[sunikkat]

Saw Meridian in Nice road Electronic City entrance in Bangalore. Did not look like a test drive vehicle or personal one. Mostly it might be dealer dispatch, as the driver was in a blue uniform.

Now coming to the car, it’s a white one and upfront looked really good with bright DRLs and blackened elements. I mistook it for Compass until I saw the side profile. Other than front the overall stance looked bit weird for me. Did not find the design impressive - might be because I hate that long and less wide look. I was never a fan of first gen Endeavour or previous gen Superb. And Meridian gave me a feel of those cars.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by rishi_kapoor

What I meant was that with second row up, I was able to sit in 3rd row with my knee just touching the seat ahead. So on long drives it will be uncomfortable for adults.

Hey Rishi.

Are you buying the Meridian finally? I assume it’ll be stop gap to an X7 or something?

Also, any plans of riding in the hills in the immediate future?

Best,
A.

[rishi_kapoor]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Hey Rishi.

Are you buying the Meridian finally? I assume it’ll be stop gap to an X7 or something?

Also, any plans of riding in the hills in the immediate future?

Best,
A.

Yup. 2 new cars awaited in next few weeks

Of course, hills are on calendar too!

[samm]

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

Even mine. I was a Jeep customer for 3 years, and while the product was largely trouble-free, but somehow never got the peace of mind that Fortuner has given me in last 8 months. The dual clutch heating up did not help too.

I had attended the unveiling program at my nearby Jeep outlet, and frankly I was disappointed to see a big longer compass, though some reviews had indicated a little larger dimensions. Very cramped interiors though good quality interiors. I dont care about the sunroof or the other features which are hardly used. Third row is only for kids, and my knees were literally at my ears in the 3rd row. and pathetic boot space if third row has to be used.

Fortuner any day! To me, Crysta and Fortuner (except for the atrociously priced GRS, and Legender), looks value for money now.

[VRJ]

Even though I wasn’t a fan of how Jeep priced the Meridian, I still went ahead and checked out the Meridian a couple of days back. That’s how desperate I am to find a replacement to our 2018 MT Fortuner. The first thing I asked the SA is the price and the feature difference between the compass and the Meridian. He gave me the price and told me the feature set is the same. I asked him what am I getting for the extra 8L I’m paying and he gave me a simple answer. Dimensions are bigger sir . Right, let’s move on to the car.



There’s no way you can compare the road presence of a Fortuner to a Meridian. I feel the Innova and Safari have better road presence than the Meridian. The doors definitely don’t feel as heavy and sturdy as a Fortuner and you don’t have that thud feeling like you get in a Kodiaq. The front is alright, the side profile and rear I’m not a fan. If you’re stretching the car, maybe make it taller or else it’ll look like a MPV. The alloys looks great though. Another thing I like is the dashboard and the front seats. It’s better than the all black interior of the Compass. The seats feel firm and offer good support. The switches/keys are meh. They’re a bit flimsy, same as compass. It’s the rear seats that is a deal breaker to me. It’s just a packaging fail. I’m 6’2 and I cannot sit behind myself. My knees touch the front seats. There’s very low foot room, which to me is very important. Why haven’t Jeep given us a sliding middle row is beyond me. If you’re thinking I’m too tall to sit comfortably in a middle row, my sub 4m Baleno has acres of space, the Taigun/Kushaq has a lovely backseat where I can stretch my legs (better than the Fortuner tbh). My dad accompanied me and he straight away felt the middle row to be tight and felt long journeys are not doable. Headroom is disappointing as well. I’ll probably end up breaking the panoramic sunroof with my own head if the driver misses a big speed-breaker. There’s no point in discussing the third row. It’s for 5 year old kids. I see the Meridian as a four seater with good cargo space. Fortuner has a better third row. We’re a tall family, so for us, even our Fortuner is a four seater. I believe the Meridian is an ultra premium car for a couple with young kids.





There was no test drive available. The dealer only got two demo cars. He’s not sure when he can offer one to drive. Five minutes in and he wanted me to book the car. When my dad and I sat in the middle row and the disappointment was clearly evident on our faces, the SA silently slides the front row and says very spacious back seat sir. Hahaa smart SA. The only complaint my friend, who owns the Safari, is that the power is inadequate on full load while driving in the ghats. He needs to use sport mode. We drove to Deomali in Sep, 2021. Four friends in the Safari and two in my Thar. The Safari struggled while driving up the inclines. Not sure how the Compass is with its 9 speed transmission.

Coming to the pricing, in my earlier post in this thread, I compared the Meridians pricing to the Safari. After reading a couple of comments on this thread, I thought maybe it’s unfair to draw up conclusions without seeing the car in flesh. Well, I did and I 100% stand by my initial judgment. The middle row of the Safari is definitely better than the Meridian. A good friend of mine has one and I’ve travelled in the middle row a couple of times. It’s not Taigun good, but it’s certainly better than the Meridian. The third row of the Safari is better as well. I just don’t see where the extra 12L is going if someone chooses the Meridian over the Safari apart from better highway stability, interiors and the Jeep badge. The difference between Harrier and Safari is below 2L. Safari is bigger and has more features than Harrier. The extra price is 100% justified. However, the extra you pay for the Meridian just isn’t. I wish all that extra length went in to making the best middle row in the segment.

My dad had no idea about the Compass and Meridian pricing initially. After I told him the pricing and how the Safari, Harrier and Hector have the very same engine, he just laughed and said I’d rather buy another Fortuner (only if it had better low speed ride, which it unfortunately doesn’t). His wishful thinking is compass should’ve been 30L and Meridian 33-35L. His logic was if it’s the same engine, Jeep certainly has a brand name that can be monetised and it should’ve been priced similar to the Safari and the Meridian 3-4L more. Maybe in some multiverse, that is a reality and Jeep is setting the sale charts on fire, lol. The pricing comparison is strictly a personal opinion and if you think it’s worth the price, then you should go for it.

Meridian is officially off my list. I don’t currently see any other alternative to our Fortuner with a budget of 50L. So, we put our plan to upgrade on hold. RAV4, Innova Hybrid and maybe the next gen Fortuner are the cars that I'm considering and are on my list to watch out for.

Cheers!

[Revvman]

Hello Bhpians,

In spite of having read most of the reviews and showroom visit updates and knowing pretty much what to expect, still went and saw the Meridian in person today at Landmark Jeep Noida. With all due respect to prospective owners and people considering it, I was just left perplexed with only one question "What has Jeep tried to do with this car in India and what's the intent?"

Except for the car's beautiful front fascia and longer side profile, I couldn't exactly figure out how is it any different from the Compass in either comfort or features, and having to pay a whopping 8L difference between the top end models, it might take some convincing for the SAs to sell this car.

While no test drive was available, my quick observations as below:
- front seats felt comfortable, but not large,
- not sure about others, but roof lining seemed too close to the head. Could possibly be because of the stuck seat adjustment as battery was dead. However, from inside, there's absolutely "NO" big car feeling,
- 2nd row would seat 2 comfortably and 3 adults can travel for 2-3 hours comfortably, but any duration over that and you'll need to switch the middle passenger to the window side soon. Also, the floor board seems to have been raised for better ground clearance and it does affect the overall comfort negatively as knees feel slightly up,
- 3rd row is a joke. I just wonder why Jeep even put those seats up there. Not even kids would feel welcome,
- the car definitely gives that continental car "solid build" feeling and interior quality feels top notch.

[for_cars1]

I checked out the Meridian Auto 4x2 and did a test drive of the manual top end (O) and here are my observations.

1) Manual top end is about 41Lakhs, Auto 4x2 (O) is about 43Lakhs and top end 4x4 auto is 47 Lakhs OTR Bangalore.

2) The car felt very well put together and doors feel like vaults, pretty sturdy built. The pricing seems to be ok given the overall build quality of the Meridian. In comparison the Fortuner (the outer panels and plastics) felt very tinny and flimsy built. Definitely the manufacturing cost of the Meridian is higher than the cost of the Fortuner and the pricing felt alright. The Meridian is definitely the more premium vehicle. Its just very solid.

3) The SA mentioned that the Manual version comes with timing chain in the engine and the automatic has a belt. So the manual would not have that belt replacing event at around 70K KM.

4) 15K KM sevice intervals/yearly service, 3 years/1Lakh KM warranty and upto 2 years extendable.

5) The middle row legroom is a bit tight for tall occupants. I wonder why FCA skimped on the sliding middle row, removed the 3 point seat belt for the mid passenger and removed adjustable headrest for the middle passenger. They could have just provided it as the Commander comes with these.
Come on FCA, when the Indian customer can pay 41 to 47 Lakhs for this SUV, they can pay a couple of more lakhs for the above mentioned skimped features - 3 point belt, head rest and sliding row.

6) But the Meridian has a far far premium interior compared to the Fortuner. Ergonomics are also spot on.

7) The last row is a bit cramped with knees up sitting. It can be used for short commutes (upto 2 to 3 hours). But the luggage bay with the last row folded is very flexible and large for long journeys.

8) Coming to the drive, the clutch pedal is very close to the brake pedal.
They could have done away with the left foot rest and spaced the clutch pedal to a bit more to the left. Maybe a matter of getting used to, but the B and C pedals are too close to each other compared to the norm.

9) The Manual version felt very sprighty and power delivery is brisk and effortless and very linear with no turbo lag. Also the way it went over bumps and undulations on the road was pretty refined and very comfortable. The manual transmission is an ideal vehicle for long interstate travel across the country. It sure will make an effortless drive.

10) The manual is a pretty fast vehicle and not at all under powered.
Very refined diesel too. The manual should be pretty fuel efficient and it definitely felt fun to drive.

Originally Posted by VRJ

....That’s how desperate I am to find a replacement to our 2018 MT Fortuner. ...

Just curious why the Fortuner is being replaced in just 4 years. Is it because its a manual?

[bullitt1]

Originally Posted by for_cars1

I checked out the Meridian Auto 4x2 and did a test drive of the manual top end (O) and here are my observations.

Good to know on the driving part that the car feels fast. From which dealer did you take a test drive?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Received the Accessory Brochure for the Meridian and, interestingly, it seems to have quite a few more additions than what was on offer with the Compass.

Hopefully the same is made available for the Compass soon.

[sid3091]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Received the Accessory Brochure for the Meridian and, interestingly, it seems to have quite a few more additions than what was on offer with the Compass.

Hopefully the same is made available for the Compass soon.
[/ATTACH]

I really hope this becomes available for the compass. I'd love to have ambient lighting (ideally integrated with the infotainment system).

I'd probably get the official dash cam as well, considering it's a pain attaching my blaupunkt to the rear 12v socket.

[Night Raven]

Attended the official unveil of the meridian at HYSON Jeep Kottayam last evening. While the program was neatly organised the car failed to impress me especially considering the on road prices. I am saying this as a very satisfied compass owner.

The RM who was presenting very proudly announced the Meridian will be competing with the Fortuner, but under the covers it looked just like a compass. Actually it was hard to believe it wasn’t a Compass there under the covers. Once the covers were taken off, my first thought was this looks similar to a Tiguan in overall size. The front end looks like a more elegant version of the compass, and everything else looks same till the 2nd row of seats.
I tried getting on to the 3rd row. While the entry and exit wasn’t a problem, sitting there was. At 5 feet 11 inches and around 75kgs, I don’t consider myself bulky at all. So I could fit within the confined space, but my knees were almost at the level of my shoulders. The only other place I have had to sit similarly is probably an Indian style toilet seat. I think even my 4 year old daughter will have to sit in a ‘knees up’ position on the 3rd row. May be I can argue she will be comfortable with her car seat placed on the third row, but I don’t find another use case for it.

I feel meridian is at best a compass with a larger boot space, calling it 7 seater and fortuner rival is mocking yourself. Good luck convincing buyers to spend 35 lakhs and above on this

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by VRJ

The doors definitely don’t feel as heavy and sturdy as a Fortuner

Originally Posted by for_cars1

In comparison the Fortuner (the outer panels and plastics) felt very tinny and flimsy built.

Very interesting to see two strikingly contrasting views on build quality, compared to the Fortuner

Originally Posted by for_cars1

The SA mentioned that the Manual version comes with timing chain in the engine and the automatic has a belt. So the manual would not have that belt replacing event at around 70K KM.

This is the first time I am hearing about two different engines for M/T vs. A/T That SA sure has a lot of homework to do.

[varunswnt]

Originally Posted by VRJ

The only complaint my friend, who owns the Safari, is that the power is inadequate on full load while driving in the ghats. He needs to use sport mode. We drove to Deomali in Sep, 2021. Four friends in the Safari and two in my Thar. The Safari struggled while driving up the inclines. Not sure how the Compass is with its 9 speed transmission.

If I read this correctly, you are referring that Safari AT was struggling in City driving mode going up inclines? And switching to Sports mode just managed to resolve it to some extent?

Apologies for going off-topic, I don't intend to highjack this thread but would really help me in getting perspective. Next year I am planning new car.

[Contrapunto]

Originally Posted by VRJ

Meridian is officially off my list. I don’t currently see any other alternative to our Fortuner with a budget of 50L. So, we put our plan to upgrade on hold. RAV4, Innova Hybrid and maybe the next gen Fortuner are the cars that I'm considering and are on my list to watch out for.

Cheers!

You are channeling my angst Sir !! Unfortunately Innova Hybrid will be a FWD monocoque. It will surely be well built, but it will be a different beast with the same name......Next gen Fortuner will also surely be more expensive than the current one. Just look at what happened to Prado over the last 10 years of its life in India....

Love the RAV4, been driven in it in USA (RAV4 Hybrid, with the awesome electrically driven 2 wheels which make it a AWD). When will it launch in India? Not sure. If Toyota makes it a full import like the Prius, it will not land at less than 60 lakhs OTR is my assumption.

[spkrnh]

Just penning my drive impression of the Meridian 4x2 as an owner of Compass prefacelift trailhawk. I regularly drive my friend's Model S too, so i am in touch with the facelift as well.

1. Looks : Front looks smashing. It looks more Junior Grand Cherokee than Compass.
Rear and side, has a slightly station-wagonish look.

2. Interior : Quality is good. It feels well screwed together. There was no obvious rattles yet. Equipment is similar to Compass. I read somewhere in the previous posts that there was no ventillated seats. Just to clarify, seat ventillation is present and functions well.
Brown interior will not get soiled easily but looks more dull than the beige. No front parking sensors but 360 camera was pretty detailed for this segment. Audio was also good.

3. Rear seat : Seats are higher than Compass with good thigh support. Seat recline was only 10-15 degrees but added better comfort. i feel the space is not any improvement over the Compass.
It has been highlighted repeatedly in this group, and i cannot stress enough that a sliding rear seat would have made a great difference. None of the SUV'S in this segment have a great 3rd row, even Fortuner, but it is really poor in the Meridian.
Especially with the great suspension, better seat space would have made a great difference to rear seat experience.

4. Performance : Sluggish. My trailhawk feels more sluggish than the regular Model S and this felt slightly slower than my car too. You have to adapt a slightly heavy on pedal driving style like the old Astra and not feather it.
But it is not a deal breaker definitely and has adequate pickup. Gearshifts are smooth and refinement is better than Compass. But a more powerful engine would have been great.

5. Ride and handling : Ride felt better than my Compass which feels a notch better than Model S on 18 inch wheels. Same indestructible feel going over bad roads at speeds. Compared to Compass which rocks side to side at very low speeds but feels much better going over the same road at >30kmph, the Meridian rocks much lesser at low speeds.
Steering is also lighter but weighs up very well as speed rises.
Highway stability at triple digit speeds is fantastic.

Anyone who buys this car over the Fortuner, XUV and Gloster, this is where they will appreciate the maximum difference.

Overall : In isolation, a great car. But i dont see any reason to get this over the Compass for 8 lakhs extra since the added length has not added any space in the second row. Ideally the price should have been 4 lakhs cheaper.