[Romeo_Mike]

Seems to have stirred up quite some interest if this report is to be believed-

https://www.carandbike.com/news/jeep...gs-2986126/amp

Will be interesting to see if the Meridian is just filling the void left by the Endeavor or is it going to pose a real challenge to the undisputed king of the segment.

[siren373]

Why is no one talking about the interiors when comparing to Fortuner? Fortuner, for all its price, has disappointing interiors while the Jeep's looks much better.

[Axe77]

At the outset I do agree that this is overpriced for what one is getting. But so is pretty much every competitor. If we keep Compass and its pricing out of the equation for a moment and consider the top of line 4x4 A/T Meridian pricing with some competition check:

1. Kodiaq:
The most direct competitor IMO. Feels more plush on the inside and better built overall and is more powerful BUT is costlier to buy, costlier to run (petrol) and potentially costlier to own (chances of extraordinary failure means many people actually pre-budget a 2-3L additional expense during the life of ownership). Also the minor wrinkle that you can’t buy it today even if you wanted to.

Both Kodiaq and Meridian should be ideally considered as 5 seaters only. Their +2 third row are emergency jump seats in my view and really cant be given serious consideration to anyone who wants a frequent 6 or 7 seater. For the latter, it must really dial back to Fortuner / Gloster / even Innova.

Coming to power specs, lets not forget that not too long ago, the Kodiaq was being sold at a similar Meridian like price point with a 140 BHP diesel engine. This was in pre 2019 pricing era which was 15-20% lower than today across most segments.

2. Fortuner:
Not comparable IMO. It is a DIFFERENT product - period! Yes there is bound to be some overlap in buyers choosing, but the two products are chalk and cheese. Monocoque, sophisticated car like experience with 2022 interiors, vs a PROPER BOF 4x4, built to go anywhere and outlast its owner with predictably utilitarian interiors. Higher variants are a clean 8-10 lakh costlier than the Meridian.

3. Gloster:
Works for those who are ok with its ginormous footprint. If people want a genuinely comfortable people plus luggage mover with some 4x4 capability, this is the vehicle for them.

Other competitors:

4. Citroen C5:
If you don’t need a 4x4, the Citroen C5 actually makes a compelling case for itself. HOWEVER, the 4x2 Meridian is actually almost similarly priced and for that offers a better rear seat (for two occupants). The Citroen did SO MUCH right and then went and scuffed it up with its quirky 33:33:33 back seat. Then of course is its miniscule brand footprint to cause people to pause and consider. I feel brand Stellantis should ideally have co-branded or combined dealerships for their Jeep and Citroen brands to make the sum of both brands larger than the whole.

5. VW Tiguan:
A worthy competitor indeed. Few downsides are that the interior looks REALLY drab in that all black look. It just has a very 2016 look to it, not 2022. But, if you acknowledge that these jump seat vehicles are really only meaningfully 5 seaters with large boots, then the Tiguan is definitely worth putting on the table.

All the above vehicles are in the early 40L - 50L on road range so from that perspective, the Meridian doesn’t seem outright out of place I guess on its pricing.


2022 Tucson:
Personally, the REAL alternative and interesting competitor to some of these products will be the 2022 Tucson. If the landed on road price for top of line diesel AWD A/T can sit below 38-39L then it presents a compelling alternative to many of the above 5 seat biased options. Modern Hyundais have really matured well as a product, the international Tucson has very impressive reviews, the Diesel engine of that car has superb performance and comes with features like sports mode and paddle shifters which they give as par for course. Comfortable reclining back seat, large boot, modern interiors with the only predictable downer being the 99,000 cuts and creases on the external body work, which can be polarising.

[Shreyans_Jain]

People comparing Meridian with the Fortuner and Kodiaq should also consider the difference in running costs. We have a Kodiaq, a Fortuner and a Compass in the family. The Skoda, for all its goodness, struggles to deliver two digit mileage even in highway conditions. It’s usually 9.xx km, and sinks when driven even a little aggressively . With petrol at 115, it’s a very expensive car for long drives. Plus, the tank is rather small. Fortuner consistently drivers 11-12kmpl irrespective of conditions. The Compass, however, is far more fuel efficient and averages between 17 and 21kmpl. Considering an overall highway economy figure of 18kmpl, it can be fair to expect the Meridian to give 16-17kmpl. It is bigger and heavier but also has more gears for more relaxed cruising speeds. The higher fuel efficiency will be very much appreciated by heavy users and long distancers.

[CalmConquests]

The way I look at the Meridian is that, its a Compass that costs about 6L more for an unusable third-row.

Its got the same interiors, the same space in the first two rows & the same engine. Also, I am not sure if it has the physical dimensions to command the road-presence that a Kodiaq or a Fortuner command.

I would pay the 8.57% more & buy the much bigger & more powerful Fortuner if I wanted a 3 row 4x4.

[Asoon]

3-5L higher , if it was priced 3/5L lower then the segment would become duopoly (fortuner & meridian), at the end of the day it has compasses's heart and is not a better looker, it seems unattractive,

However, road presence plays super important role in this segment (reason behind fortuner launched killed every other car in this segment despite being low on features and issues like body roll etc.), So we will have to see how it looks when placed with competitions (Kodiaq, Tiguan, Gholster etc.)

A 7 seater compass with a more powerful engine and compass++ looks is compelling which meridian fails to offer , this might become number 2 player but not fortuner challenger

[Moto_MP]

Whether the pricing is optimum to succeed or a disaster that will run this product to a dead end is very early to say. I am sure jeep must have done a thorough research before deciding this price.

But I do not quite understand the popular opinions like “it will eat up Kodiaq’s market or will put a dent in Fortuner territory” It may end up eating a little bit from all - Fortuner, Kodiaq, Gloster even cannibalising compass to some extent and arrive at a decent monthly figures in the long run.

There are a lot of buyers who want better interiors and a sunroof/moonroof on Fortuner but don’t have much options, then there are people who want compass to be more spacious, Kodiaq in diesel. Most of them may not be enthusiasts. In all, Meridian can appeal to a lot of prospective buyers.

Hitting the sweet spot with a product for Indian market has always been difficult for most of the manufacturers, sometimes even they don’t understand what have they done wrong or right. Now whether Jeep has done a masterstroke or blunder, time will tell but I do expect a lot of interest for Limited(O) FWD AT at 34.3 lakhs ex showroom.

With exuberant prices of Fortuner and no real competition it has provided a lot of breathing space for others to overprice their products and still sound justified.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by CalmConquests

Also, I am not sure if it has the physical dimensions to command the road-presence that a Kodiaq or a Fortuner command.

Fortuner - A definite no!

Kodiaq - Yes IMHO. Not only is the Meridian larger - the design language, the large squared-off wheel arches and the taller stance gives it more presence than the Kodiaq which looks more 'estate' from some angles.

The Meridian is about 4796 mm long, making it 97mm longer than the Kodiaq at 4699 mm. Width is within 23mm of the Kodiaq, whereas height is 33mm more.

[anuragbagur]

Originally Posted by VRJ

I interpret the Meridian pricing in this way, why would I pay 50% more money than a Tata Safari that has the same engine and tune, similar feature set and similar interior space? I’m finding it hard to justify the price tag of the Meridian. Yes, if you compare it with the Fortuner, it’s 4L cheaper, but if you compare it with a Safari, it costs Rs. 15L more. The Safari isn’t a bad car. It’s roomy on the inside, good stock audio, ventilated seats in the front and the middle row (which the Meridian misses), good suspension, great road presence and has a panoramic sunroof. I guess the only thing the Safari is missing is the badge value. Jeep should’ve given the Meridian a higher state of tune or a hybrid. Something that would give it a USP (apart from the AWD, which majority of the retail customers don’t care about). 6L more than the Compass just isn’t right. Compass is overpriced to begin with, and the Meridian seems to offer not much value for the additional money paid. There’s just no end to my hunt for replacing our 2018 MT Fortuner with a 50L budget.

Cheers!

Spot on! The Compass itself is overpriced compared to the competition. Meridian should have come with a higher state of tune or even a bigger engine - Fortuner is in a different territory with it's 2.8L D4D producing a massive 500nm of peak torque. In my view, Fortuner will still continue to be the 'king' of the segment ferrying babus and businessmen

[CalmConquests]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Fortuner - A definite no!

I saw a Jeep Meridian drive past me this morning & i have to agree. It definitely did not look like it had the road-presence of a large 4x4 SUV, like the Toyota Fortuner.
It takes a keen eye to tell a Meridian apart from a Compass when its driving towards you.

[buntee90]

Originally Posted by Maky

Jeep Meridian On-road prices for Bombay

Attachment 2310123

Wow! 20k for Documentation Support Charges ; what are they selling ? a Bentley?!

[Siddarth_Ramani]

As usual it is overpriced for what it offers. Essentially a blown up Compass. I don't know why it is being compared to Fortuner. One is a rock hard BOF SUV with 4x4 that can easily do 500,000 kms without breaking a sweat. The other one is a monocoque 7 seater SUV with AWD. Compass may be a good off-roader, but at the end of the day it's physics and there are limitations. Besides off-roading is not all about getting there, it's about being easy and cheap to fix on the go and if something happens. Taking a monocoque on hardcore trails? You must have an expensive insurance or fat bank balance.


If you take out off road quotient from meridian, you can see that XUV 700, Safari, Hector or even Alcazar offers almost same at a much cheaper price point. If you consider only off-roading, don't forget the new Scorpio is just around the corner.

Only USP I can see is being good to drive.

[Vidzy]

How and why are people calling this a Kodiaq killer? Kodiaq is much more superior to the Meridian in most aspects. The engine, the comfort, the drive quality, the road presence (Kodiaq at the moment is the best looking SUV on the road IMO).

Only place the Meridian wins maybe is that it comes in diesel.

[Maky]

Originally Posted by buntee90

Wow! 20k for Documentation Support Charges ; what are they selling ? a Bentley?!

These can be negotiated out, as I found out through others experiences with Compass.

[pd1108]

Personally, I saw the Meridian as a better alternative to the Compass. I was looking forward to it as it can take more luggage easily when four people plan a holiday. But now I am not sure if I would consider it. 6Lplus more than the Compass is a deal breaker and not having the features of the Kodiaq will keep it short of it. While mileage is of concern, how often do we do long distances to worry about fuel efficiency, we instead look for driving comfort, which the Kodiaq provides.

Good luck to Jeep with their Meridian