Jeep Meridian has finally been launched in India. The pre-bookings for the seven-seater SUV began earlier this month, with first deliveries scheduled for the third week of June. The Meridian is a higher seating capacity derivative of the popular Jeep Compass.
Prices for the Jeep Meridian start at Rs. 29.90 lakh (ex-showroom) for the base variant and go up to Rs. 36.95 lakh (ex-showroom) for the fully loaded variant that also gets a 4WD drivetrain.
It undercuts its competition — Skoda Kodiaq, Toyota Fortuner, and MG Gloster — by a big margin. The base spec Meridian is approximately Rs. 5 lakh cheaper than the Kodiaq, Rs. 4.4 lakh cheaper than the Fortuner, Rs. 4.6 lakh cheaper than the Gloster.
Powering the Meridian is the same unit as found in the Compass. It gets a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo diesel engine that produces 170hp and 350Nm of torque. You get the option to choose between a 6-speed manual or a 9-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. However, the 4WD variant is only available with the automatic, while the FWD variant gets both gearboxes. There are rumours that a petrol engine may be offered sometime soon.
Design-wise, the Meridian and Compass look pretty similar but only upto the C-pillar. Since the Meridian offers three rows of seating, it is longer than its smaller sibling. Both get a floating roof design, albeit with slight differences.
Inside, the Jeep Meridian gets features like leather upholstery, multi-zone temperature control, 360-degrees camera, air purifier, a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10-inch infotainment system, panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats, one-touch tumble and fold operation for the second row of seats, and an electric tailgate.
[Featured Image Credit: Jeep]
Satvik Khare