It’s an open secret that as a country, our obsession with SUVs has more to do with their appearance and size than the machine’s capability. It’s a moving statement that Bade Saheb has arrived in life and only an SUV can elevate his societal credentials to match the level of his personal achievements, besides an impractical alternative like an Elephant. But among the most popular choices in India, which one has a rear seat that’s worthy of pampering a bottom which is probably insured by a separate insurance policy?
We’re not considering the Range Rovers of the world here, as they’re reserved for those with nearly unlimited financial resources. The courtyard nobility, it has an affinity towards things like the Fortuner, and with the Endeavour gone, the only real butch competition to the Toyota is the new Jeep Meridian. There are alternatives from the VW group and there’s the XUV700 too! But where the Germans are too well-mannered and polite, Mahindra’s flagship could have been a potential challenger, only if it asked for more money.
Now, with its body-on-frame construction, the Fortuner’s flooring’s already too tall to accommodate a seat which won’t let the knees point upwards, unless, the head’s piercing the roof. With that, under-thigh support’s already out of the window. And even if they hire PC Sarkar to cast a spell, a body bolted on a chassis can never behave like a monocoque on the road. And this is where the Jeep Meridian’s charm comes to the fore.
For two days straight, I spent all my time in the rear seat of the Meridian, as we drove sometimes on the tarmac, and mostly on surfaces where there were only traces of tar left somewhere inside deep pits. Makes me wonder if our roads will ever be cured of this staph infection. Anyhoo, before everything else, let me tell you about that space inside the Meridian’s cabin. I’m 6ft tall and there wasn’t an acre of space above my head, and beyond my knees and feet. However, never did I feel the need for more. While there, I felt cosy, I felt comfortable. And someone else might feel differently, but I’ve always felt that it’s not how big the mattress is, but how you feel when you lie down which makes you sleep better.
The window line was at an ideal height, the massive sunroof added to the warmth, and the central armrest not only allowed my lazy arm to rest, it also kept me in place when the driver got too excited and the slow transmission could not keep up. The Meridian is one of those rare vehicles where someone like me found the under-thigh support to be ideal, along with the backrest angle, which allows a few degrees of adjustment too. What about seat cushioning? You see my bones are pretty healthy and none of the joints creaks, yet. So all I can tell you is that it isn’t too soft where your sink and leave a dent after a long journey. It isn’t akin to sitting on a public bench by the beach either. Ideal, that’s what it’s like.
So the rear seat inside the Jeep Meridian is comfortable alright. But its contribution to the brilliance of that space is less than half. Because what makes up for the rest of it is the way this Jeep rides and handles. The only other vehicle I can remember in the same zip code as the Meridian, and one which bowls you over with its magic carpet ride, it’s the Citroen C5 Aircross. But that’s for a different TG and its unique rear seat arrangement is either brilliant or weird, depending on how you look at it.
The Meridian rides flat and composed when it’s flying low or even when strolling over rough surfaces, and I was surprised at how brilliantly the suspension was isolating the cabin from all the rubbish that the tyres were rolling over. It’s only the really really nasty stuff which makes you bob around a little bit and even that bobbing around is a smooth sideways movement and never vertical. On the tarmac, all passengers are stable as a rock, no matter which corner of the cabin you’re seated in and the excellent soundproofing is an important contributor to the comfort quotient. The Jeep Meridian is excellent at masking the effects of momentum and that’s a rare quality for a vehicle of this class. Some would say that a body-on-frame vehicle can do a similar or even better demolition job when the roads disappear. But hey, for it to do that, one needs to load up the cabin, for the built-for-load and rather a stiff suspension to settle and work better. On the other hand, with something like the Meridian, it’s a crank-and-demolish affair, where it doesn’t matter if all the seats are occupied or if it’s just one.
This brings us to some bigger questions. Is the Jeep Meridian the SUV to buy if you’re in the market for a rugged 7-seater but comfort’s high on your list? Yes! Does it have the presence and the image to impress someone who’s already impressed by something like the Fortuner? Yes! Is there a version available where all the wheels get the engine’s power to tackle the slushy pathway to your farm? Yes! If the pathway’s paved, is there a 2WD version available for less? Yes! It’s probably the first time I must’ve spent so much time in the back seat of a car (let’s leave the Innova and those European luxe barges aside) and not even once did the thought cross my mind that I’ve had enough and someone else needs to be here and suffer. Why would I use the word suffer? Because I’ve rarely come across motoring journalists who are considerate towards those in the rear seat. And even after that, if the Jeep Meridian has managed to earn our praise, don’t go by our words, try it for yourself.
Karan Tripathi