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2022 Jeep Meridian: Observations after a day of driving

1st May 2022, 15:01 by Aditya Nadkarni

The fact that it's a monocoque SUV lends the Meridian a very car-like feel and as a result, you feel supremely confident while pushing it on the open road. It remains well-behaved and properly mannered.

Driving the Jeep Meridian 2.0 4x4 AT

Thumb the start-stop button and the Meridian’s 2.0L turbocharged MJD engine comes to life. Ease off the brakes in ‘D’ and you will notice that the familiar MJD motor paired with a 9-speed torque converter AT is refined enough, while making light work of city driving conditions. The engine churns out peak power figures of 170 horses and 350 Nm. You could get a manual as well, should you prefer to do the work yourself. Interestingly, this time around, the AT is available with just the FWD too.

Driving around in the city, on the expressway and around some rural roads, the Meridian made me feel like I'm driving a "mini-tank". The car has a very, very solid feel. Drive calmly around the city or drive a little spiritedly, say pressing the throttle 60-70% of the way and you’ll find the engine & gearbox to be smooth and fine. There is enough muscle on tap. Upshifts are executed smoothly & seamlessly. On the other hand, drive like an enthusiast and many times, you will find the gearbox's response time to be slow. Especially in the lower gears and / or at slow speeds, there were times that I wanted to downshift and it took 1.5 seconds before the gearbox responded to my pedal-to-the-metal command! Is this slow response to kick downs a deal-breaker? No. You’ll live with it, but you’ll never rave about your gearbox’s behaviour as an enthusiast and it won’t “wow” you as a DSG would.

When you are in a hurry, the 9-speed AT hesitates for just a moment before the engine pulls up its revs and shoves you forward with a sense of urgency. It’s got enough torque to take you into the realm of triple digit speeds and keep you there without feeling too strained. There is no doubt that this engine makes enough power and torque for sustained highway cruising. Performance is brisk, and you will find yourself doing 100 km/h in just over 10 seconds. Jeep claims that it can tickle 198 km/h before tapping out, but I wouldn’t dare. Not only are there no paddle shifters, but the gearbox doesn’t even have a sport mode. That itself should tell you this car is not for enthusiasts. It’s more for daily use = for commuting, for convenience, for expressway cruising.

The Meridian could surely have done with a little more poke at the bottom end of the rev range and perhaps a touch more torque in the mid-range to make it a truly effortless highway driving experience.

On the expressway, you’ll find the gearbox’s behaviour to be better. It’s basically under 60 km/h, at lower revs and in tricky low-speed conditions that the gearbox gets more confused. Example? Say you suddenly slow down for a speed bump, and floor it right after. But once you are well above 2,000 rpm, the torquey engine makes the gearbox’s life easier. On the expressway, you won’t find it getting that confused or the response time to be slow. It’s at slower speeds and / or in dense traffic that you find the response time to be lacking. You'll be fine on expressways.

I’ll give this Diesel AT combination a 7 / 10 rating, deducting 1.5 points for the occasional slow response times & confused nature, and 1.5 points for not having paddle shifters or a Sport mode. The gearbox is smooth & easy to live with, but it’s not a particularly bright or intelligent auto-box either. If you're a calm driver or even one who pushes the car at 7/10ths, you'll be fine. I must mention the Diesel AT is not dimwitted or painful like the Compass Petrol DCT which I would give a 4 / 10 rating.

Having no paddle shifters at this price point is a bummer & unpardonable. What you do have behind the steering though, are very neatly placed buttons for the stereo – left side ones change the track, right side ones adjust the volume. Other manufacturers should pick this up. The arrangement is very ergonomically good and there's great attention to detail too. If you long-press the track change button, it rewinds the song being played.

Suspension

The Meridian comes equipped with independent MacPherson struts in the suspension assembly on both axles, along with some trick bits such as hydraulic rebound stopper (HRS) and Frequency Selective Damping (FSD) which Jeep claims is suspension technology developed for compliance over varying road conditions.

Ride Comfort

At low city-speeds, the ride feels firm and the chassis communicates crisply the textures and variations of the road surface; you are left acutely aware of the ever-changing tarmac beneath you. It certainly is not plush. Potholes are dispatched with noticeable rebound accompanied by a muted thud. Just like the Compass, as the speedometer needle climbs, ride quality significantly improves. Pick up the pace and the suspension comes into its own as it starts to iron out the road surface beautifully. Undulations are absorbed very well as the long wheelbase further improves ride quality at higher speeds, transforming this SUV into an ideal long-haul mile muncher, whilst making light work of the open road. You will not feel tired after a long stint in this SUV.

Handling & Dynamics

The fact that it's a monocoque SUV lends the Meridian a very car-like feel and as a result, you feel supremely confident while pushing it on the open road. It remains well-behaved and properly mannered. There is no chop over undulated surfaces and it feels quite composed and settled, unlike the unwieldy ladder-frame SUVs in the same segment. You'll enjoy the grip levels & sorted suspension on your favourite mountain roads. The car's behaviour is very confidence-inspiring.

The Meridian has very long legs and is a mind blowing high speed mile-muncher. With its excellent stability, smooth gearbox, torquey diesel engine and nice driving position, you can drive this car all day long with a smile plastered on your face.

Steering

Around the twisties, the Meridian feels composed when pushed hard and can be hustled around sharper corners without unsettling it. The steering feels extremely light off-center. However, return-to-center is progressive and not violent. The EPS does weigh up at speed, yet the vague off-center feel persists and is not ideal when trying to hustle the SUV. That aside, we find it to be a well-tuned EPS that is user-friendly.

Braking

The braking setup comprises of all round disc brakes which are bolstered by various brake-related tech systems such as Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA), Fading Brake Support (FBS), Ready Alert Brake (RAB) and Rain Brake Assist (RBA). The brake pedal offers plenty of feel, while being progressive in response to input. The Meridian remains fairly stable for an SUV under hard braking, its high center of gravity and long overhang notwithstanding.

Offroading with the Jeep Meridian 4x4 AT

Jeep had organized a 45-minute long, challenging and technical offroad course through a forest and ravine to showcase the Meridian 4x4 AT's capabilities, for those 5% of Jeep Meridian owners who are adventurous enough to give it a go from time to time. 4x4 is available only with the 9-speed automatic transmission. The offroad course was a mid-level track in terms of difficulty.

With all the tech switched on and working overtime, the Meridian first dispatched the gravel section without a fuss and then proceeded to demonstrate its disdain for the loose mud and sandy sections of the course, despite running on Bridgestone street tyres. We navigated through deep pits and negotiated 30 degree slopes + gradients without breaking a sweat, as the drivetrain and 4x4 tech were more than up to the task at hand. What surprised me the most = the Meridian was able to negotiate some serious slopes without any issue whatsoever. The maneuverability came to us as a surprise, despite the large-ish turning radius, as the Meridian navigated through some of the sharper corners of the track with ease.

If you own a large estate or frequent them, the Meridian 4x4 will do the job of ferrying the family from the city to the estate, and it can also be pressed into service for drives to remote parts of coffee plantations while cocooning you in comfort.

The Meridian comes with Jeep Selec-Terrain 4x4 system on the 9AT transmission variants. The system is similar to that on the Compass. Drive modes include Sand/Mud, Snow and Auto - however, the rock mode from the Trailhawk is missing in this application.

The challenging off-road course showcased just how accomplished the Jeep Meridian is as an off-road SUV, especially considering that the Meridian is primarily an urban SUV. It took us by surprise, needless to say. This SUV isn't just for posers or family hauling and is quite adept on offroad terrain just as it is on tarmac, making it a great all-rounder.