Toyota Fortuner is perhaps the most loved SUV in India with a budget of Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh. Not only the SUV offers a massive road presence but also offers comfort and off-roading capability. However, a buyer in India has sold his Toyota Fortuner and bought a Jeep Meridian instead. Even though the decision seems odd, the particular buyer has his own justification to get a Jeep Meridian instead of opting for a Toyota Fortuner again.
According to the video shared by YouTuber Arun Panwar, the owner (Lakshay Chaudhary) of new Jeep Meridian (4×2) previously owned a Toyota Fortuner (4×2) which he purchased in 2017. After owning the Fortuner for a period of 5 years, the owner made up his mind to switch to Jeep Meridian in 2022. Even though the Fortuner was in good condition, the owner changed the SUV due to tightening pollution norms faced by Diesel vehicles in Delhi NCR. The owner also mentioned that he wanted to shift to a petrol SUV as petrol engines are more future-proof than diesel counterparts. The owner also stressed on the fact that he has a tendency to change vehicles in just 3-4 years.
Initially, the owner thought of getting the same variant of Fortuner that he bought in 2017. However, upon enquiry, he found that the variant was expensive by more than Rs 10 lakh. While the owner purchased the Fortuner for Rs 36 lakh in 2017, the same variant was priced Rs 48 lakh in 2022. As the Ford Endeavour was discontinued, the idea of purchasing a pre-owned Endeavour was dropped. However, the Jeep Meridian was not the ultimate choice for the owner. He initially gave thought of owning a Mahindra XUV700 top variant (AX7 L petrol). However, as few owners of the XUV700 pointed out issues in the SUV, Mr Chaudhary dropped it.
In the end, Mr Chaudhary finally settled down for Jeep Meridian as the MG Gloster was not appealing to him. Even though Jeep Meridian is an SUV, it offered the comfort of a sedan, said Chaudhary. Overall he seemed quite satisfied with the ownership of Jeep Meridian and advised fellow buyers to go for it if they a budget of Rs 40- 50 lakh.