It’s time to do another comparison of the two Full-Size SUVs against each other, the Toyota Fortuner against the Jeep Meridian to find the better Full-Size SUV which offers comfort and many features.
At the front of the Fortuner, there is the grille in three horizontal lines with chrome elements going at the side and covering the LED headlamps on both the sides, below is the bumper finished in faux silver skid plate both front and rear. Moving to the side, it has step-up side step to get into the car with chrome door handles and alloy wheels of 18-inch. At the rear, it has sort-of wing like LED taillamps with chrome around the number plate.
At the front of the Meridian, you can see it has six blocks and chrome line below which joins with the LED headlamps and a big chrome bar which covers the whole front of the Meridian. At the side, it has wheel arches with 18-inch alloy wheels, a big chrome line going through the window frames on the top till the D-pillar, and functional roof rails. At the rear, it has sleek LED taillamps with bumpers finished in faux silver skid plate.
Both the cars have the option of dual tone interiors. However, the dashboard design of the Meridian looks much cleaner than the Fortuner. Both the cars have three-spoke multi-function steering wheel with digital instrument cluster while the Fortuner has Analog instrument cluster with TFT display between them. The Meridian has a 10.1-inch infotainment system with the AC vents right below the infotainment system. The Fortuner has 6-speaker standard sound system where as the Meridian has 9-speaker Alpine sound system.
| Toyota Fortuner | Jeep Meridian | |
| Length | 4795mm | 4769mm |
| Width | 1855mm | 1859mm |
| Height | 1835mm | 1698mm |
| Wheelbase | 2745mm | 2782mm |
| Ground Clearance | 225mm | 214mm |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 80 Litres | 60 litres |
| Kerb Weight | 2,180 kg | 1,890 kg |
As you can see at the Dimensions of the two SUVs, the Fortuner has a length of 4795mm while the Meridian has a length of 4769mm which is 26mm shorter than Fortuner. The Meridian has a width of 1859mm which is 4mm longer than the Fortuner 1859mm width. The Fortuner has a height of 1835mm which is 137mm less than the 1835mm height of Fortuner. The Fortuner has a wheelbase of 2745mm which is 37mm shorter than the 2782mm wheelbase of Meridian.
The Meridian has a ground clearance of 214mm which is 11mm less than the 225mm ground clearance of the Fortuner. The Fortuner has a fuel tank of 80 litres which is 20 litres more than the Meridian 60 litres fuel tank. The Fortuner has a kerb weight of 2,180 kg which is 290 kg more heavier than the Meridian kerb weight of 1,890 kg.
| Engine | 2.8-litre Diesel | 2.7-litre Petrol |
| Displacement | 2755cc | 2694cc |
| Power | 201 bhp | 163 bhp |
| Torque | 500 Nm / 420 Nm | 245 Nm |
| Transmission Type | 6-speed iMT, 6-speed Sequential Shift AT | 5-speed MT, 6-speed Sequential Shift AT |
| Fuel Efficiency | 8 km/l | 10 km/l |
| 0 – 100 kmph | around 10 seconds | around 13 seconds |
| Top Speed | 190 kmph | 190 kmph |
The Toyota Fortuner has two diesel and one petrol engine on offer. It uses the 2.8-litre diesel engine that puts out 201 bhp and 500 Nm of torque paired to 6-speed iMT Transmission or 6-speed Sequential Shift Automatic Transmission. The second diesel is the same 2.8-litre diesel engine with 201 bhp except it has 420 Nm of torque paired to the same transmissions. Both the diesel engines has a fuel efficiency of 8 km/l and can go from 0 – 100 kmph in around 10 seconds
Then, there is the 2.7-litre petrol engine that puts out 163 bhp and 245 Nm of torque paired to 5-speed Manual Transmission or 6-speed Sequential Shift Automatic Transmission and provides with a fuel efficiency of 10 km/l. It can go from 0 – 100 kmph in around 13 seconds at a top speed of 190 kmph.
| Engine | 2.0-litre MultiJet Diesel engine |
| Displacement | 1956cc |
| Power | 172.35 bhp / 168 bhp |
| Torque | 350 Nm |
| Transmission Type | 6-speed MT, 9-speed AT |
| Top Speed | 198 kmph |
The Jeep Meridian has one diesel engine on offer and no petrol engines. The Meridian is powered by 2.0-litre MultiJet Diesel Engine which produces 168 bhp and 350 Nm for entry-level variants and 172.35 bhp and 350 Nm of torque for other variants with both mated to a 6-speed Manual Transmission and 9-speed Automatic Transmission at a top speed of 198 kmph.
| Features | Toyota Fortuner | Jeep Meridian |
| Headlamps | LED | LED |
| Taillamps | LED | LED |
| Wheel size & Tyre | 18-inch alloy wheels | 18-inch alloy wheels |
| Auto Power Window | Yes | Yes |
| Seat upholstery | Leather | Leather |
| AC | Auto | 2-Zone |
| Rear AC vent | Yes | Yes |
| Instrument cluster | Analog | Digital |
| Infotainment System | 8-inch | 10.1 |
| Android Auto, Apple CarPlay | Yes | Yes |
| Wireless charger | Yes | Yes |
| Sunroof | – | Panoramic |
| Voice Control | Yes | Yes |
| Sound System | 6-speaker standard sound system | 9-speaker Alpine Sound System |
| Ventilated Seats | Yes | Yes |
| Height adjustable driver seat | Yes | Yes |
As you can see at the features list, the Fortuner misses out on one feature and that is the sunroof which the Meridian has is the panoramic sunroof. Meanwhile, the Meridian gets 9-speaker Alpine Sound System while the Fortuner has is the 6-speaker standard sound system.
| Safety Features | Toyota Fortuner | Jeep Meridian |
| Airbags | Seven airbags | Six airbags |
| Camera | reverse-parking camera | 360-degree camera |
| Auto Headlamps | – | Yes |
| TPMS | – | Yes |
| Traction Control | Yes | Yes |
| Cruise Control | Yes | Yes |
| ABS with EBD | Yes | Yes |
| ESC | – | Yes |
| Hill Start Assist | Yes | Yes |
| Hill Descent Control | Yes | Yes |
| ISOFIX | Yes | Yes |
| All 4 Disc Brakes | Ventilated Disc on all four wheels | Yes |
As you can see at the safety features table, the Fortuner misses out safety features such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Auto Headlamps, Tyre-Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and 360-degree camera instead it has reverse-parking camera.
| Model | Price |
| Toyota Fortuner | Rs. 37.87 lakh – Rs. 60 lakh |
| Jeep Meridian | Rs. 39.13 lakh – Rs. 45.69 lakh |
The Fortuner starts at Rs. 37.87 lakh for the 4×2 variant and goes up to Rs. 60 lakh for the GR S 4×4 Automatic variant where as the Meridian starts at Rs. 39.13 lakh for the Limited O variant and goes all the way up to Rs. 45.69 lakh for the Limited (O) Upland 4×4 Automatic Variant.
In the end, the decision to buy which car depends totally on you, however we would recommend you Jeep Meridian as it slightly better car with better features and more safety features on offer than the Fortuner and even though the starting price is slightly expensive, the top-end variant is much affordable than the Fortuner. Which car would you choose?