[docted]

The SA at Landmark Gurgaon quotes March as launch period.

[for_cars1]

The Jeep commander sold in Brazil has an unladen weight of 1900 KG and the power/torque figures of 170bhp/350Nm in the 2.0 Diesel, same power specs as the Indian Compass.

Its very likely that the Meridian will retain the same power to weight ratio as the Commander. Its performance is certainly going to be lesser than the Compass (lighter).

With the existing power/torque/power to weight ratio figures, the Jeep Meridian is not going to be exciting to drive for sure (less than 100bhp per tonne) and any higher pricing by Jeep upwards of 40L OTR is not going to attract good sales figures. Jeep has to offer more variants for the Meridian and highlight its utility/practicality value (7 seater, more space, overlanding) and price it strategically at a lower price points like how Kia has priced the Carens.

The higher pricing would be justified only if it would come with a Diesel-electric hybrid variant (like the one offered in the Camry) in future .

[motorhead5]

What I have seen in this and other threads is that it would be a 200bhp engine. If its 170bhp, it wouldn't be fun.

[rajk15]

I think I saw one near Gagan Chownk, Rajpura. Couldn't click a pic :(. It was not in disguise and had an HR26 number plate with the badges- JEEP, S, & 4X4. This vehicle was longer and slightly taller than the compass (looked a little less bulky). BHPians please confirm

[Venkatesh]

Jeep Meridian will be launched in India in May 2022.

Jeep Meridian in India will solely use the 173hp, 350Nm, 2.0 Multijet II diesel engine from the Compass, with a 6-speed manual gearbox and 4x2, or a 9-speed automatic gearbox with either 4x2 or 4x4.

A more powerful mild-hybrid version with around 200hp is likely to be launched globally later, but we can confirm that this version will not come to India.

New 187hp and 270Nm, 1.3 turbo-petrol engine to come later

Source

[kartavya]

Seems like there is going to be huge variant lineup like the Compass considering the manual/auto and 4*2/4*4 option. A bit disappointed with the engine options (I think a lot of people will be).

Interestingly the picture shows a sunroof, unlike the teaser video.

I do feel they have missed an opportunity by making it too similar to Compass (interiors/engine). Hopefully the feature set differs it from the Compass.

[motorhead5]

see this news now in carandbike.com.

It says

While the 1.4-litre MultiAir petrol engine and the 2.0-litre Multi-jet diesel unit could be continued, a new 2.4L Tigershark four-cylinder naturally aspirated MultiAir II diesel engine, sourced from Chrysler, would also make its India debut. The Jeep sourced petrol powertrain develops 160 bhp and 250 Nm of peak torque, while the diesel unit churns out 170 bhp and 350 Nm. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual gearbox, an optional 9-speed torque converter, and a 7-speed DCT automatic, respectively. The new engine develops 184 bhp @ 6,400 rpm and 243 Nm @ 4,000 rpm, and comes mated to a 9-speed automatic gearbox

This is different from the earlier discussions of having a 200bhp motor. Another interesting aspect is the comment on the 7-speed DCT. 184bhp with a 7 speed DCT would be good. If true, they will have a lot of flexibility to play around with pricing!

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Jeep Meridian will be launched in India in May 2022.

Jeep Meridian in India will solely use the 173hp, 350Nm, 2.0 Multijet II diesel engine from the Compass, with a 6-speed manual gearbox and 4x2, or a 9-speed automatic gearbox with either 4x2 or 4x4.
A more powerful mild-hybrid version with around 200hp is likely to be launched globally later, but we can confirm that this version will not come to India.

This is the specific bit I found disappointing. I was really hoping for it to have a slightly better engine as previous ACI and similar news reports had indicated.

The Compass isn’t exactly blazing and with the added weight of a larger body, I’m circumspect about how the drive experience will be in the Meridian. Fingers crossed and lets wait and see how it shapes up.

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by motorhead5

This is different from the earlier discussions of having a 200bhp motor. Another interesting aspect is the comment on the 7-speed DCT. 184bhp with a 7 speed DCT would be good. If true, they will have a lot of flexibility to play around with pricing!

This is such a bummer, if true. The same output as Compass Diesel does not sound exciting - from pictures atleast Meridian has grown a lot in size. Compass itself lacks outright performance with 0 to 100 taking > 10 seconds.
A 200 bhp engine would have given a lot of bragging rights and few more people would have been interested in Meridian over Fortuner.

Hope Jeep surprises everyone on launch with higher tuned engines.

[motorhead5]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

A 200 bhp engine would have given a lot of bragging rights and few more people would have been interested in Meridian over Fortuner.

Hope Jeep surprises everyone on launch with higher tuned engines.

Exactly, a better engine is indeed required. Hopefully would also have a dct option too. Let's hope for a surprise; a pleasant one..

[Behemoth]

Well this car could well carve a niche for itself if it is priced aggressively. Say if it is priced just 2 lacs higher than the current Compass, it would be a great deal and would easily fill the void that the Endeavour has left. At an ex showroom of 30-35 lacs there are currently very few good options in the offroader SUV category and this could be a good potential one.
The Compass diesel engine is not fast (I have one since past 4.5 years) but it does have good low end torque to pull even the heaviest of cars. The same engine is also doing duty in our MG hector plus too (which has a kerb weight of 1720 kg). The expected kerb weight of the Meridian would be around 1900kg, so it would be a bit slower that the Compass and Hector. However if they offer it with a good auto gearbox like the Hyundai one in the Harrier/ Safari, it could mask the lag well and help extract the torque from the engine well. This new car definitely holds promise for Jeep in India, if they can price it sensibly (below 35 lacs ex showroom). Given the recent trend of extension of 5 seater SUVs to 7 seater versions (Alcazar, Carens, Safari etc) it is clear that it can be done with a price increase of less than 1.5 lacs (and even lesser in some cases). So Jeep needs to pull a rabbit out of their hat and really surprise people. The Compass anyway now has become very expensive and this 7 seater option will pull a lot more people in to jeep Showrooms due to the larger size

[virajmore03]

From this angle the third row leg room seems to be non-existent.

[motorhead5]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

However if they offer it with a good auto gearbox like the Hyundai one in the Harrier/ Safari, it could mask the lag well and help extract the torque from the engine well. This new car definitely holds promise for Jeep in India, if they can price it sensibly (below 35 lacs ex showroom) size

At 40+L on road cost, I am not so sure if customers would accept such masks - a nice gear box masking the weak engine etc. I am looking to buy one in this segment asap. I wouldn't go for Meridien if there are basic compromises.

For e.g, Kodiaq with a little under powered engine compensated by a brilliant gear box had 100-150 units per month. We have now seen how Kodiaq got sold out when it came with good engine + transmission + features (yes, agree, small volume and they screwed up since then!!)

IMO, for jeep to meet their full potential, they need to give it all well.. no more masking

[ScorpWarp]

After test driving Compass about a couple of months ago, I decided to wait for the Meridian.
I was looking at videos of the Brazil version called Commandar here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yStnsvYi8Xs

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W-U0XLCIJg

It seems the third row does not have dedicated AC vents. The second row AC vents are in the middle on the floor. AC effectiveness could be a potential concern in hot weather. Not sure how effective the AC would be especially given the fact that AC is just about adequate even in the current Compass which is much smaller than Meridian. I hope Jeep has addressed this concern in Meridian. Insights from existing Compass owners would be useful here.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by padmrajravi

The Commander should do a lot better than Kodiaq in the market even at that price point because of the diesel engine and Jeep brand's SUV status.

The 7 seater SUV segment is goint to get a lot of competition with the Tuscon LWB variant also launching in the coming months.
While the diesel engine looks like a good option to power these large SUVs, these OEMs also consider launching the ICE+EV hybrid variants in India if they get launched worldwide for the Commander and Tuscon-LWB.