Living with the Jeep Meridian

Jeep has been soldiering in India for the longest time with the Compass and recently, the automaker braved to venture into the three-row SUV segment with the new Jeep Meridian. Armed with the strengths of its five-seat brethren, the Meridian is proposed as one of the affordable alternatives that offer a blend of Jeep’s legendary off-road DNA but with a touch of urbanity. It looks handsome, promises a spacious and comfortable cabin, and is infused with 4WD capability. But how is it to live with when it’s the only car in your garage? We recently spent a few days with the Meridian to find the answer to the question.

Yes, you may allude to the Jeep Meridian as the elongated version of its younger sibling, the Compass. And to uphold that statement, it’s also a good 364mm longer and has a wheelbase that is 146mm more. However, these numbers are crucial in making the Meridian a more practical SUV that also fits in the third row of seats, one of its many USPs.

Unlike other full-sized SUVs that are relatively taller making ingress/egress knee-bending labour, entering the Meridian is easy and effortless. You get powered front seats of which the driver-side seat will remember up to two seat positions, useful when the car is used by different people in the family. The cabin feels plush and upmarket and the dual-tone black and brown theme along with the soft-touch material on the centre of the dashboard and door pads do justify the premium price tag.

The seats at the front are cooled and offer a great shoulder and under-thigh support making long-distance commuting comfortable and cosy. However, we felt the cushioning was slightly hard and the seat ventilation system could have been a bit more hushed when in use. Having said that, all doors can fit one-litre bottles and the ones at the centre can hold two cups or half-litre bottles. There’s also a vertical slit where you can slide your mobile phone and the glovebox and the armrest have adequate space to stow away the knick-knacks.

In the second row, courtesy of the increased wheelbase, we really liked the extra legroom and the reclining function of the seats further adds to the overall convenience. And besides that, one USB port and a 12-volt point along with the massive panoramic sunroof and the armrest-mounted cup holders make it the most desired place in the car. On the flip side, the option of captain seats or even a sliding function for the rear seats could have made the second row a lot more usable.

To enter the third row, you do get a one-touch fold function which tumbles the middle-row seat. Sadly, getting inside is cumbersome due to the low roof and floor-placed seats. While these can be reclined, the space here is not suitable for adults. And even if you manage to squeeze one in, there’s barely any under-thigh support and your knees will constantly rub against the tall second-row seatback. Still, if you have passengers willing to sit in the third row, you do get two cupholders and roof-mounted aircon vents to keep them cool. We also noticed that the rear visibility is tight due to the narrow windscreen.

The one we drove was the top-spec Limited (O) trim and as compared to its rivals, the Meridian is decked up with heaps of modern features. The 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system sits atop the dashboard and we were impressed with the interface and usability of the system. Furthermore, the integrated maps have good graphics while the wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay work without any hiccups. While the display for the air conditioner is integrated into the centre screen, we liked how Jeep has kept the convenience of physical buttons on the dashboard. Then there is the fully digital instrument cluster which is coloured and throws up several pieces of information.

And that’s not all. The leather upholstery looks plush and features like the wireless charging pad work promptly for all modern-day mobile phones. For those with wired support, there’s also a USB Type-A and Type-C port in the first row. While the nine-speaker Alpine stereo system does make the music sound melodious, the mounted controls that are oddly placed behind the steering wheel do take some time to get used to. For the tech-savvy, the Jeep Life connected car tech application is really useful where you can review your driving behaviour, track your vehicle, and know the whereabouts of your Meridian.

Another interesting feature of the Meridian is the speed limiter function. What this does is, it lets you select a maximum driving speed. Quite a helpful feature when you are driving on a highway with speed restrictions or handover your SUV to the valet. Also, the button for the electric tailgate is located handily in the boot and there’s a second button above the IRVM which eases the operability when seated at the front. Given the nearly Rs 42 lakh on-road price for this 4x2 version, we feel that the inclusion of ADAS features along with the existing set of passive safety features could have made the Meridian a much more enticing proposition.

The Meridian is powered by the familiar 2.0-litre diesel engine that churns out 168bhp and 350Nm of peak torque. In the front-wheel drive automatic guise that we tested as per CarWale parameters, the SUV returned a real-world fuel efficiency of 10.09kmpl in the city and 14.49kmpl when on the highway loop. Bear in mind that the Meridian weighs 1,850kg and has a fuel tank capacity of 60litres.

Now, let’s be honest. Even though the Meridian has excellent off-road capability, a majority of its buyers will either drive or be chauffeured around in the urban jungle. And we are happy to report that the monocoque underpinnings of the Meridian shine in this aspect as well. The Meridian does not feel colossal and is easy to drive in the city. There are fewer vertical movements and although there is an underlying firmness, the ride quality over rough and broken roads at slow speeds is well absorbed and does not filter inside the cabin.

That said, the nine-speed automatic gearbox is not the quickest and is a bit lazy to respond to the immediate up and down shift demands. It does a commendable job cruising at city speeds, but when you need that sudden boost in power during quick overtakes, is when the drivetrain takes its own sweet time to get going. Yes, there is a manual mode to take charge, but things don’t really get better and the absence of paddle shifters is surely felt.

Given the 4.7metre length of the Meridian, the 360-degree camera does make parking in tight parallel and perpendicular spots smooth. The video quality is decent and you also get five different camera angles with guiding lines to aid parking without having to step down and check the corners.

If your weekend trip is limited to five travellers, the Meridian is the perfect SUV for the journey. With the last row of seats folded flat down, it frees up generous luggage space. You can fit in one medium and one large size suitcase along with a couple of duffle and shopping bags. However, if you have two more friends who insist on joining you for the jaunt, the boot space is good for only two duffle bags.

Moreover, the space for the added two occupants at the rear is finite. While the seats do get a recline function, the seats are low and the tall second-row seats mean the passengers will have a knees-up position. Having said that, the Meridian has impressive road manners and is an ideal mile-muncher. It feels planted at highway speeds and should you encounter any unexplored terrain, the Meridian will traverse through it without breaking a sweat.

The Jeep Meridian comes with a standard warranty of three years/1 lakh kilometres which is at par with its prime rivals, the Toyota Fortuner and MG Gloster. And should you want additional peace of mind, the warranty can be extended further by two years or 50,000 kilometres.

Other ancillaries include unlimited towing support, passenger travel assistance, and Mopar’s three-year maintenance program.

Unlike the rugged and brawny appeal that we Indians like in the SUVs, the Jeep Meridian takes a more sophisticated approach. It looks smart, has a well-appointed cabin packed with modern features, and has outstanding on and off-road manners. Not to mention, the diesel powertrain is frugal and capable too. Yes, it does have shortcomings like limited seating options, cramped third-row space, and perhaps even a petrol powertrain.

With the aggressive price tag of Rs 34.30 lakh (ex-showroom) for this 4x2 automatic version, it also undercuts many of its rivals by a significant margin making it a sensible and also easy to live-with-choice in the segment.

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi