Jeep India is currently planning on an aggressive expansion in the Indian sub-continent. This is the reason why the American carmaker didn’t take long to launch the Compass facelift here. In fact, we received it prior to the USA market, how cool is that! The next Jeep vehicle in the pipeline is the hotly-anticipated Jeep Meridian or in layman’s terms, 7-Seater Compass. The SUV has been spied testing in India again and boy, it does have a strong road presence!
Where was it spotted?
The spy shots were sent to us by our reader Ketan Daundkar, who spotted it near Chakan, on Chakan – Shikrapur road. The Jeep Meridian will have to compete with big and burly SUVs of its segment and going by the images, it will figure its way around.
Aesthetic differences
To make it visually different from its smaller sibling, Jeep has incorporated some aesthetic changes on the outside but the overall silhouette remains the same as the Compass. In all probability, the Meridian is going to feature a slightly revised front fascia which includes slightly redesigned headlamps a more upright 7-slat grille, larger doors, lowered roofline, an extended overhang and a sharply designed rear bumper and tailgate. The rear section of the new Jeep 7-seater SUV looks similar to the Grand Wagoneer concept.
Interior
Jeep also gave us an official sneak peek inside the Meridian’s cabin. As we had suspected, the interiors of the Meridian are more or less similar to the facelifted Compass. The overall layout remains unchanged but Jeep has used new colour schemes and materials to uplift the cabin. There is extensive use of ambient lighting across the cabin and the interior uses brown leather. The Meridian will share features with the facelifted Compass.
It will get a 10-inch touchscreen with wireless android auto and apple carplay, wireless charging, ventilated seats, fully digital instrument cluster, electrically adjustable seats with memory function, panoramic sunroof, cruise control and dual zone climate control to name a few.
Expected specs
The Meridian will feature the 2-litre MultiJet from the Compass but in a higher state of tune of around 200hp. The sole transmission available will be the 9-speed automatic transmission. What’s new is that the engine will feature a 48V mild-hybrid technology for better mileage and emissions. The Meridian will get an option of 7 seats or 6 seats with captain chairs in the middle.
It might also get an option of 4WD like the competition. The Jeep Meridian will go up against the Skoda Kodiaq, Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour and the MG Gloster.