[EaurougeatSpa]

For folks looking at the meridian in Bangalore the dealer has an ongoing offer if you book this month - 1 lakh flat discount on the ex showroom price if you chose to pay in full without finance or go with your own finance option.
- 2 finance option facilitated by Jeep through Kotak Mahindra with 4.99% interest rate for 25 lakhs loan.
Confirmed delivery by end of month any color.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by EaurougeatSpa

For folks looking at the meridian in Bangalore the dealer has an ongoing offer if you book this month - 1 lakh flat discount on the ex showroom price if you chose to pay in full without finance or go with your own finance option.
- 2 finance option facilitated by Jeep through Kotak Mahindra with 4.99% interest rate for 25 lakhs loan.
Confirmed delivery by end of month any color.

This is great. Is this over and above the usual insurance correction they offer? If that’s so then its fantastic. Finally the Meridian is pulling the discounts that it ought to come with.

[soarersc300]

Originally Posted by EaurougeatSpa

For folks looking at the meridian in Bangalore the dealer has an ongoing offer if you book this month - 1 lakh flat discount on the ex showroom price if you chose to pay in full without finance or go with your own finance option.
- 2 finance option facilitated by Jeep through Kotak Mahindra with 4.99% interest rate for 25 lakhs loan.
Confirmed delivery by end of month any color.

There's discount in Mumbai Landmark as well, only if booked immediately and taken delivery this month. They are calling everyone who had taken the test drive is what I gathered from my conversation. Total discount is 2.88 lacs (2 lacs discount on ex-showroom price plus .88 lacs off the insurance, which technically isn't a discount but just making the insurance reasonably priced). 4x2 Limited (0) is 39.65 lacs on road in Mumbai after all discounts.

[EaurougeatSpa]

Originally Posted by Axe77

This is great. Is this over and above the usual insurance correction they offer? If that’s so then its fantastic. Finally the Meridian is pulling the discounts that it ought to come with.

I believe so. It also seems that you can swing more if you actually sit down to negotiate with an intention to close.

[revsperminute]

Drove to Gujarat and back in the Meridian. ~400km

Here are my observations after the drive.

Context- My usual companions on highway drives are German sedans. I drive almost 70% of my highway miles in my 1.8 TSI Octavia.

Engine/GB- While the engine has just enough grunt to not make the car feel lethargic, the overall tuning and the autobox behaviour made some situations quite cumbersome to manoeuvre. The highway right now is in pathetic condition. Hence I found myself slowing down from my usual cruising speed almost constantly. And pretty much every time I mashed the throttle to get back to speed, the 9-speed just crumbled. The car felt very laboured. Slow downshifts and reluctance to hold onto a gear made me just give up and cruise at speeds lower than I would usually do. In most other cars, I would put the gearbox into sport or flick down a couple of gears myself. But alas, no such feature on the Jeep.

Ride/Handling/Steering- The ride and handling package is surely and by far the best part of the Meridian. The car is very stable at ~100 km/h and irons out poor road surfaces at those speeds. I managed to avoid all the craters but hit a couple of small potholes at ~60km/h; the car maintained composure and I wasn’t particularly worried about any damage. The handling is best described as satisfactory for an SUV. Cars like these are not made to be corner carvers and the driver should keep that in mind. No nervousness during lane changes and minimal body roll was observed. The steering could be a tiny bit more communicative but to be honest, it fits the theme of the car.

Interior Amenities- The car is well appointed and the interiors feel very plush. No complaints at all. However, the sound system in the Kodiaq is far better.

Presence- The Jeep does make its presence felt on the highway. That being said, it’s nowhere close to a Fortuner or my GLE.

EOD Verdict- I wasn’t particularly tired after driving 400kms but I didn’t have a smile on my face either. The car is a very capable mile muncher as long as you take it easy. It’s not one to be hustled. Doing so will just make you frustrated. The Kodiaq at almost the same price is a much better option for spirited drivers. As for the fuel costs associated with running a 200hp petrol SUV, read on…

Surprise!!! After the drive, calculated the fuel economy figures to be around the 10 Km/L mark. Although FE figures don’t really upset my views on a car but I have seen better figures on a Fortuner without babying the loud pedal. How this car managed to guzzle so much fuel is beyond my understanding given that I drove with a relatively light foot and almost nil traffic.

[Machine_Mania]

Originally Posted by revsperminute

Surprise!!! After the drive, calculated the fuel economy figures to be around the 10 Km/L mark.

Surprise indeed! I did a 300 km stretch of my road trip yesterday. Returned a neat 13+ kmpl. Plenty of cruising + some bad / slow patches included + quite a bit of 2k-3k RPM overtaking.

I found the drive far less tiring than in a Fortuner. I swear I could’ve driven another 300 km if the day permitted.

Having driven a mix of sedans, compact SUVs and large SUVs previously - I feel due adjustments are needed in one’s expectations while pushing the pedal in a large SUV. I felt the JM does a great job of making one forget the bulk of the car.

Comparing the drive to either a German Sedan or the GLE is certainly keeping the bar high & if the JM comes out even satisfactory then I’d take that verdict any day!

Happy mile munching!

Originally Posted by viky_s

What all accessories should i go for from Mopar?
I am taking the Slush Mats and the Mud flaps.

Congratulations!

I took a few accessories - including sun shades & the cover. Tyre safety nuts, emergency hammer, ceramic coating, etc are other things you could consider.

I was recommended the side step as a practical utility which also prevented minor scratching/ scraping by two wheelers. I opted against it, and a few days later the car while stationary was slightly touched by a motorbike! Fortunately, only a negligible scratch - but I had an immediate flashback of the SA’s advice in a told-you-so tone

I’m considering getting the dash cam, since wiring etc would be done by Jeep itself.

Hope this helps!

[Gsynch]

I am actively considering Meridian FWD AT Diesel in Mumbai, use case is a typical urban dweller and a family of four. I found Meridian drive very comfortable with a nice cabin feel.

Kids are in love with the oodles of space and non jerky ride which was there in Fortuner that we test drove the very same day.

Icing on the cake is 2L discount (around 3L if you include Insurance "Discount") being offered if we book it now and take the delivery in September itself.

Has anyone come across any offer better than this on Meridian? Will it make sense to book now or take a chance and wait till year end to hope for deeper discounts? Appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

[Maky]

Originally Posted by Gsynch

Icing on the cake is 2L discount (around 3L if you include Insurance "Discount") being offered if we book it now and take the delivery in September itself.

Has anyone come across any offer better than this on Meridian? Will it make sense to book now or take a chance and wait till year end to hope for deeper discounts? Appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

A good question, perhaps need to wait a few months more to say for sure but the Meridian seems to be firmly headed for the 'flop' car monicker. I would personally wait till December for purchase, you most likely should be able to get better deals.
The car is riddled with unreliability and reeks clearly of an untested release, I do not see these issues being resolved customer confidence/sales improving in the near term. I am a big fan of the JC and was looking forward to the Meridian but it has been fairly disappointing seeing peoples breakdowns and niggles within weeks or a day of delivery in some cases.

I may also suggest you try out the Tucson. It is in the same price range after discount(On-road Bombay after your mentioned 3L) ~36L for the excellent Diesel engined variant of the Tucson and not the lethargic petrol. Unless your heart is set on the Jeep Meridian, which I cannot blame you as I too had it set on the Compass for probably the same reasons as you : )

[soarersc300]

Originally Posted by Gsynch

I am actively considering Meridian FWD AT Diesel in Mumbai, use case is a typical urban dweller and a family of four. I found Meridian drive very comfortable with a nice cabin feel.

Kids are in love with the oodles of space and non jerky ride which was there in Fortuner that we test drove the very same day.

Icing on the cake is 2L discount (around 3L if you include Insurance "Discount") being offered if we book it now and take the delivery in September itself.

Has anyone come across any offer better than this on Meridian? Will it make sense to book now or take a chance and wait till year end to hope for deeper discounts? Appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

Very difficult to guess whether the same or better offer will be available 3 months down the line. We have 3 months of dispatch data which has shown a decline from ~1400 to 400 in just 3 months and the car seems to be readily available so even some of the dispatched cars probably aren't sold yet. So if the company further reduced the dispatches in the coming months then the delaers may not have the excess inventory they may be holding today.

There was another offer of 4.99% interest rate. If you combine the 3 lacs discount and avail the reduced interest rate then it should be a no brainer to get the car in September itself, provided you are not considering alternatives.

Curious to know given your use case - did you consider XC40 recharge? It's about 15 lacs dearer but you would recover over 10 lacs in fuel and servicing savings driving 1 lac km (as per forum posts Meridian returns 8 to 12 kmpl in real world)

Kodiaq also is apparently available for booking and provides similar mileage in a more powerful and refined engine.

Keep us posted on what you eventually decided and what offers were availed. All the best.

[Gsynch]

Originally Posted by Maky

.

I may also suggest you try out the Tucson. It is in the same price range after discount(On-road Bombay after your mentioned 3L) ~36L for the excellent Diesel engine variant of the Tucson and not the lethargic petrol.

Tucson is a great choice, unfortunately I was not able to test drive the diesel variant as Sai Hyundai had petrol AT available and that experience was underwhelming. The Diesel Tucson 4x2 is costing 40L+ OTR without any discounts so far and the delivery time is 3 months onwards, which is not an issue per se but what if they decide to increase the prices (like everyone is doing nowadays) and make it even pricier.

While Meridian nos are started with 1400 dispatches but are averaging 400+ since last 3 months, and may look less but as compared to Kodiaq (1200 for the entire year) and Tucson is 2000-3000 for the entire year, looks even smaller. One bright side is that as a Tucson owner, I will be amongst the most premium Hyundai customer in India


There was another offer of 4.99% interest rate. If you combine the 3 lacs discount and avail the reduced interest rate then it should be a no brainer to get the car in September itself, provided you are not considering alternatives.

Curious to know given your use case - did you consider XC40 recharge? It's about 15 lacs dearer but you would recover over 10 lacs in fuel and servicing savings driving 1 lac km (as per forum posts Meridian returns 8 to 12 kmpl in real world)

Kodiaq also is apparently available for booking and provides similar mileage in a more powerful and refined engine. [/quote]

Either of these offers (4.99% finance offer, Max 25L finance for 3 years or 2Lacs + 90000 Insurance upfront discount) are available. Both can't be combined.

XC40 Recharge surely is a futuristic car but I am not prepared to go full EV at this stage and aspiring to own true blue ICE diesel one more time :-)

Kodiaq is not available anytime soon and the prices are almost 50 Lacs OTR, makes it 10+ Lacs more expensive than Meridian, not to forget available only in Petrol.

[revsperminute]

Originally Posted by Gsynch

I am actively considering Meridian FWD AT Diesel in Mumbai, use case is a typical urban dweller and a family of four. I found Meridian drive very comfortable with a nice cabin feel.

Kids are in love with the oodles of space and non jerky ride which was there in Fortuner that we test drove the very same day.

Icing on the cake is 2L discount (around 3L if you include Insurance "Discount") being offered if we book it now and take the delivery in September itself.

Has anyone come across any offer better than this on Meridian? Will it make sense to book now or take a chance and wait till year end to hope for deeper discounts? Appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

Doesn’t a compass make more sense in your usage scenario? Driving a huge car gets tiring in Bombay. Have you test driven one?

[One]

Originally Posted by Gsynch

...I was not able to test drive the diesel variant

Thane Modi Hyundai has the diesel, it will be worth a drive simply to experience that gearbox.

[Gsynch]

Originally Posted by revsperminute

Doesn’t a compass make more sense in your usage scenario? Driving a huge car gets tiring in Bombay. Have you test driven one?

We have TDed Compass 2-3 times, but every time the back seat (that's where two growing teenagers are going to be) felt cramped, narrow and when Wife sits in the back bench, she feels claustrophobic. Since now the difference between Compass Diesel AT and Meridian FWD AT is barely 2 odd lacs (Compass prices have gone up again from 1st Sept), we got interested in Meridian.

[EaurougeatSpa]

Originally Posted by Gsynch

I am actively considering Meridian FWD AT Diesel in Mumbai, use case is a typical urban dweller and a family of four. I found Meridian drive very comfortable with a nice cabin feel.

Kids are in love with the oodles of space and non jerky ride which was there in Fortuner that we test drove the very same day.

Icing on the cake is 2L discount (around 3L if you include Insurance "Discount") being offered if we book it now and take the delivery in September itself.

Has anyone come across any offer better than this on Meridian? Will it make sense to book now or take a chance and wait till year end to hope for deeper discounts? Appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

Welcome to the spiral. This is a long tunnel which will lead you to segments below and beyond your budgets. Enjoy the ride and go with your heart.
P.S based on your posts seems like you have fallen for the meridian

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Gsynch

I am actively considering Meridian FWD AT Diesel in Mumbai, use case is a typical urban dweller and a family of four. I found Meridian drive very comfortable with a nice cabin feel.

Kids are in love with the oodles of space and non jerky ride which was there in Fortuner that we test drove the very same day.

Originally Posted by Gsynch

We have TDed Compass 2-3 times, but every time the back seat (that's where two growing teenagers are going to be) felt cramped, narrow and when Wife sits in the back bench, she feels claustrophobic.

Perfectly understand your assessment of space too. We are usually 2 - 3 adults and 1 child in the car and I much prefer the airiness and larger internal space of the Meridian compared to the Compass. The boot too is just so much more spacious, specially for long road trips. We preferred the Meridian size and spec too for this reason over the Compass, despite the much inflated price difference between the two 4x4s.

Originally Posted by Gsynch

Has anyone come across any offer better than this on Meridian? Will it make sense to book now or take a chance and wait till year end to hope for deeper discounts? Appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

It could be cheaper. Then again, it may not be. If you’ve set your heart on it and want it, I don’t think anyone can second guess whether it’ll be cheaper, same or pricier come end of the year. Its a rare option that’s readily available, in a segment where each car seems overpriced and each has its own significant shortcomings.

If you’re really keen on it, go for it now. The 3L discount is a reasonable enough sweetener.

In terms of reliability (or lack of it), I don't think its better or worse than the current gen Compass. Mumbai at the least has a slightly better dealership & service via Landmark Andheri than compared to places like Pune where I’ve heard utter horror stories about Skymoto.