[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by car-o-holic

Any further updates from the owners on their current experiences?

We took another test drive and gearbox response does not seem to be a deal breaker but we are still on the fence for now!
With our other booking for MG ZS EV taking forever and delivery being postponed to Aug end or Sep, leaning a bit more toward the Meridian!

Request recent owners to please share their experience over the last few weeks which would provide more insight.

Honestly these 2 cars are poles apart - while ZS is a great city car, fast and with range anxiety on highways, Meridian is more like a relaxed tourer which can take you to places without worry. So slightly strange (do not mean to offend please) these 2 are being compared as final choice.

Though I am not a fan of Meridian (would prefer Compass instead), I still feel Meridian has a character which ZS cannot match. So my suggestion would be Meridian over ZS every single time.

[car-o-holic]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

So slightly strange (do not mean to offend please) these 2 are being compared as final choice.

Though I am not a fan of Meridian (would prefer Compass instead), I still feel Meridian has a character which ZS cannot match. So my suggestion would be Meridian over ZS every single time.

Thank you very much sunikkat!

Our other cars are Honda BRV (Looking to replace this) and a Seltos DCT.

It is indeed a strange choice to be honest because we are looking for something which is at least a little exclusive and should not be a headache to own! We need it for city driving of ~20 km on a daily basis but something that is plush and brings a smile on our face every time we get into the car!

If we go with MG, we will use it as a city car and stick to our Seltos as a highway cruiser for our road trips (one every quarter, ~1000 kms).
Somewhere we feel with the Meridian, it can play the role of both a city car and highway cruiser!

[Akshay6988]

Is there any other variant of the Meridian in the planning ??

I'm asking this because I saw one last Sunday, on Pune Solapur highway. There's a slight uphill after Bhigwan where slow trucks usually occupy both lanes. So I got good look at the test mule, fully camouflaged. How do I know it was the Merridian ? Well it was having production spec headlights and taillights plus the stance easily gave away ! There was no tailpipe emission contraptions on the back of it, so I'm not sure which variant it could be. Once the gap opened up, he was gone in seconds !

[Venkatesh]

Jeep India has delivered over 400 Meridian units across the country.

https://youtu.be/r2VZx5-zH20

[ChetanM6]

There is no activity on this thread other than the first set of deliveries . Looks like no one is considering this car in their purchase decision here

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by ChetanM6

There is no activity on this thread other than the first set of deliveries . Looks like no one is considering this car in their purchase decision here

There was some subsequent activity on my Meridian ownership thread.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ip-review.html (My First SUV | The Jeep Meridian 4x4 Limited (O) Automatic | Initial Ownership Review)

Having said that, you're right, actual sales of this vehicle do seem to be muted.

There's a small chance that it could be a bit of a late bloomer as more people might see value in it with trickling owner experiences (if fingers crossed these are positive).

The other spanner in the works is the Tucson launch, which though not a direct competitor is bound to create some cross shopping between both Compass and Meridian prospectives.

[rajneeesh]

Jeep has priced the Meridian so high that a lot of people will be turned off by the price. After the initial diehards have bought the vehicle, the sales will be a trickle. I don't expect it to sell more than 100-150 units after the initial 2- 3 months.

[Gsynch]

If Hyundai prices Tucson at a premium (I have a hunch Hyundai will), it will make both Compass and Meridian look VFM and may bring back the interests / conversations back to this thread :-)

We don't have too many choices in both these segments.

[Jainudit]

Bought a 4X2 Limited O model last week and have driven it around the city mainly.

The car is comfortable to drive and does feel much more premium than the Fortuner for sure. The middle row is extremely comfortable with great under thigh support. Best so far for me and I have really compared that with a lot of cars before buying as this was very important. The driving feel is slightly sluggish in the city honestly, Jeep could have done better in giving it a bit of a punch in lower gears with some high revving but dont know how that would have played on fuel economy. The driving stance is comfortable with a good view of the surroundings though the A pillars are quite wide due to safety reasons.

Overall, I think Jeep should have priced it about 4-5 lakhs lower. It is definitely overpriced for what it has to offer. For a 40L plus car, I expect a lot more premium feel & features and more driving comfort.

[sunikkat]

Legender vs. Meridian comparison by Autocar

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-com...Kg64&fs=e&s=cl

Overall Meridian is a good package. But that 0 to 140 timing will definitely be concerning for many. Just wish they had got a higher state of tune, which would have made the proposition more attractive.

[achyutaghosh]

Originally Posted by Jainudit

Overall, I think Jeep should have priced it about 4-5 lakhs lower.

At 4-5 lakhs lower, Jeep offers you the Compass.

But i agree, it is overpriced by a few lakhs. Unfortunately, Jeep looks at the Meridian as an all new model- and in that perspective, i think it is all alone in thinking so because for consumers, it actually is Compass+2 kids. The only company that priced it's 7 seater variants well is perhaps Tata with its Harrier-Safari duo. Prices are 1 lakh apart, give or take.

Is poor pricing the only reason for the lukewarm response to the car? Think it is more than that. As you pointed out, at 40 lakhs, people expect more desirability in terms of say engine performance upgrade, space, and unique features beyond just an upholstery update. Even existing Compass owners will have two thoughts before thinking of upgrading to the Meridian

[Jainudit]

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

At 4-5 lakhs lower, Jeep offers you the Compass.

The only company that priced it's 7 seater variants well is perhaps Tata with its Harrier-Safari duo. Prices are 1 lakh apart, give or take.

Absolutely, that's why if Meridian was maybe 2 or 3 lakh rupee more than the compass, variant to variant, then would have had many more takers. Jeep should have added some more premium features as well like a head-up display, better branded music system etc which are there in a lot of lower segment cars these days. I shouldn't complain now that I have bought the car but honestly I cant say I am 100% satisfied with my purchase.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

At 4-5 lakhs lower, Jeep offers you the Compass.

Actually, no. In fact, such a pricing would still have been palatable.

The difference is almost a full 9 lakhs at my local dealership -
Jeep Compass Model S 4*4 AT - 37.94 lakhs
Jeep Meridian Limited(o) 4*4 AT - 46.75 lakhs.

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

The only company that priced it's 7 seater variants well is perhaps Tata with its Harrier-Safari duo. Prices are 1 lakh apart, give or take.

The dimensions of the Jeep Compass - Meridian duo is significantly different compared to Harrier - Safari duo.

Meridian - Compass = 391mm
Safari - Harrier = 63mm

Jeep extended the Compass platform 6 times more than what TATA did to create their 7-seater. A slightly higher asking price over the Compass would have been understandable.

I thought a 5L on road difference was pushing their luck to the maximum, but 9 lakhs is just hilarious!

[achyutaghosh]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

The difference is almost a full 9 lakhs at my local dealership -

Woah! Did not realize that. This is hopeless pricing IMHO, and discounts should start once the market cools down. This also may lead to Jeep India being in the same spot as before- with a one trick pony.
Where does it go from there?

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

The dimensions of the Jeep Compass - Meridian duo is significantly different compared to Harrier - Safari duo.
Jeep extended the Compass platform 6 times more than what TATA did to create their 7-seater

But both are 7 seaters at the end of it. Indicates 2 things-

1. How right sized Harrier was in the first place
2. How poorly packaged the Compass was in the first place

Safari does provide a few extras over the Harrier i guess- 18 inch wheels, EPB, rear discs etc, which sweetens the deal over the Harrier. Does the Meridian offer anything extra over the Compass other than the 3rd row?

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

The difference is almost a full 9 lakhs at my local dealership -
Jeep Compass Model S 4*4 AT - 37.94 lakhs
Jeep Meridian Limited(o) 4*4 AT - 46.75 lakhs.

Exactly. I’m pretty clear they’ve priced the Meridian 3 - 4 lakh more than what it should be. The price difference on road between the two (S diesel AT vs Limited O diesel AT, each 4x4, should have been max 3-4L IMO. Not 1-1.5 like Harrier / Safari I feel but max 3-4L, not the laughable ~8 odd lakh that it is now.

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

But both are 7 seaters at the end of it. Indicates 2 things-

1. How right sized Harrier was in the first place
2. How poorly packaged the Compass was in the first place

Bang on. The Harrier is a generous sized 5 seater while the Compass is indeed unduly compact for its price and segment. Frankly, if the Compass had been 10-15% bigger and at the same price as it is now, I’d have been much more inclined to actively consider the Compass. I really only need a Tucson sized “comfortable” 5 seater ideally. That’s where I also feel this LWB Tucson is going to be viewed very favourably by a number of prospective customers in this segment, provided again they don’t go bonkers with pricing.

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

Does the Meridian offer anything extra over the Compass other than the 3rd row?

Linking two extracts from my own ownership thread. The first extract is what I perceived when I compared the Compass and Meridian from a purchase standpoint.

The second one is from when I took a friend with his S/AT Compass along with my Meridian and both of us compared notes from driving and sitting around in the two cars. The differences, in some detail, are spelt out in both our reviews as well as the comparo images and the difference is reasonably significant. Personally I feel much more than the Harrier vs Safari.

Originally Posted by Axe77

7. Compass
The Meridian pricing is a funny thing. When you look at the Kodiaq, Tiguan etc and what they offer, one could argue that the Meridian is no better or no worse priced than any of these options. On the other hand, one can’t help but ponder that at the end of the day, one is paying 8L more than the Compass for:
# a bigger boot;
# a more comfortable second row;
# a better tuned engine that feels distinctly smoother;
# slightly more pleasant interiors with that incredibly tasteful mocha finish; and
…
well, that’s it!

You can play alphabet soup all day long with C segment and D segment tags, but from a functional standpoint, the Meridian presents a larger Compass with a very limited use third row, even though it does create significant design differentiation while doing so. I don’t consider this a long haul 3 row people mover by any ‘stretch’ (pun intended), although it can serve to seat your least favourite child on the odd occasion.

With this price to value equation in mind, I did test drive the Compass one more time to see if I’m ok with living with that interior size rather than blow an ~8L rupee hole for the larger Meridian. Test driving it back to back, both wife and I were clear - the additional space in the Meridian was a must have and much welcome.
8L welcome? No.
But did we want to pay 37L and buy into the Compass with its tight internal footprint. No!

We also felt that the drive of the Meridian was distinctly ‘smoother’ than the Compass, perhaps down to some slightly different tuning that its been given - another key factor.

Originally Posted by Axe77

The Meridian vs the Compass | 2021 Compass 4x4 S A/T owner’s take on the Meridian

Axe77’s comparison review:

I’ve now driven the Compass and Meridian back to back on two occasions. Once with the test drive cars of Jeep and the other time was my pal’s Compass and my Meridian.
# The first thing off the bat that’s evident is that the Meridian is smoother to drive than the Compass. I’m not sure what aspect of tuning has achieved this, but this is undoubtedly the case.
# While both sport the same engine specs, I have not found the Meridian slower than the Compass in any respect.
# Ride, handling and suspension characteristics are a hint improved over the Compass.
# While one might be arguably a derivative of the other, the Meridian has its own distinctive look and feel. Calling it an elongated compass in totality would be doing the Meridian a disservice (although even I’ve used that phrase in a limited context).
# The interiors definitely feel a touch nicer, thanks to the additional room inside and the choice of colors.
# Some nice internal touches that I’ve covered elsewhere are the niche in the centre storage that can hold a phone and the side cladding in the centre console where one can rest one’s knee.
# The 2nd row is more comfortable than the Compass, with a little extra width, although the Meridian should ideally have been a hint wider than it is to enhance passenger comfort for three abreast in the 2nd row.
# While both cars are handsome in their own right, I find the Compass the better looker with its taut design and better proportions. The chrome overkill on the Meridian only enhances this further in favour of the Compass.
# The Meridian clearly enjoys a higher ground clearance too. Handy for an SUV.

Overall, there is no doubt that the Meridian does improve on the Compass in many important areas. Its just that in terms of segment and price differentiation, that difference is not worth the 8L difference in the asking on road price. At best a 3/3.5L difference between the two would be justifiable in my opinion. This is particularly relevant given that the Compass itself is overpriced to begin with.

Comparison via pictures