Jeep India has started the production of its Meridian SUV and also opened the official bookings. Those who are interested to buy can book the SUV by paying a token amount of Rs 50,000 at the company’s official website or by visiting authorised dealerships.
According to Jeep, the Meridian display and test drive vehicles will begin arriving at dealerships in mid-May, with customer deliveries beginning in June. Prices for the SUV are also likely to be disclosed next month. Jeep claims that the Meridian is 82 per cent localised, therefore pricing is projected to vary between Rs 34 lakh and Rs 38 lakh (ex-showroom, India).
The Jeep Meridian is essentially a seven-seat derivation of the Compass, with an overall length of 4769mm, giving it more road presence. The Meridian pulls a lot of aesthetic cues from Jeep’s foreign models, particularly the new Grand Cherokee, which is also coming to Indian shores later this year. It boasts Jeep’s distinctive multi-slatted grille upfront, as well as rectangular LED headlights on both sides with integrated LED DRLs. In addition, it sports a strong front bumper with a large air dam and two thick chrome trims going across the width.
In terms of features, the new SUV comes loaded with plenty of sophisticated features, including a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.1-inch touchscreen system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, wireless phone charger, electrically adjustable driver and passenger seats, panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, ventilated front seats, 360-view camera, connected car tech with Amazon Alexa support, to mention a few.
As for its powerplant, the 2022 Jeep Meridian will be powered by the same 2.0-litre Multijet diesel engine that is used in the Compass. This unit is capable of churning out 170 bhp and 350 Nm of max torque when coupled to a 6-speed manual or a 9-speed automatic transmission. Besides this, you will have the option of choosing front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. After being launched, the Meridian will lock horns with the likes of the Toyota Fortuner and MG Gloster.
