FCA Applied For ‘Meridian’ Name Trademark, For 7 Seat Compass?

2022 Jeep commander rendering front
Rendering

Jeep has filed trademark registration for its upcoming 7-seat SUV, which will be based on the Compass and will go on sale by mid-2022

The ever-increasing demand for the 7-seater SUVs is forcing carmakers to introduce longer iterations of their existing 5-seat crossovers with an extra row of seats. Jeep India is also preparing itself to follow this trend. The American carmaker has been testing the prototypes of the 7-seat Compass on the Indian roads lately.

Recently, the brand has filed a trademark registration for the name – Meridian, which is likely to be the market name for the 7-seat Compass. Internally codenamed as H6, the 7-seater iteration of the Compass might carry the Meridian badge.

Prototypes of the 7-seat Jeep Compass have been spotted numerous times on Indian soil. With the same underpinnings as the Jeep Compass, the Meridian is expected to come with the 2.0L diesel engine that does duties on its 5-seat sibling. The 2.0L 4-cylinder oil burner produces 170 horsepower and 350 Nm of max torque in the Compass and is speculated to makes its way to the Meridian in the same tune. Transmission options will include a 6-speed manual gearbox and a 9-speed automatic. Also, the higher trims will come with an AWD system.

FCA Meridian-2Styling-wise, the Meridian will draw heavy inspiration from the Compass and other models from the carmaker’s international lineup. Moreover, some panels are expected to come from the Compass’ part bin directly. With some additional length over the Compass, the Meridian will offer a stronger street presence. Also, it will boast of a longer wheelbase in comparison to the Compass. To offer sufficient room for the third-row occupants, Meridian will get an upright rear face which is likely to come shod with an LED light bar.

On the inside, the 7-seat Compass will come loaded to the brim. Like the 5-seater model that is currently on sale, the feature list will be tastefully long here. It will include a fully digital instrument console, power-operated tailgate, panoramic sunroof, power-adjustable & power-foldable ORVMs, 360-degree parking camera, wireless phone charger, and a massive 10-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with Android Auto & Apple Carplay. Also, a 6-seater variant will be a part of the lineup.

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Prices for the Jeep Meridian are expected to start somewhere around Rs. 25 lakh. Once launched, the Jeep Meridian will rival the likes of Toyota Fortuner, Hyundai Tucson, Volkswagen Tiguan AllSpace and more.