I thought Nissan Rogue’s ProPilot 2.1 Hands-Free Driving Would Be a Gimmick, but Then I Found Out How Wrong I Was When I Tried This

If I’m being honest, I want a fully self-driving car about as much as I want a fully self-eating sandwich. Not much at all. I’m no Luddite. Quite the opposite. In my own vehicles and all the vehicles I test, I employ all the driver assistant tools available to me. But there’s a line, right? Maybe not.

‘25 Nissan Rogue Platinum AWD and ProPilot 2.1++ In a Nutshell
The 2025 Nissan Rogue is one of my personal favorite crossover SUVs. It’s roomy, has a spare tire, offers excellent infotainment and controls, and has a great powertrain. What could be better? How about a big discount? Nissan just dropped its prices in response to the tariff mess. Not raised them. Dropped them. For the model I was testing, the price cut was $930. That drops the starting price of this top trim Rogue down to around $41K. 

ProPilot 2.1++ is part of a $3,200 Technology Package. Whoa, $3,200 bucks is nothing to sneeze at. Is it worth it? I think for many shoppers the answer will be, “Yes.” You get the Hands-free driver assistance program, the invisible hood camera that I recently reviewed when I tested the Murano, and an all-important distracted driving warning system. It’s needed for ProPilot.

Nissan Hands-Free Driving System - What It Is
I’m sort of a techie, and not afraid to dive headfirst into technology features, but with Nissan’s ProPilot 2.1++, there is no learning curve to speak of. You push the button and then hit “set” just like in any cruise control system. Once you do so on an appropriate roadway, the system then lets you relax and it will control the speed, including braking, control the steering, including lane centering, and more. 

The novel part is shown to you pretty quickly. If you approach a slowpoke in the center or right lane, the ProPilot 2.1++ system will say to you via a driver information display, “Hey, do you want to pass that slowpoke?” It says it nicely and succinctly. If you do want to pass the slower vehicle, you tap the pass icon on the steering wheel. The Rogue will then turn on its signal and pass the car by moving into the left lane. Easy peasy.

Nissan Hands-Free Driving System - What It Is NOT
Can you tell your Rogue to drive you to Taco Bell then get lost into your TikTok account and ignore the world around you? No. Let’s hope that is never the case in any car for those who are not disabled. Can this system cause major safety issues because you are not part of the driving role? Nope. There is a monitor watching you to ensure that the person in the left seat is arguably a “driver.” It needs to see that you can take over if needed, and if you look at your phone or recliner the seat back to take a nap, it will alert and then stop the driving assist. So you need to stay engaged to some degree. 

Nissan Rogue ProPilot 2.1++ Conclusion
The hands-free system offered in the Rogue is easy to use, seemingly safe, and very affordable. It has almost zero learning curve, and it really does do all it promises. If you like this type of driver assistance, check out the ProPilot 2.1++ system. We reviewed it as part of the top-trim Rogue, but Nissan offers it across its vehicle lineup. 

What do you think? Would this be a feature you'd like to have? Tell us in the comments below. 

The image of Nissan's ProPilot 2.1++ and Rogue are by John Goreham.  An assistant was used for safety when taking the dash images.

John Goreham is a credentialed New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools.