Renault Triber Test Drive Review – Very VFM!

Renault Triber Review

Car Tested: Renault Triber; Road Test No. 1131; Test Location: Goa

Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 5.79 – 7.57 lakhs

With the Triber, Renault has brought a practical seven-seater with great space and a frugal petrol engine to the masses

Compact SUVs are the in thing but has anybody heard of a compact 7-seater? Chances are you probably hadn’t before the Renault Triber came in. Well, Mahindra had already tried the under 4-metre, 7-seater formula with the TUV300 but it didn’t work. There were two main reasons for that, the jump seats were a compromise and it wasn’t comfortable. However, Renault seems to have addressed all these issues in the Triber, which promises genuine 7-seater capability in the below 4-metre shell. Will the Triber be popular in these testing market conditions? We find out.

Motor Quest: The Triber is underpinned by the CMF-A+ platform which is substantially larger and is a modified version of the CMF-A platform on which the Kwid is based. This platform is wider and has a longer wheelbase. In fact, Renault says that part sharing is so minimal between these two platforms, that it is almost a completely new platform.

Exteriors – The Triber does look much better in person than in photos. There is no mistaking it’s a Renault, lots of design elements are in sync with its siblings. It gets an SUV nose with many SUV inspired elements like roof rails, black side cladding and skid plates. You get projector lamps and DRLs at the front and wrap-around tail lamps at the back. The roofline rises as you move towards the rear (to ensure adequate headroom for rear passengers), however, it has been very cleverly masked by the roof rails. Overall, Renault has managed to ensure the car doesn’t look boxy or boring.

Interiors – Renault has upped their game with respect to the quality levels in the cabin. The layout looks quite pleasing and modern. The Triber gets an all-new 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system which not only is more responsive but also high on functionality. It comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The digital instrument cluster is new too and the pizza-shaped tachometer adds a funky touch while the 3.5-inch MID screen shows vital data. The AC works very well and the car cooled in no time in this humid Goa weather. Besides the regular vents at the front, the Triber gets vents for the second row in the B-pillars along with blower control. Overhead vents are provided for the last row. Mind you, these are all AC vents and not just blowers.

All three rows of seats are reasonably spacious and offer great comfort with adequate legroom and kneeroom

The front seats are comfortable and offer good side bolstering. There is enough legroom and kneeroom. Under thigh support is average here. The second row is also comfortable to sit in and can be reclined too. This row can be folded in 60:40 ratio to increase storage space. Moreover, this row has a wide range of travel which assists in improving the legroom for the last row. When nobody is seated behind, you can move the seat all the way back and stretch your legs. Since the rear door opens by almost 90 degrees, ingress and egress to the second and third rows is really easy.

Surprisingly the last row is reasonably comfortable. However, because the seat is placed much lower, you sit with your knees up. Legroom is just about adequate, and not only children, but even adults can also find comfort here. Headroom is a bit tight for six-footers. Boot space with all the seats up is a mere 84-litres but if you want to increase the space, the last row splits, folds down and can even be removed entirely. With the last row out, boot space is a whopping 625-litres which is by far the largest for any sub-4-metre car in the country.

The cabin is extremely practical & comes with a touchscreen infotainment system

There are numerous storage areas in the cabin. At the front, you have two large gloves boxes, one of them being cooled. You also get a cooled compartment between the front seats. There is plenty of storage available in the central console along with door pockets in all the 4 doors.

One has to wonder, how Renault has managed to pack seven seats in a sub-4-metre car. To start with, Renault has compacted the engine bay. There will be no diesel option in the Triber which has enabled Renault to save space as petrol engines are smaller and more compact. In fact, come April 2020, Renault will be doing away with diesel powertrains across its entire lineup, Duster included. Secondly, Renault has gone for a theatre arrangement of the seats, which means each row is relatively higher than the previous, thereby saving on horizontal space.

Performance – Under the hood is a Kwid derived 3-cylinder, 1.0-litre gasoline engine which also powers the Clio and Sandero in international markets. This engine now gets variable valve timing, improved air intakes and produces 72 PS of power and 96 Nm of twisting force. Mated to this engine is the Kwid’s reworked 5-speed unit which is currently available only in the manual trim. As of now, this engine complies with BS4 emission norms and Renault will update it to BS6 early next year. The AMT version too, will be coming at the same time.

The tweaked 1.0-litre petrol motor has a strong mid-range and also manages to deliver outstanding fuel-economy

Drivability is good as more than 90% of the torque is available below 2000 RPM. The lower end is average but the engine comes alive in the mid-range and the high-end of the rev band. The clutch is light and in spite of being a 3-cylinder engine, vibrations are in control but this engine does get noisy near the redline. Although Renault has insulated the cabin, the engine bay is compact and since you are closer to the engine, the noise does manage to creep in, although only at higher revs.

Gear ratios are suited for both city and highway driving. The Triber hits 40 km/hr in the first gear, 68 km/hr in the second and goes above 100 km/hr in the third. Gearshifts seemed a bit notchy but we were driving brand new cars and we would expect it to settle down as the car is run-in. In gear acceleration is average and even with seven people on board, the performance is acceptable. Since most buyers in this segment prefer better fuel efficiency over performance, Renault has tuned the engine on the efficiency side. One can expect the Triber to return 15-16 km/l in the routine driving cycle.

Driving Dynamics – As with most Renault cars, the ride quality is nothing short of brilliant. Take the Triber on the worst of surfaces and it will take it with a smile on its face. At both slow and high speeds, the suspension keeps the craters from filtering in the cabin, ensuring that the passengers are comfortable, in all the rows. The steering is light at low speeds hence manoeuvring around the city is very easy, the light clutch only adding to the comfort. As the speeds build-up, the steering weighs up but not enough and still feels light.

Ride quality is exceptional with the suspension soaking in all the bumps

Although the Triber feels quite stable at high speeds, the steering is not in the same league as we see in other Renault cars like the Duster. Body roll is present but is well controlled, besides, the Triber seldom going to be used for corner craving. Renault has equipped the Triber with front disc brakes and rear drums. The brakes offer good bite and are predictable under sudden and heavy braking.

Safety and After Sales Service – Even though the Triber is priced attractively, Renault hasn’t skimped on safety features. Dual front airbags and ABS are standard right from the base variant while the top variant comes with 4 airbags. The Triber is also expected to be low on maintenance.

Verdict – The Renault Triber opens up a new segment and is the only compact car which can seat seven people in genuine comfort. Not only that, it comes with some clever features and tons of practicality and versatility. The engine strikes a good balance between power and fuel economy but the talking point has to be the shock pricing of Rs. 7.57 Lakhs (on-road, Mumbai), which is the icing on the cake for a vehicle which offers 7-seater usability in a practical, modern and value for money package.

What’s Cool

* Mouthwatering price
* Practical and spacious cabin
* Feature-loaded interiors
* Fuel efficiency

What’s Not So Cool

* No AMT offered at launch
* NVH levels could be better

Alternatives: – Datsun GO+, Maruti Wagon R

Renault Triber Specifications

* Engine: 999cc, 3-Cyl, Petrol
* Power: 72 BHP @ 6250 RPM
* Torque: 96 Nm @ 3500 RPM
* Transmission: 5-Speed MT
* Fuel Consumption: 15-16 km/l
* Fuel Type: Petrol
* Tyre Size: 185/65/15 (Front & Rear)
* Suspension: McPherson Strut (Front), Torsion Beam (Rear)
* Brakes: Disc (Front), Drum (Rear)
* Safety: 4 Airbags, ABS with EBD, ESP

Renault Triber Dimensions

* Overall length x width x height: 3990 mm X 1739 mm X 1643 mm
* Wheelbase: 2636 mm
* Ground Clearance: 182 mm
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 40-litres
* Kerb Weight: 947 kgs

Further Reading –

Renault Triber First Look Review [Video]

Testers’ Note:

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