Jeep Meridian long term review, 21,000km report

As you may have read in our last report, our long-term Jeep Meridian played a key supporting role in our Guinness World Records title attempt, shadowing the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV from Jaisalmer to Leh. What you didn’t know is that the Meridian’s adventure didn’t end there. Rahul and I took it further – first to Hanle, and then up the world’s highest motorable road, Umling La. Why? Honestly, the only answer is: why not?

The HVAC system worked well at both extremes of our journey.

To recap, the Meridian had already tackled the gruelling journey from Mumbai to Jaisalmer and onward to Leh for our record attempt – and it did so without a single fault. Not that it was entirely incident-free. A falling rock at Zoji La punched a hole in the sunroof, and with no fix in sight, we resorted to taping it shut for the rest of the journey. With the record achieved and the shoot wrapped up at Khardung La, most of the crew hopped on a flight back to Mumbai. But Rahul, the Meridian, and I stayed for the next leg of our adventure.

The diesel does get noisy when pushed and feels out of breath at high altitude.

By now, the Jeep’s cruising ability and suspension had impressed us all. On wide open highways, it was effortless to settle into a rhythm. Comfortable, planted, and surprisingly efficient for such a large SUV, it cruised along without complaint. Push it hard, and the engine does get vocal, but power does keep coming in. On rough stretches like the Jammu-Srinagar road, the suspension soaked up the big stuff, though sharp jolts still found their way into the cabin.

ADAS reactivates on restart, requiring use of the screen to disable most functions.

But the drive from Leh to Hanle and onward to Umling La is what I’ll remember most. The landscape shifts from lunar valleys to snow-capped mountains, the air thins, and temperatures plummet. We stayed overnight in Hanle, where the Meridian got its first dusting of snow. From there, we began the trek to Umling La via Photi La, which itself stands at a lofty 18,124 feet. The pass was freshly blanketed in snow, and traction would have been a challenge in a lesser vehicle. 

Switch the Meridian into Snow mode, keep your right foot measured, and it climbs on – sure-footed and steady. Power delivery dips noticeably at altitude; the engine takes a moment to catch its breath at 18,000 feet. But with a bit of patience, it carried us across without issue. Umling La was similarly snow-covered, but the Meridian chugged along smoothly, scaling the world’s highest motorable pass. Standing there, surrounded by silence and thin air, it was one of those rare moments when the car, road, and drive align perfectly.

The 12.2kpl average on a gruelling 3,800km journey is quite respectable.

The return journey felt almost like a victory lap. Back through Leh, onward to Kargil, and then Zoji La again – this time kinder, with blue skies and no traffic. It almost felt like the pass was apologising for the rock shower earlier. We rolled into Srinagar and finally handed the keys to our drivers for the long ride back to Mumbai.

Snow on the mountain tops and on our Jeep.

The truth is, I didn’t want to. After 3,800km together, I’d grown attached. The Jeep Meridian isn’t perfect – it can be noisy when pushed, feel bulky in the hills, and isn’t exactly quick at altitude. But it kept going, kept us comfy and safe and never let us down. And in the end, that’s exactly what you want from a car on a road trip like this.

All prices, ex-showroom, India

Also see:

Jeep Meridian long term review, 19,500km report

Jeep Meridian facelift revealed for Brazil

Jeep Meridian 5-seater vs Compass: which is better value for money