Jeep Meridian- A 7-Seater Beast: Review

Jeep India has brought another beast home, named Jeep Meridian. A 4×4, everyone was eagerly waiting. Here-in you will find the detailed and honest review of the car and whether or not you should buy it.

Jeep India has been one of those brands which every Indian connects with luxury. From Humble beginnings as Willy's Jeep in India, this brand and company has come a long way but honestly, that feeling, that sturdiness and the faith that Indian customers have on Jeep is extraordinary.

Jeep India has majorly been dependent on the ‘Compass’ cars in India particularly. Its no surprise that you all may have already seen Jeep Compass on highways and roads in your respective places. This car has carved out an entirely different niche for itself. But as we Indians have it in our genes, we love to demand more and more from the brands we love. We keep our expectations out in open and when those expectations are met we always pour our love back. Same is the case with Jeep Meridian. Indians long demanded a 7-seater SUV and Jeep brought it to India with the launch of Jeep Meridian.

Well, as I told you already about the love Jeep Compass had seen in domestic markets. Well, to put it in this way Jeep Meridian is basically a 7-seater iteration of the Compass. Although, this is also true that Jeep, being a world-class brand, didn’t put just two extra seats and gave it a new name. Jeep has claimed and reported also said that they have re-designed and re-engineered this new vehicle completely and has made sure that the addition of a third-row, doesn’t faulter the SUV’s driving dynamics or its capabilities for off-roading. Jeep is known for that and if Jeep had to compromise in that area, well that would have been shocking.
Now, if we talk about the first look, when you stare at it, you’d hardly find much difference between Meridian and Compass. There are though slight visual differences such as a more pronounced Jeep Grille, sheeny headlamps (when compared with Compass), and a stroke of chrome, all of which kind of helps the Meridian to look tad bit different than the Compass. However, truth is the Jeep DNA is very clearly visible. The car is lengthy, yes, it is and that is what gives it a powerful aura. Meanwhile, the 18-inch alloy wheels add to the ‘aggressive and powerful’ quotient. Honestly, for me the real deal is always the engine. But this also goes without saying that Meridian is one beautiful looking beast made out for civilized off-roader.

Now, let’s talk about my area of interest. The Powertrain. The Meridian has the same powertrain as that of Compass. Truth be told, it uses the exact same 2-litre Multijet diesel motor which can be seen in some of Jeep’s competitor models too. A maximum power churning ability up to 170 PS and maximum torque up to 350 Nm, is what this car gives you, which again is similar to that of Compass. This car comes paired with transmission options including a 6-speed MT and a 9-speed torque converter. Add to that, customers will get the option to select the vehicle with a 4×2 configuration or a top-spec 4×4 setup.

You will be able to avail manual transmission only with the 4×2 option. Meanwhile, the 4×4 is paired with automatic transmission as a standard. Jeep will be offering the Meridian in two trims- Limited and Limited (O). And like always, we have no doubt that special editions will be rolled out too like Night Eagle and Trail-Hawk.

Feature-wise, this car is loaded. They have put on a host of creative and amazing features to increase the comfort levels of the passengers and drivers. You can see features like auto-headlamps, driver seat height adjusts, push-button start/stop, a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system, powered mirrors, wireless charging, keyless-entry, panoramic sunroof, powered tailgate, 360-degree camera, and ohh the list is long.
Talking about the safety features, they include TPMS, ABS, EBD, ESC, Traction control, six airbags and an electronic parking brake. Interior cabin has been given an amazing makeover with the use of high-quality leather and fine-touch materials, all of which gives a premium and luxury feel to the owner of this beauty.

Now the most important thing to know is about the 3rd row space right. You will see a 60/40 split in 2nd row seats meanwhile the 3rd row seats have a 50/50 split capability. Boot space, well off-roading requires this parameter to be high isn’t it. And Meridian doesn’t disappoint you. With all three-rows in use, the boot space is at 170 liters which can go up to 481 liters when the third row is folded down. A recommendation from my side would be using the third-row seats only for pets and children under the age of 5. Sadly, our guess is two-full grown adults would feel very uncomfortable while seated on these third-row seats even for a ride of around an hour.

Meridian’s driving dynamics and the experience is on point. You might feel that the steering is slightly on the bulky side but no doubt it provides brilliant feedback. Acceleration is amazing and well the engine, the powertrain answers well, whenever you ask for added power. The in-cabin experience is luxurious as the NVH levels are well contained.

The center of weight is lower and hence it turns help to cut down the body-roll considerably. FYI, when you would put those hand on the steering and ride off with this beat, you won’t realize that you are riding a giant like the Meridian. Moreover, if you ride a 4×4 unit, you will experience the off-roading prowess of the Meridian.

The Final Conclusion:

Concluding the assessment that we made and all things considered, the Jeep Meridian is an amazing Urban SUV, having superb off-road capabilities. However, like always, me telling the truth, the third row-seats are what I am concerned about. That had to be the USP of Meridian. But it has failed to impress. Although, it would be an interesting thing to see whether customers would pay a few additional lakhs for the extra seating and boot space over Compass.

Well, pricing would also play a key factor in driving sales for Meridian. Bookings of Meridian will start from May’22 with deliveries scheduled to commence in June’22.