Jeep India will launch its upcoming 7-seater SUV – Meridian – in 2022, as a rival to VW Tiguan Allspace, Skoda Kodiaq, and Toyota Fortuner
Earlier this year, Jeep took the wraps off its Compass-based three-row SUV – Commander. Jeep Commander recently went on sale in the Brazilian market, and it will make its way to the Indian market in 2022, likely around the middle of the year. The India-spec model will be launched under the name ‘Meridian’, as Mahindra & Mahindra holds the trademark for ‘Commander’ in India.
The India-spec Jeep Meridian will have a few differences over the Brazil-spec Commander. The latter gets two engine options – a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine (170 PS/350 Nm) and a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine (185 PS/270 Nm, flex-fuel compatible). The diesel motor is paired to a 9-speed AT and 4×4 system, while the petrol mill comes with a 6-speed AT that drives the front wheels.
The Indian version will get a more powerful version of the 2.0L diesel motor, with around 200 PS of peak power and a mild-hybrid system. We’re not sure which petrol engine will be offered on this upcoming 7-seater SUV, if at all. To keep the prices competitive, Jeep will produce the Meridian in India.
Although the Meridian is based on the Compass, the exterior design has plenty of differences to tell them apart. The headlamps, front grille, taillights, and bumpers have all been restyled, and the dimensions are larger as well, including the wheelbase. The rear doors have been elongated, to ease ingress/egress into the last row seats.
The interior of the Meridian has a lot of similarities with the Compass, including the dashboard design, free-standing 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, etc. The interior colour theme and upholstery options are different though, offering a more premium feel over the 5-door model.
Jeep Meridian will offer a lot of other features, like electrically adjustable first-row seats, wireless phone charger, panoramic sunroof, automatic climate control, connected car tech, etc. It will get a lot of safety features as well, like seven airbags, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking system, lane keep assist, auto high-beam, e-parking brake, etc.