Tata Motors has showcased the Safari Facelift that comes with major changes, and so we thought why don’t we compare it against the Jeep Meridian to see if booking Safari Facelift is the right choice.
So, from the outside, the Safari Facelift has undergone big exterior changes such as the ront fascia as been changed completely with changes to the grille, bumpers, and headlamps. A full-width LED strip is above the grille that spans across the front body, an significant features of the Curvv concept. It has split LED Projector headlamps positioned vertically, ADAS Radar panel at the bottom grille and the camera at the top of the windscreen from the inside. Moving to the side, it has simple look with creasing, chrome on the window beltline, thin wheel arches and rides on the new 19-inch alloy wheels. Moving to the rear, changes extend to the bumpers, skid plate, and new Audi inspired LED taillights connected by an LED strip.
At the front of the Jeep Meridian, you can see it has the classic Jeep design with blocks on the grille and chrome line below which joins with the LED headlamps and a big chrome bar which covers the whole front of the Meridian. The bumpers at the front and the rear are silver skid plates. At the side, it has square wheel arches with 18-inch alloy wheels, a big chrome line going through the window frames on the top till the D-pillar, body-coloured door handles, and non-functional roof rails. At the rear, it has sleek LED taillamps with chrome element in between, and shark fin antenna on top.
Talking about the interiors, the Safari Facelift undergone some changes as well like the new 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system which is sleek, thinner, and very responsive; new 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster that is configurable, and displays navigation maps while driving; in front of the cluster is the new four-spoke steering wheel with display at the center that illuminates the Tata logo, and ambient light across the dashboard, and around the voice-assisted panoramic sunroof. Below the AC vents, it features touch-sensitive panel to control the dual-zone climate control, and other things.
In front of it is the rotary dial for the drive and terrain modes, steptronic gear shifter, and electronic parking brake with auto hold function. It features an fixed armrest but the space inside is good enough to store two cans. On the leather seats, it features huge adjustable headrests to keep you comfy, and further enhances the luxury appeal. Both the seats are electrically adjustable, and comes with ventilated seats. Moving to the rear, the seats are split in 60:40 ratio if you opt for 7 seater, or if you go for 6 seater config, you get captain seats that comes with ventilated seats, and the SUV it’s equipped with 10 Speaker JBL sound system.
From the inside, Jeep Meridian has a clean kind of bold look as well such as the 10-inch infotainment system placed above the AC vents and the other vents are placed horizontally to make it blend with the one chrome line that runs across the dashboard. It has the dual-tone theme option as well. It has soft-touch materials on the dashboard and on the doors. It has three-spoke multi-function steering wheel with the engine start/stop on the left side, next to the infotainment system. Around the gear lever, it has a metal switch for drive modes and electric parking brake with auto hold, and other things. The second row seats cannot be moved forward or push backward as the seats are fixed, and only thing you can do is recline, and the seats are split in 60:40 ratio. The third row is not great for adults as it’s seat split ratio is 40:60 and best for children. It has leather seats upholstery, and chrome door handles. Lastly, it has 9-speaker Alpine sound system on offer.
So, from the outside, both the SUVs look really good, but the Meridian looks better than the Safari, however, the interiors, the Safari looks very premium, spacious, and kind of luxurious than the Meridian.
| Tata Safari Facelift | Jeep Meridian | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 4668 MM | 4769 MM |
| Width | 1922 MM | 1859 MM |
| Height | 1795 MM | 1698 MM |
| Wheelbase | 2741 MM | 2782 MM |
| Ground Clearance | 205 MM | 214 MM |
| Boot Space | 420 L (3rd Row Folded) | 170 L 481 L (3rd Row Folded) |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 50 L | 60 L |
When it comes to Dimensions, the Safari Facelift measures 4668 MM in length, 1922 MM in width, and 1795 MM in height. The Jeep Meridian on the other hand, measures 4769 MM in length which is 101 MM longer, 1859 MM in width that is narrower by 63 MM, and height of 1698 MM that is shorter by 97 MM. The Safari Facelift features a wheelbase of 2741 MM, and ground clearance of 205 MM where as the Meridian measures 2782 MM that is longer by 41 MM, and ground clearance of 214 MM which is higher by 9 MM. The Safari Facelift is offered with 50 L fuel tank, and Boot Space of 420 L (3rd Row Folded), while the Meridian is offered with 60 L fuel tank (bigger by 10 L), and boot space of 170 L, and 481 L (3rd Row Folded) (Bigger by 61 L).
| Turbo Diesel | Tata Safari Facelift | Jeep Meridian |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2.0 L 4 Cylinder | 2.0 L 4 Cylinder |
| Displacement | 1956cc | 1956cc |
| Power | 167.67 BHP | 172.35 / 168 BHP |
| Torque | 350 NM | 350 NM |
| Transmission | 6 Speed MT / AT | 6 Speed MT, 9 Speed AT |
| Fuel Efficiency | 16.30 KMPL – MT 14.50 KMPL – AT | 15.7 KMPL – MT 16.2 KMPL – AT |
When it comes to Engine Options, both the cars are offered with the Turbo Diesel Powertrain. But Let’s Start with the Safari Facelift first. The Safari Facelift comes with only one engine and that is the 2.0 L 4 Cylinder Turbo Diesel generating 167.67 BHP and 350 NM of torque mated to 6 Speed Manual Gearbox with 16.30 KMPL mileage, and 6 Speed Automatic Gearbox with 14.50 KMPL mileage. The Jeep Meridian on the other hand, comes with the 2.0 L 4 Cylinder Turbo Diesel producing 172.35 BHP and 168 BHP depending on the variant, and 350 NM of torque mated to 6 Speed Manual Gearbox with 15.7 KMPL mileage, and 9 Speed Automatic Gearbox with 16.2 KMPL mileage.
| Features | Tata Safari Facelift | Jeep Meridian |
|---|---|---|
| Headlamps | LED Projector | 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 | 2-zone | 2-zone |
| Rear AC vent | Yes | Yes |
| Instrument cluster | Digital | Digital |
| Infotainment System | 12.3-inch | 10.1-inch |
| Android Auto, Apple CarPlay | Wireless | Wireless |
| Air Purifier | Yes | – |
| Ambient Lighting | Yes | – |
| Voice Control | Yes | Yes |
| Sound System | 10-speaker JBL sound system | 9 Speaker Alpine Sound System |
| Cooled Glovebox | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Dimming IRVM | Yes | Yes |
| Wireless Charging Pad | Yes | Yes |
| Height adjustable driver seat | Yes | Yes |
| Ventilated Seats | First Row Second Row (Only for 6 Seater Variant) | First Row |
| Electric Parking Brake with Auto Hold | Yes | Yes |
| Powered Tailgate | Yes | Yes |
| Powered Seats | 6-way Power Adjustable Driver Seat 4-way Power Adjustable Front Passenger Seat | 8-way Power Adjustable Driver Seat 8-way Power Adjustable Driver Seat |
| Sunroof | Panoramic | Panoramic |
In Features, the Jeep Meridian misses out on 10-Speaker sound system, ambient lighting, air purifier, and bigger infotainment system while the Tata Safari facelift misses out on 8 way power adjustable for both driver and passenger.
| Safety Features | Tata Safari Facelift | Maruti Invicto |
|---|---|---|
| Airbags | Seven Airbags | Six airbags |
| Camera | 360 Surround View Camera | 360 Surround View Camera |
| Parking Sensors | Front and Rear | Rear |
| Rain-Sensing Wipers | Yes | Yes |
| TPMS | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Headlamps | Yes | Yes |
| Traction Control | Yes | Yes |
| Cruise Control | Adaptive | Yes |
| ADAS | Level 2 | – |
| ABS with EBD | Yes | Yes |
| ESC | Yes | Yes |
| Hill Assist | Yes | Yes |
| Hill Descent Control | Yes | Yes |
| ISOFIX | Yes | Yes |
| All 4 Disc Brakes | Yes | Yes |
In Safety, the Meridian misses out on ADAS, and Front Parking Sensors.
| Model | Price (Ex-showroom) |
|---|---|
| Tata Safari Facelift | Expected Rs. 16.85 L |
| Jeep Meridian | Rs. 33.81 – Rs. 38.61 L |
The Jeep Meridian starts from Rs. 33.81 lakh for the base ‘Limited (O)’ variant, and Rs. 38.61 Lakh for the top ‘Limited+ 4×4 Automatic’ variant. As for the Tata Safari Facelift, it is expected to start from Rs. 16.85 Lakh.
As for the warranty, Tata offers 3 years/1,00,000 km warranty period for the Safari that can be extended up to 5 years/unlimited kms and Jeep offers 3 years/1,00,000 km warranty period and can be extended up to 5 years/1,50,000 km.
In the end, the decision to buy which SUV depends totally on you, however, if you ask us the upcoming Tata Safari Facelift looks very promising as it’s got a new makeover, new features, good engine and performance, spacious, and feels very luxurious. Although, the Jeep Meridian is bigger in dimensions, great handling, powerful engine compared to the Safari, spacious, premium, and has almost the same features as Safari. So, you can wait for few days for Safari Facelift launch, or you can go ahead and buy the Meridian, your call. Which SUV are you going to buy?