Jeep Meridian vs Fortuner Legender : Head-to-head in an owner comparo

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The Fortuner’s indestructible and imposing stance does mean that people tend to get out of your way in a manner the Meridian is unlikely to ever command.

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The Meridian vs the Legender | 2021 Fortuner Legender 4×4 A/T owner’s take on the Meridian.

Fortuner owner’s comparison review:

  • On first look, the length of the Meridian is as much as the Fortuner! But the Fortuner is taller and appears the larger car. Clearly has more road presence.
  • The seating height is closer to that of a sedan. Great for older folks. Higher seating of the Fortuner however means the driver has a better view of the road ahead and the surroundings. You do have to haul yourself into the car – challenging for the older folks with aching knees.
  • Restricted view from the rear-view mirror in the Meridian – must depend more on the side view mirrors when compared to the Fortuner. The Fortuner is the roomier car and has better all-around view while driving.
  • The full TFT panel of the Meridian is a delight. The Fortuner misses out on this.
  • The interiors of the Meridian are plusher by a mile. The moon-roof and the overall good interior makes the Meridian look a generation ahead of the Fortuner. How the Meridian would age would have to be seen though. For the money you are paying for the Fortuner, the interiors disappoint. But the bucket seats on the Fortuner seem to hold you much better. The Fortuner in known to age better and for its bullet proof reliability.
  • Oh! The bells and whistles in the Jeep. Tyre pressure monitor, wireless Apple CarPlay etc. Fortuner has a generation to go simply to catchup. Fortunately, you get wired Apple CarPlay now! The JBL music system of the Fortuner is also really good.
  • The engine is smaller in comparison to the Fortuner and the Meridian can’t pull away as fast as the big Toyota from a STOP light. But the Jeep can then catch up slightly later. Larger engine of the Fortuner means you always have torque on hand and that leads to effortless driving. Surprisingly, it would seem that despite its larger size and bigger engine, the Fortuner is not thirstier than the Meridian and in fact, the Fortuner might even be more frugal. Will be good to observe comparable fuel efficiency figures of both over a longer ownership duration. The Fortuner delivers a shade under 10 kmpl in Pune city and around 12 kmpl on the highway.
  • Need to push the Meridian a little harder in comparison to the Fortuner so the drive gets a little noisier in the Jeep. Not that there is no engine noise coming into the cabin in the Toyota, but its less frequent than the Meridian as you may need to push the pedal less hard in the Fortuner.
  • The Fortuner has three modes of driving. Eco/Normal/Sport. You can amble all along in the Eco-mode when stuck in traffic or you could bring out the beast simply at the press of the sports mode. The paddle shifters in the Fortuner simply make driving a pleasure and stress free.
  • With the Meridian, body roll is lesser, the suspension does a pretty good job taking on pot holes. You can attack corners faster. The Fortuner predictably has more pronounced body roll, after all it’s a body on frame construction. But then what potholes – you simply glide over anything the road throws at you. While you cannot attack corners at the same speed as in the Meridian, on a straight line, the Fortuner may hold the edge.
  • In the 4*4 terrain the Meridian would find it harder to keep up with the more capable Fortuner. Hard core off-roading is where the Fortuner would truly shine, specially given its superior ground clearance.
  • No independent manual DPF switch was noticed in the Meridian – would have to think twice if ever high altitude driving/off-roading is to be done. You can manually carry out DPF cleaning as and when you wish at the press of a button. This may give you better control in keeping the DPF clean when driving in challenging high-altitude oxygen depleted terrain.
  • Visually, while the Fortuner definitely is the larger more imposing vehicle, the Meridian too holds its own next to the big daddy of BOF SUVs.
  • Both cars look solidly built and inspire confidence.
  • On the inside, its the Meridian that has the richer interior without a doubt. Despite the Fortuner having moved the game forward on the interiors front, it still feels more UTE than urban plush crossover.
  • MID cockpit is analog compared to the more modern digital console of the Meridian.
  • Storage in the centre is a lot more limited in the Fortuner compared to the Meridian.
  • Start the car and the first thing that hit me is the heaviness of the steering and drive. In strict comparison terms, you need to ‘work’ the steering a lot more in the Fortuner at slow speeds than the car-like easy feel of the Meridian. Overall, the Meridian is a far ‘easier’ car to pilot than the more heavy duty Fortuner.
  • Around the twisties, I predictably felt a lot more confident throwing the Meridian around than the big Toyota.
  • Power however is seamless in both, with the Fortuner having the obvious edge. Where the Meridian might hesitate at the word go, the Fortuner is like a wave of never ending torque. But power is just one factor that contributes to driving attributes and I found it easier to push the Meridian given its superior ride and handling than I did with the Fortuner.
  • The Fortuner has useful power modes (ECO / Nomal / Sport) with the added boon of paddle shifters. This is one of my single biggest gripes with the Meridian. It really should have been equipped with driving modes as well as paddle shifters. A HUGE miss for the Jeep.
  • I have limited inputs on the rear seat experience since we were swapping cars and only driving for this test drive.
  • Braking is equally strong in both cars is what I felt. I think RSD found the Fortuner superior on this front.
  • Steering does not have the same sharpness of the Meridian.
  • The big Toyota absolutely demolishes any bumps or breaks in the road, showing its class on this front. Despite the Meridian being pretty competent on the suspension front, the Fortuner just smothers everything that comes its way and you barely feel broken roads in this behemoth.
  • In terms of managing the dimensions, I found both equally manageable. I used to be a bit overwhelmed by the Fortuner’s size earlier but having driving the Meridian now for a few weeks, piloting both these full size SUVs is not that difficult.
  • The Fortuner’s indestructible and imposing stance does mean that people tend to get out of your way in a manner the Meridian is unlikely to ever command.
  • Despite being the larger, heavier and bigger engine, it seems from early mileage tests that the Fortuner is not at any disadvantage on the fuel efficiency front. I’m hoping the Meridian FE will creep closer to the double digit mark over a period of time.

All in all, while I can completely understand people’s love for the Fortuner, my test drive left me convinced that this is not the product that suits my driving style or needs.

Comparison via pictures:

The Fortuner definitely carries a more imposing look, although the Meridian doesn’t look insubstantial next to it and manages to hold its own.

Close ups from different angles. The Legender has come a long way from previous generation Fortuners.

The two vehicles parked alongside for length perspective.

Aamby valley + MH monsoons create the perfect combo for car photography.

The all important manual regeneration switch for DPF regeneration, mentioned in the Fortuner owner’s notes. The Meridian does not seem to have this manual regen option and I need to read up on the DPF related tech to understand the possible implications of missing this aspect. If the only way to carry out manual regen is to drive the car for 3 mins at 100 kmph then that’s not really a practical solution in my view.

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