Jeep Commander (Meridian) Officially Revealed: Five Things You Need To Know

Jeep has taken the wraps off the Commander, the Compass-based seven-seater, in Brazil. It is slated for an India launch in 2022, and it will likely be called Meridian, considering the ‘Commander’ name has already been trademarked by Mahindra. 

The full-size SUV will lock horns with the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour, Mahindra Alturas G4, and VW Tiguan Allspace here in the country. 

In this report, we list the five most crucial details about the upcoming Jeep offering:

Exterior Design 

The Commander is offered in two broad trims: Overland and Limited. The two feature distinct bumper (with or without cladding) and wheel designs. The fascia, though similar to the Compass, gets sleeker headlamps and a distinctive grille. Even the bumpers are different, with elegant LED light bars and a connecting chrome bar. 

Come to the side, and you can instantly differentiate the Commander from the Compass, owing to the former’s height. It also gets squared-out wheel arches, large alloy wheels, and roof rails, accentuating the overall look and feel. Even the rear quarter glass is larger, making the third row airier. Jeep has gone with a more upright rear end with slim LED tail lamps like the 2022 Grand Cherokee.

Interior Design

Design-wise, the Commander’s dashboard is similar to the Compass. However, the former, with its brown theme and leather and suede upholstery, exude premiumness. And of course, there’s the ‘Jeep 1941’ badging (the Willys Jeep was born in 1940) on the seat and front armrest.

In Brazil, the Commander is offered only as a seven-seater with bench seats for middle-row occupants. The India-spec model could get an optional 6-seater variant with captain seats for the second row. 

With all three rows up, the Commander has a boot space of 233 litres. Folding the third row takes that up to 661 litres. And with the second row folded, you can use the SUV to move houses (well, not literally), thanks to the cavernous 1760-litre boot. 

Features 

Some features are the same as the Compass. These are the 10.1-inch infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, connected car tech, 10.25-inch digital driver display, panoramic sunroof, power-adjustable front seats, and powered tailgate. 

Other features over and above the Compass include a 10-speaker 450W Harman Kardon sound system, Alexa in-vehicle functions, and ADAS. This last one includes adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assist, and park assist. Passenger safety is taken care of by seven airbags, electronic stability control, and parking sensors. 

Powertrains 

The Commander gets two engine options: a 185PS/270Nm 1.3-litre turbo-petrol flex-fuel (can run on alternative fuels like petrol blended with ethanol) and a 170PS/380Nm 2-litre diesel. The former drives only the front wheels, while the latter is an all-wheel drive.

In India, the Commander (Meridian) could get the Compass’s 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine, which has been updated to meet stricter emission norms. Moreover, the diesel engine could be front-wheel drive and get a manual gearbox to bring down entry-level prices.

Expected Price And Rivals

In India, the Commander will likely be priced from Rs 35 lakh (ex-showroom), putting it in the same league as the Ford Endeavour, Toyota Fortuner, Mahindra Alturas G4, and MG Gloster. The SUV will also lock horns with premium monocoque rivals like the VW Tiguan Allspace and the facelifted Skoda Kodiaq TSI.