[achyutaghosh]

Originally Posted by AB10

Totally agree with this. The Compass and the Meridian are definitely premium cars however, they are grossly overpriced.

Meridian pricing yet to be announced . If i were to hazard a guess, would keep in mind that top end Compass 4x4 S has a 30.XX lakh ex showroom price, while 4x4 Fortuner auto is priced at INR 40.XX lakh.

Jeep has gone all out to explain that the Meridian is an all new product, and not a Compass+2 And with cars like Kodiaq selling at 36-38.5 lakh with a petrol engine, think Jeep would also look at that range, or a bit more for the higher variants of the Meridian, which will be available at launch. Lower variants may come in later, along with petrol options that may start from 31.XX lakh. That way, just like the Compass, the Meridian will straddle a wide price band.

Am sure Fortuner prices will increase again in next few months which will provide even more cushioning for Meridian.

[Gsynch]

Meridian price announcement and showroom launch is scheduled for 16th May.

Display vehicle will be at the showroom on this date, not sure about test drives though.

Source: Dealer Network sales team.

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by Gsynch

Meridian price announcement and showroom launch is scheduled for 16th May.

I believe Meridian will mostly be priced similar to Kodiaq (top end to top end), which in my opinion is right pricing too. Anything more than that, Jeep might have tough time selling.

[AB10]

Originally Posted by achyutaghosh

Meridian pricing yet to be announced .

I know that the pricing is yet to be announced, however, I am predicting it to be priced at a premium just like the compass. And to be honest, both the new and used car market is currently grossly overpriced is what I believe.

[EaurougeatSpa]

Originally Posted by Gsynch

Meridian price announcement and showroom launch is scheduled for 16th May.

Display vehicle will be at the showroom on this date, not sure about test drives though.

Source: Dealer Network sales team.

Correct. Got an invite for the event at BLR from the dealer this afternoon.
Also the feature listing was shared to me. Attaching for reference if it helps anyone. Indicative prices as I have indicated in my earlier posts in this group are between 43-47lakhs on road in Bangalore.

[Arnav612]

Jeep put themselves in a tricky spot by ending the Compass' pricing to those astronomical tunes. The Compass range currently ends at roughly 34-36 Lakhs on the road (average Pan-India). The Meridian is by face value and in theoretical essence, much more car than the compass. It'll plunder the already volatile sales of the higher variants of the Compass if priced too close (a minimum of 8-10 lakhs?) After which the Meridian is just not enough to hold its own up there with the likes of two ends of the spectrum of the segment (Kodiaq/Fortuner).

The Kodiaq offers unbeatable levels of quality and the sheer opulence inside out is adequate to lure buyers into one. It also enjoys more tech and probably only loses out on its 5+2 capabilities (but that's where it evens out with the Meridian, doesn't fall short). Meanwhile the Fortuner while being in a paradigm of its own with its pricing remains one of the most loved cars the market has ever seen and people are paying to no end to get their hands on one, despite its shortcomings. The Gloster, Alturas and everything in between have only managed ~10% of the Fortuner's monthly sales (as of April 2022), and it won't be surprising to see the Meridian fall into this category.

I really hope I'm wrong so that Jeep can get what they deserve for the Meridian (it's honestly quite an adequate attempt, there's only a handful cars that have properly usable 3rd rows and it's quite a pre-conceived shortcoming by now). It would be sad to see it DOA on the basis of merely pricing.

[Kln]

The crazy Meridian prices will only serve to encourage Toyota to keep jacking the prices of Fortuner without any substantial improvements. Imagine shelling out 40+ big ones for a 2 lit sub 200 PS diesel engine.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Kln

Imagine shelling out 40+ big ones for a 2 lit sub 200 PS diesel engine.

Don't have to imagine

1. Skoda Kodiaq (before the diesel was discontinued).
2. Volkswagen Tiguan (before the diesel was discontinued).
Both of these were sub-150ps 2.0L diesels at ~40L.
3. Hyundai Tucson
4. Kia Carnival (2.2, but still sub-200ps)

And a whole host of BMW and Merc models at the 50,60 and even upto 70L prices rely heavily on 2.0L sub-200ps diesels. With ICE, especially diesel, development stopped - it is going to continue to be so!

Before someone says - But the Toyota Fortuner has a 2.8L with 204ps - do also keep in mind that the Fortuner weighs ~2150kgs, whereas the Meridian is ~1800kgs (assumption over Compass figures). The power to weight becomes near identical.

The point is - the engine is not the weak link. It may not be explosive, but is certainly adequate. ~11 seconds to 100 isn't slow by any means for a family vehicle. If anything, the weak link is the transmission - which is a let down during enthusiastic driving.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Don't have to imagine

1. Skoda Kodiaq (before the diesel was discontinued).
2. Volkswagen Tiguan (before the diesel was discontinued).
Both of these were sub-150ps 2.0L diesels at ~40L.
3. Hyundai Tucson
4. Kia Carnival (2.2, but still sub-200ps)

The point is - the engine is not the weak link. It may not be explosive, but is certainly adequate. ~11 seconds to 100 isn't slow by any means for a family vehicle. If anything, the weak link is the transmission - which is a let down during enthusiastic driving.

Yes the issue isnt the engine at all. When I drove the Compass trailhawk in 2020, I was asking my self where did the 170 horses go from the manual.

The main reason to spend the additional for the Kodiaq over the compass was that the 150PS Kodiaq felt more lively and peppier than the 170PS Compass. This was all down to the gearbox. Where the DSG is lightning quick and relentless in upshifts plus has a sports mode and has paddles, the Compass left me wanting and looking for some sort of urgency. The gearbox compromise was too much to accept spending 35L over.

The Fortuner as you said has 204PS but 2 tonnes weight and a very lazy gearbox.

The Carnival is on paper 200PS but very quick for the size and slick 8 speed AT. That van flies.

I'd be surprised if the Meridian felt anything like the Kodiaq which did sub 10s 0-100 and feels very responsive. Unless they have drastically improved the gearbox over the compass, it's going to be less peppy than the Compass imo.

[suhaas307]

There are no improvements carried out to the gearbox as such, although Jeep execs did say they have done some calibration work and have improved it.

As CrazyDriver and Vid6639 have stated, the weak-link is not the power or the engine. It's more than adequate. It will get you to 3 figures quickly and easily and will comfortably cruise at triple-digit speeds without so much as a hiccup. For those who want a little extra, could also go the aftermarket route with tunes being available easily these days.

In any event, I do not see the Meridian being used as a corner-carving ghat-attack vehicle or an extreme highway bruiser. This is a car for relaxed and sustained highway cruising. The lack of paddle-shifts should tell you which direction the Meridian is geared towards. And when you look at it in that sense, it's absolutely fine. Nobody buys a 7-seat SUV for the sole purpose of hustling it constantly.

While the Kodiaq is a superior car in terms of outright pace and performance and even space, it will have to make more frequent stops for fuel. It also cannot deal with the rough stuff in the same way the Jeep can, and I believe that's the Meridian's true USP.

All this while, we have had the Fortuner and Endeavour - tough utilitarian SUVs that could double up as people-movers if necessary and are equally up to the task of dealing with poor roads or off-road conditions.

The Meridian does exactly this, but even better in my opinion!

It can be the tough, utilitarian SUV that the Fortuner is, while being as comfortable and car-like to drive as the Kodiaq, all while sipping diesel and delivering acceptable highway performance and exceptional off-road capabilities.

The Kodiaq wouldn't survive 15 minutes in the hands of a carefree/careless driver on bad roads. Parts will break and lights will appear on the cluster. It's not abuse-friendly. Meanwhile, the Fortuner feels too truck-like for a regular sedan / soft-road SUV owner to thoroughly enjoy. The Meridian is the perfect compromise and slots right in the middle, offering best of both worlds - being tough and abuse friendly like the Fortuner while offering car-like ride/handling/comfort/driving experience like the Kodiaq.

My only real grouse with it, apart from the obvious lack of features and the tentatively high proposed price tag (it's an epidemic now, with all new cars) is the fact that the middle row feels not too different from the Compass - which essentially means 3 in the middle row will be a squeeze. The exterior dimensions simply do not translate to interior room. And that, in my opinion, is the only real major issue with the Meridian. Even the 3rd row being tight is forgivable, because 3rd rows are generally tight in most SUVs unless it's a Kia Carnival or a Toyota Vellfire.

If Jeep prices this 10 lakh over the Compass (variant for variant), we may have a DOA product, unfortunately.

[techmotor]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

If anything, the weak link is the transmission - which is a let down during enthusiastic driving.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Unless they have drastically improved the gearbox over the compass, it's going to be less peppy than the Compass imo.

I hope the AT box on the FWD variant should be more responsive unlike the one in 4x4 variants, as there would be a proper 1st gear(which was reserved for 4WD low). Also the gearbox tuning should be much simpler considering the 4x4 variant had to start from second gear and the gear ratios had to be adjusted accordingly.

Overall I feel the Meridian is a good package and as many have pointed out pricing is the key.

[Arnav612]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

My only real grouse with it, apart from the obvious lack of features and the tentatively high proposed price tag (it's an epidemic now, with all new cars) is the fact that the middle row feels not too different from the Compass - which essentially means 3 in the middle row will be a squeeze. The exterior dimensions simply do not translate to interior room. And that, in my opinion, is the only real major issue with the Meridian. Even the 3rd row being tight is forgivable, because 3rd rows are generally tight in most SUVs unless it's a Kia Carnival or a Toyota Vellfire.

If Jeep prices this 10 lakh over the Compass (variant for variant), we may have a DOA product, unfortunately.

That can't be acceptable, let alone good. The Compass has quite a cozy backseat and having the Meridian feel the same, is practically barely any car over the Compass. Identical interior + similar second row + close to unusable third row, where is the space utilisation at all?

Also, given that it is to fall in a similar price bracket to the Gloster, as a package how do you think it shapes up in comparison?

[Floyd de Souza]

It would be interesting to see how the Commander is faring vis a vis the Compass in Brazil. Should give us a fair idea of what is likely to happen here provided the price differential is the same.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by techmotor

I hope the AT box on the FWD variant should be more responsive unlike the one in 4x4 variants, as there would be a proper 1st gear(which was reserved for 4WD low). Also the gearbox tuning should be much simpler considering the 4x4 variant had to start from second gear and the gear ratios had to be adjusted accordingly.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. I doubt Jeep would have different ratios for the FWD version, but even if it does - may not matter much.

Even I had similar thoughts in mind earlier - if the best automatic transmission is the ZF8 (especially with the BMW tune), what makes the ZF9 so infamous?

Turns out it is not the ratios at fault, but the design itself. There are no rave reviews for this transmission across brands where they have been used.

Originally Posted by Floyd de Souza

It would be interesting to see how the Commander is faring vis a vis the Compass in Brazil. Should give us a fair idea of what is likely to happen here provided the price differential is the same.

April 2022 stats for Brazil -

Jeep Compass 4,766
Jeep Commander 1,894

Completely different market though, in terms of volumes, sales-spread across segments and competition.

[CarNerd]

If Jeep Meridian costs 40L on road, it's a gone case for sure. Who on earth would like anyone to sit cramped in the 3rd row after spending 40 lakhs? Even the 2nd row is not spacious either. I also don't understand who goes off-roading every now and then. Anyone knows how the Tata Safari is doing?

I have no idea why Isuzu is not launching the new MuX around 40 lakh on road. If they did, Jeep will have to say goodbye to the Indian market!