Car Salesman Says Nissan Rogue Is Identical To This Crossover SUV. The Other One’s Cheaper: 'Stole They Whole Flow'

A car salesman who has sworn for years that the Nissan Rogue and Mitsubishi Outlander were identical vehicles says he only found further evidence for his claims.

Anthony McDonald Jr. (@anthony_mcdonald_jr) uploaded a visual walkthrough of Nissan’s 2026 PHEV Rogue and clocked several similarities between the car and its parallel offering from the fellow Japanese auto maker. But are the two really that similar? And if so, why would anyone pay more for the Rogue PHEV, which starts at $47,485, versus the Outlander’s $44,990?

2026 Nissan Rogue Overview

McDonald begins his video with a recording of a 2026 Rogue on a Nissan dealer lot.

“Let me tell y’all something I told my brother four or five years ago: the Mitsubishi Outlander was the Nissan Rogue," he begins. "And he didn't, or a couple other people didn’t, believe me. But let me show y’all this. This is a Nissan Rogue,” he says.

As he continues his tour around the 2026 variant of the popular crossover, he opines further on his comparisons between the two vehicles.

“This is the 2026 model. It is literally a Mitsubishi Outlander. It is crazy. I like the wheels, but I’m not really a fan of the exterior,” he says, before bringing his camera closer to the car’s window. Once the lens focuses, some finer details of the car’s cabin come into view.

“But the interior do look nice. But that’s old school,” he says, noticing the car’s plunger door lock positioned close to the window. "Yeah, the interior look nice. It’s got the digital dash. This one don’t have a sunroof,” he adds.

After walking to the front of the vehicle, he notices a bright red sticker advertising the 2026 Rogue’s fuel efficiency.

“They claim it gets 64 miles per gallon. This is a plug-in hybrid model. I don’t know how I feel about this one,” McDonald says. "Outlanders, when they first came out, they was all right. But then, I mean, this body style is pretty all-new. And just to be clear, this is the previous model of the Rogue—looks a little compact,” he says, showing off the 2025 variant from the Japanese brand.

Gallery: 2026 Nissan Rogue Plug-In Hybrid First Drive Review

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Source: Anthony Alaniz / Motor1

Are The Nissan Rogue And Mitsubishi Outlander The Same Car?

Pretty much. Even Motor Trend wrote in 2022 that “hiding beneath [the] new 2022 … Outlander’s skin is … a Nissan Rogue.”

A Mitsubishi representative confirmed with the outlet that both of the vehicles share a lot of major components. This is due to the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance established in 1999. Because of this three-way joint partnership, these car brands will often contain similar components. And in the case of the previous generation of Rogues and Outlanders, that includes body panel cut lines, the underbody, and suspension positioning—not to mention that both vehicles sport a wheelbase of 106.5 inches.

But that doesn’t mean they’ll end up offering identical driving experiences. The same Mitsubishi representative said that the cars have been tuned differently, resulting in disparate behind-the-wheel dynamics.

Gallery: 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander: Review

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2026 Mitsubishi Outlander = 2026 Nissan Rogue?

And when it comes to the 2026 Nissan Rogue and Mitsubishi Outlander, this mostly-same-but-slightly-different trend continues. Nissan’s plug-in hybrid Rogue is, as per Edmunds, really just a rebadged Mitsubishi Outlander. But there is a massive difference between the two vehicles: charging times.

As the automotive research group points out, the Outlander supports DC Fast Charging. Furthermore, it offers 45 miles of all electric driving, meaning its battery unit can top up at level 3 charging terminals rather quickly.

You won’t be able to charge it at a Tesla supercharger due to its CHAdeMO tech implementation, but other fast chargers are fair game. While this means that Outlander drivers won’t get access to the world’s largest fast charging network, it’s still one of the few PHEVs that come with DC fast charging. So, at least that option’s there for whoever wants it.

The 2026 Rogue basically took the new Outlander and made it an option for the same year’s lineup of cars. Like the Outlander, it offers three-row seating and plug-in hybrid capability. But its electric driving range takes a hit: 38 miles versus the Outlander’s 45—and, there’s no fast charging support either.

But there are a lot of similarities. While Edmunds penned that it prefers the 2026 Outlander’s interior to the Rogue’s, a lot of the creature comforts are near indistinguishable. Drivers have a 9-inch infotainment system screen with Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. Higher trim levels give a 10-inch heads-up display, along with lane departure warnings, rear cross-traffic notifications, blind-spot alarms, a 360-degree camera exterior camera view, and other amenities.

As for under-the-hood power, the differences continued. The Rogue is outfitted with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder block. This is paired with dual electric motors that draw power from a 20-kWh battery pack, producing 248 horsepower/332 pound-feet of torque. The 2026 Outlander has several trim options, with the base model also giving 38 miles of electric driving range. But bumping up to the SE S-AWC model gives commuters an extra 7 miles of driving. It also has more horsepower at 297 from the same 2.4-liter engine.

Motor1 has reached out to Nissan and Mitsubishi via email and to McDonald via TikTok direct message for further comment. We will update this story if they respond.