Jeep India announced that it will be launching the Meridian in India this year. The car comes as a 7-seater sibling of the brand’s popular offering Compas in India. Jeep says that the name Meridian has been carefully chosen for the customer’s sensibilities, keeping in mind the relevance and importance of this model for the Indian market. For Jeep, the name of the vehicle was the first step. A list of 70 different names was studied including a few global Jeep names. However, for an SUV that is completely ‘Made in India’ – a name with strong relevance and resonance to the market was required.
Speaking of the car, in terms of exterior, the car shows a striking resemblance to the car on which it is based on. Several elements at the front fascia and the rear end seem to have a Cherokee-like influence. Additionally, the roofline is taller than the Compass which might result in more headroom as well, especially for the third-row passengers.
On the inside, recent spy shots have revealed that the car’s interiors will be largely identical to the Compass. Accordingly, Jeep is also expected to tweak the trims and upholstery to keep things a little different like the Brazil-spec model. Also, if Jeep is to retain the emotional touch like toe foreign models, we will also be seeing the ‘Jeep 1941’ badging (the Willys Jeep was born in 1940) on the seats and front armrest.
The car will be loaded in terms of features as well. While we are not completely sure of the complete list, the international model gets a few like the 10-speaker 450W Harman Kardon sound system, Alexa in-vehicle functions, and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). We also expect the car to come with a touchscreen infotainment system with connected car tech, dual-zone climate control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless phone charger, a panoramic sunroof, powered front seats, and a digital driver’s display.
In terms of powertrain, the car will come with the 170PS 2-litre diesel engine in a more powerful tune. It gets a 6-speed manual (front-wheel drive) and 9-speed automatic (all-wheel drive) transmission. The petrol engine, on the other hand, could be Wrangler’s 268PS 2-litre turbo-petrol engine.
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