Owner explains why he sold his Toyota Fortuner to buy a Jeep Meridian [Video]

This is the story of a person who sold his Toyota Fortuner to buy the Jeep Meridian. Both the SUVs are direct rivals in the premium 7-seater SUV segment. However, they are poles apart in terms of characteristics.

Toyota Fortuner, one of the most sought-after and popular SUVs in the Indian market, is also the segment leader since its arrival. A brand name in itself, the premium 7-seater SUV is well known for its bulletproof reliability, solid build quality and its association with Toyota’s brand image of good after-sales service and best resale value. The Toyota Fortuner competes with the likes of MG Gloster, Jeep Meridian, Mahindra Alturas G4 and Isuzu mu-X in its segment. Amongst these, the Jeep Meridian is the latest entrant in the segment which was launched earlier this year in May. Available in five variants, the Meridian is priced in the range of Rs. 29.90 lakh to Rs. 36.95 lakh (ex-showroom).

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Now let’s consider a situation where you already own a Toyota Fortuner and looking for a new SUV. So will you buy a Jeep Meridian to replace your Fortuner? Today we have brought a similar case for you in a YouTube video by ‘Arun Panwar’, where the owner sold his Toyota Fortuner and bought a brand new Jeep Meridian.

Jeep Meridian replaces Toyota Fortuner: Details

Before starting, it is very important to know that the person, Mr. Lakshay Chaudhary owned a 2017 2nd generation 4X2 model of the Toyota Fortuner. He bought the Jeep Meridian in August 2022. Explaining the reason behind selling the Fortuner, he said that rule by the NGT (National Green Tribunal) which restricts the usage of diesel vehicles to 10 years in NCR (National Capital Region) was one of the reasons along with his habit of changing vehicles every 3-4 years. He had a budget of around Rs. 40-50 lakh and thought of buying the Fortuner again, but didn’t find it feasible to buy the same car again. Going further he also pointed out the inflated prices of the Fortuner, saying that he bought his Fortuner in 2017 for Rs 36 lakh, while the price of the same variant has gone up to Rs. 48 lakh. The second option he considered was to buy a pre-owned Endeavour, however, the idea was also dropped as he already has one in the family.

His priority was to buy a petrol vehicle, keeping in the mind the increasing restriction on diesel vehicles in the country. The Jeep Meridian was also considered as an option initially but was also given a miss as it only comes with a diesel powertrain. After that, the Mahindra XUV700 top spec AX7 L (Luxury Pack) petrol was finalised and he immediately booked the vehicle. Despite the long waiting period, he somehow managed to acquire the vehicle within a month using his connections. As the XUV700 started rolling on roads, he came across a few owners who pointed out several issues with the SUV and he also didn’t find the quality of the interiors up to mark. All this led him to turn down the XUV700. Finally analysing all the available options, he went ahead with the Jeep Meridian, citing the Jeep’s reputed brand name as one of the reasons.

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