Jeep Meridian vs competitors: Prices, specs, features & more

Personally, the REAL alternative and interesting competitor to some of these products will be the 2022 Hyundai Tucson.

BHPian Axe77 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

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:

Skoda 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.

Toyota 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.

MG 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:

Citroen C5 Aircross:

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.

Volkswagen 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 Hyundai Tucson:

Personally, the REAL alternative and interesting competitor to some of these products will be the 2022 Hyundai 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 polarizing.

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