assist technology is a perfect example of how we can make drivers feel more confident and more connected to their vehicles.”

ProPilot Assist will be available in the 2018 Rogue SL Platinum and the 2018 Leaf early next year.

Before then, check out this short explanatory video that accompanied the initial ProPilot Assist announcement as part of the 2018 Leaf:

The world’s most popular plug-in electric vehicle will soon receive a complete redesign, which is compelling news in itself, but being that Nissan hasn’t shared much about the upcoming model thus…

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Nissan to bring ProPilot Assist to market with new Leaf

2018 Leaf ProPilot Assist — Nissan reveals the 2018 Leaf’s digital instrument cluster while also informing that its redesigned EV will also features semi-autonomous driving capability. (Photo: Nissan)

The world’s most popular plug-in electric vehicle will soon receive a complete redesign, which is compelling news in itself, but being that Nissan hasn’t shared much about the upcoming model thus far, we’ll take anything we can get.

Along with one solitary image of the new EV’s primary gauge cluster comes news about a single new feature, ProPilot Assist, which is the Japanese brand’s proprietary driver-assistance technology designed to reduce “the hassle of stop-and-go highway driving,” says Nissan in a June 22, 2017 press release.

Reportedly, ProPilot Assist will benefit 2018 Leaf drivers by controlling acceleration, braking and steering during single-lane highway driving. Along with the announcement, Nissan included a short explanatory video that we’ve attached within this report, which clearly shows how the state-of-the-art technology will assist drivers.

Nissan was clear in its release that ProPilot Assist will evolve to include “increasing levels of autonomy” in coming generations, with the ability to also “navigate city intersections”.

ProPilot Assist is part of the Nissan Intelligent Mobility suite of technologies, which is the automaker’s “blueprint for transforming how cars are driven, powered and integrated into society.”

Nissan has sold more than 270,000 Leafs globally since it became the world’s first mass-market electric vehicle in 2010. The next-generation 2018 Leaf will debut in Tokyo on September 6th (Sept 5 here in Canada).

Check out the video…

News & Reviews- Tag: ProPilot Assist