Jeep India recently organized an event in which they have confirmed the launch of the updated Wrangler as well as the Meridian facelift
The Jeep Meridian is positioned as a 3-row version of the Jeep Compass, and it is aimed at products like the Skoda Kodiaq, Toyota Fortuner, and MG Gloster here in India. The new Meridian facelift is expected to get a mild update with respect to design and this will include new front and rear bumpers, along with slight changes in the shape of the headlights and taillights. The cabin design and the dashboard layout may remain the same with a few tweaks here and there along with some new upholstery.
As is the norm these days, the facelifts will get more features and creature comforts to justify the price hike and the Meridian facelift also will get the latest features like front and rear dashcam, air purifier, panoramic sunroof, a larger 10.2-inch touchscreen infotainment, dual-zone climate control, reclinable second and third-row seats, ambient lighting, and wireless charger.
The safety factor which is already high on the Meridian will remain so with features like ESP, traction control, 6 airbags, TPMS, hill hold and hill descent control, electronically locking differential, etc. In India, Jeep offers the Meridian with only one engine which is a 2.0-litre oil-burner that produces 170 bhp of power and 350Nm of torque.
The engine is mated either to a 6-speed manual transmission or a 9-speed torque converter as the automatic transmission. As per reports, the facelift may debut along with a Petrol engine which is still in the works and this engine will first be tested on the Compass before making it to the Meridian facelift.
Interestingly, in Brazil, the Meridian is called as the Commander and it gets a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine that puts out 185 bhp of power, which may be the same engine to debut on the Meridian Facelift here in India, but this will be launched at a later date which will be in 2025. The Commander facelift in Brazil will be getting the Wrangler’s 2.0-litre turbo petrol which produces 272 bhp of power but we are sure that won’t make it to India.
Currently, the outgoing model of the Jeep Meridian sells between Rs 33.60 lakh – 39.66 lakh (ex-showroom) and is now available with benefits of up to Rs 2.8 lakh this month. The facelift will obviously receive a price hike which hopefully will be justifiable based on what’s new. For which we will have to wait until the launch of the Jeep Meridian Facelift.