Jeep Meridian Will Be A Diesel-only Offering (For Now)

Its Brazil-spec equivalent is offered with Stellantis’ latest 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine

• New Jeep three-row SUV for India, called the Meridian, was officially revealed ahead of its June launch.

• It will only be offered with the 2-litre diesel engine with choice of 6-speed manual and 9-speed automatic.

• The Brazil version of this SUV is offered with a 185PS 1.3-litre turbo-petrol flex fuel engine.

• Meridian’s rivals, the Toyota Fortuner and Skoda Kodiaq, are offered with petrol engines.

• Jeep expected to introduce a petrol-powered option at some point in the future.

The upcoming Jeep Meridian three-row SUV has been officially revealed ahead of its launch later this summer. While Jeep has not shared all the details with us, the carmaker has confirmed that it will be a diesel-only offering for the time being.

The Meridian is the India-spec version of the Commander SUV sold in Brazil. Jeep offers the Commander with the choice of a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol along with the 2-litre diesel. The turbo-petrol unit is rated at 185PS/270Nm with a 6-speed automatic only which is flex fuel compatible. However, this engine option will not be coming to India just yet.

The Meridian will only arrive with the same 2-litre diesel as the Compass which makes around 170PS and 350Nm. It gets the choice of a 6-speed manual or a 9-speed automatic, the latter also gets the option of AWD. Jeep does offer petrol engines with its other models on offer in India: a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol with the Compass and a 2-litre turbo-petrol engine with the locally-assembled Wrangler.

Since emissions rules continue to get stricter each year, the Meridian is bound to get a petrol option at some point. Also, the Meridian’s key rivals like the Toyota Fortuner and Skoda Kodiaq are offered with petrol engines too. Despite its diesel-only powertrain, the Jeep Meridian’s front-wheel-drive variants are expected to be priced similar to the petrol-powered rivals.

Jeep is slated to launch the Meridian in June with prices expected to start from Rs 30 lakh (ex-showroom).