The new Nissan Rogue Sport offers nimbler handling for young drivers.

Nissan’s push to be a Top Three automaker is getting a little more inertia with its newest introduction, the Rogue Sport, here at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The new utility vehicle is a slightly smaller iteration of its Rogue SUV, which took over the top sales spot for Nissan in the U.S. in 2016 from the Altima sedan.

“The increasing shift from cars to trucks was our reason for bringing this car over,” said Michael Bunce, vice president, Product Planning, Nissan North America Inc. With that shift after long delaying bringing over a version of the Qashqai, “Rogue Sport now makes a lot of sense.”

While sharing the Rogue name, platform and numerous advanced safety and security features, Rogue Sport stands on its own as a stylish, nimble, fun-to-drive and affordable compact SUV.

“The combination of the new Rogue Sport and the immensely popular redesigned 2017 Rogue will appeal to a broad audience and offers a wide spectrum of features and price points for SUV buyers,” Bunce said.

“While we expect Rogue to continue to appeal to owners with young families, Rogue Sport fills a need for singles and couples who want more space and versatility than the average sedan for everyday urban use and social activities.”

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The Rogue Sport has a 2.3-inch shorter wheelbase and a 12.1-inch shorter overall length than Rogue, helping make it more maneuverable in city traffic and an ideal size for tight city parking spaces. Other helpful city adventure features range from up to 61.1 cubic feet of cargo space (second row seat folded) and available innovative Divide-N-Hide Cargo System to the Around View Monitor (AVM) with Moving Object Detection (MOD).

“From Rogue Sport to Rogue, Murano, Pathfinder and all the way up to the full-size eight- passenger Armada, Nissan has the perfect SUV for any buyer,” said Bunce. “Rogue Sport holds its own with all its portfolio mates, just as expected of any vehicle that wears the Nissan badge.”

Younger buyers will appreciate the maneuverability almost as much as the technology crammed into the new Rogue Sport, specifically the Intelligent Safety Shield technologies include Forward Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Prevention and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

Additionally, that leading-edge technology entertains and comforts the driver and passengers as well. Standard interior features on the Rogue sport include SiriusXM Satellite Radio, four-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system with auxiliary audio input jack, USB connection port, Siri Eyes Free, Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System, Streaming Audio via Bluetooth, Hands-free Text Messaging Assistant and RearView Monitor.

Also available is dual-zone automatic air conditioning. The available Remote Engine Start (RES) system provides flexibility to start the Rogue Sport remotely using the keyless entry fob.

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Buyers can also add NissanConnect with navigation, mobile apps and services. It offers a 7-inch color touch-screen display, Nissan voice recognition for navigation and audio, SiriusXM Traffic and SiriusXM Travel LinkTM. NissanConnect Services powered by SiriusXM is standard on Rogue Sport SL models. Also available is Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection and Intelligent Cruise Control.

Perhaps just as important, it’s inappropriate to give a vehicle the name “Sport” and not give it some “go” with its “show.” The Rogue Sport gets a 2.0-liter DOHC 16-valve inline four-cylinder rated at 141 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 147 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm. Front-wheel drive is standard, although all-wheel drive is an option.

The Rogue’s sporty look continues using what Nissan describes as “emotional geometry.” In short, the utility’s exterior is essentially a continuation of the current Rogue’s smooth, rounded not angular lines that allow it to slip though the wind rather than knife through it.

The new version comes with 10 color options and three different trim levels: S, SV and SL. “The Rogue Sport interior belies its affordable pricing, with use of premium materials and long list of available comfort and convenience items,” explained Bunce. “Though more compact than Rogue, the new Rogue Sport fully measures up in terms of features that make driving more enjoyable for both driver and passengers.”

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Bunce declined to talk specific on price saying only, “It will be extremely affordable.” In line with other vehicles in that segment.” He also noted that this “new” vehicle may have a shorter lifespan than expected as the Qashqai is in the midst of its product lifecycle so officials will have decide to update the U.S. version perhaps as little as two years after hitting the market.