Meridian

Overview

The Meridian drives like a car that has stopped caring about what crossovers do. The 2.0-litre diesel makes 170 bhp and 350 Nm across a broad mid-range plateau, and in this listing it is paired with gearing long enough that 120 km/h passes at barely above idle murmur, which is the entire argument for a diesel SUV of this size in the first place. Overtaking a convoy on a single carriageway is not an event; it is a lane change with intent behind it.

The body is upright, tall and honest about it, with 213 mm of clearance and a four-wheel-drive option that turns the vehicle from a highway cruiser into something that will genuinely go where the highway ends. The ride is the traditional kind, floating a little in corners and pitching over crests, and buyers who like that character tend to love nothing else; the five-star structure and six airbags mean the nostalgia comes with real safety behind it.

The compromises are measured in metres and litres. At 4.76 metres long the Meridian makes town parking an exercise in patience, the 271-litre boot is small for the footprint because the four-wheel-drive hardware takes its share, and the cabin, while well built, leans functional rather than luxurious next to the imports nearby in price. This is a tool in a suit, and it should be bought for what it does rather than how it photographs.

• 350 Nm from the 2.0-litre diesel
• Part-time four-wheel drive option
• 213 mm ground clearance and a five-star structure