Jeep Commander (Meridian) 7 seat SUV spied testing at Ladakh ahead of India launch

Jeep India is currently testing the all-new Meridian, which is launched in Brazil recently as Meridian. Jeep is doing high-altitude testing in the Ladakh region. We caught the upcoming vehicle testing between the Basgo plains and Magnetic Hill in the region. Here are all the details on the Bunny Punia channel.

 

The upcoming Jeep Commander is based on the Compass, which is already on sale in the Indian market. As the video shows, the upcoming Meridian will come with India-specific changes to make it more affordable. Jeep is testing the vehicle with the headlamps and tail lamps of the Compass, which indicates that there will be changes to these parts of the vehicle.

Also read: 2020 Mahindra Thar vs Jeep Compass in a tug of war (Video)

Compared to the Jeep Compass, the Meridian does look longer. The Brazilian model is 364mm longer, 41mm wider and 42mm higher than the Compass. The wheelbase of the Meridian is 158mm longer than the Compass. Overall, the car does look pretty imposing on the roads even with the camouflage.

We also spotted the vehicle with the Bridgestone Highway terrain Dueler tyres. Other than that, the vehicle gets different alloy wheels as well. The test mules that we caught was running on alloy wheels that have multiple spokes and looks very different.

Jeep does not offer the Meridian or the Commander with a petrol engine in the Brazilian market. However, we can confirm that the India-spec model will come with a petrol engine as we caught testing the same in Ladakh. There will be a 2.0-litre diesel engine available with the car as well.

The vehicle gets new bumpers too and the shape under the camouflage looks very similar to the model launched in Brazil.

Jeep to export the Meridian/Commander from India

India is going to be an important market for Meridian. From the Brazilian market, Jeep will export the car to all the left-hand-drive markets around the world. From India’s Ranjangoan plant, Jeep will export the vehicle to various right-hand-drive markets around the world.

We could not see the cabin of the Jeep Compass but the Brazilian model show only a few changes. There are a few changes in the cabin as well to make it look more premium. The changes including new metal inserts and upholstery too. To add a premium feel, the suede fabric is used on the dashboard and door panels.

The seats also look similar to the Jeep Compass but the upholstery is new. The Meridian gets brown leather seats with suede detailing. Jeep has added the ‘Jeep 1941’ branding in the front centre armrest. The vehicle gets gold accents on the centre console as well.

Just like the Compass, the Meridian gets a 10.25-inch infotainment system. The system will come with all the modern connectivity options like wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It also gets Alexa virtual assistant.

Also read: All New Tata Safari: Can a tall adult comfortably sleep in it? (Video)