Coming from a Creta, I am not overwhelmed by its size, which was my initial fear.
BHPian zepp1108 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Guys, yesterday I became a proud owner of Jeep Meridian. The variant is 4*2 Limited Optional Automatic transmission in White colour. I sold my dear old(rather young) Hyundai Creta to the dealership. There was a pain in retaining the old number which they will handle when they are applying for the registration of my new vehicle. So, selling to an individual would have been bit troublesome.
First of all, I would like to thank Landmark Gurgaon for a smooth experience. They are extremely professional. They gave me enough time and helped me with all the doubts. One reason why I went for the Meridian is that they had me in confidence about the vehicle. The dealership has enough stock with them, mostly because they are the only dealers in NCR. They are selling a lot of Compass and Meridians these days and the dealership is always packed with vehicles and visitors but people there are very prompt with all the queries I have. I took two test drives to be sure if I really want to go with the Meridian. Everything from a test drive and finance and delivery was wrapped up in less than a week.
Second thank goes to the employees at SBI, DLF Qutub Plaza Branch in Gurgaon. They were so prompt that they disbursed my loan in 2 days. I was dealing with them directly. They really helped me close the process very quickly. Minimal paperwork and I had to visit the branch just one time for the signatures.
Day of Delivery:
It was all very quick. The dealership had to deliver few other cars so the delivery was happening back to back. We were informed about the time of delivery so we did not have to wait a lot. Cake cutting and unveiling and hand over of keys took around 30 minutes. I was very very thoroughly explained about the features and all the minute details about the car. Boring though but gave a very professional touch to the overall experience. There were few other doubts which I had to clear over the phone. Post delivery we went to a nearby temple for did pooja.
Accessories I went with:
- Side stepper – Makes it easy for children and shorter people getting in and out. In one of the YouTube videos on Meridian, someone mentioned that it can act as side bumpers preventing vehicles to get too close to your car. This is one must have accessory.
- Magnetic window shades – The rear doors of Creta has these by default, Meridian misses it. They do not sell it in pairs so you can only have shades for all the four windows.
- Chrome covers for the handles – The door handles look very dull in day light. These chrome covers adds a lot to the looks.
- Blue Led Light under the dashboard – There is no ambient light as such. Blue is the only colour offered.
- White light under the body – Makes it easily to get out and is useful in the night.
Few of these accessories are not required though, just wanted my car to look colourful.
Initial impressions of the car:
After riding it for some time in traffic, I can definitely say it does not feel cumbersome to ride this long and heavy vehicle. It glides super comfortably through heavy/normal traffic. Coming from Creta, I am not overwhelmed by its size, which was my initial fear. The turning radius has to be really very small, as it is very easy to take a u-turn.
Apart from the build and ride quality, things which really standout in Meridian –
- The quality and resolution of the infotainment system is too good.
- Sound quality of the speakers is super good – feels as good as it is in Creta/Tucson (Bose Speakers).
- The quality of seat material and the space and comfort the seats offer.
Ending statement:
I think it’s really weird to see people compare Jeep Meridian to Fortuner, Gloster etc. Meridian should never be compared to these huge SUVs. Someone who wants to go for big SUVs but not as big as these, they can look for Meridian. Meridian has got the size, build, looks and features. There is nothing which I can complain of. This car should sell in decent numbers. Oh yes, the dealership is offering a great discount too. The prices will increase in 2023 and there is no discount.
I will share more pics and impressions shortly.
Keyword: Bought a Jeep Meridian after selling my 2020 Creta: Initial impressions