Renault Triber MPV Born to Lead

The Triber’s one litre petrol engine is mated to either a 5-speed manual transmission or an Easy-R AMT. We drove the top end variant that had a manual transmission. So what is the seven –seater like when it comes to features and driving experience? Let’s check it out.

Exterior Dimensions

Length3990mm, width: 1739mm without door mirrors, height: 1643mm without roof rails, Wheelbase: 2636mm

Kerb weight 947kg

Tyre size: 185/65/R15

Engine: 1.0 litre, 3 cylinder petrol engine

Displacement: 999cc

Gearbox: 5 speed manual transmission

Power: 71hp@6250rpm

Torque: 96Nm@3500rpm

Fuel efficiency: 20kmpl

Brakes: Discs in front / Drums at rear

Fuel Tank capacity: 40 litres

EXTERIOR

The Triple Edge Chrome front grille with the Renault badge looks cool. There are no fog lamps, instead Renault has put DRLs there. You get projector headlamps but they are halogen.The Triber has a smart new front-bumper, while the bonnet is sculpted. There are front and rear skid plates. The roof rails smartly cover the roof drop. Then there are black plastic wheel arch protections and lower protective door panels. The Triber has a ground clearance of 182 mm.

The side profile of the vehicle is very sporty like an SUV while the vehicle sits on R15 tyres. The lower variants get 165/80/R14 tyres. A lot of features go missing in the lower variants.

The two-part rear Eagle beak tail lamps extend onto the outside of the wings and taper to point to the centre of the tailgate, giving it a wider stance.

INTERIORS

The interiors come in two-tone colors, from deep black for the upper part of the dashboard to a beige and white tone for the lower part and door trims. Details such as the chrome trim on air vents, air-conditioning dials, the start/stop button, silver accents on the dashboard and the feel of the silver door handle and door armrests covered with pleasant-to-the-touch fabric, add to the overall visual appeal of the car. The central storage area is refrigerated and so is the lower glove compartment. There is an upper glove compartment with a capacity of more than 4 liters, more than double of what is usually available on similar-size hatchbacks. The Renault Triber has a storage compartment of up to 31 litres. The cup holders are accessible to everyone between the first and second seats. While it has one USB port for front passengers, there is one 12V socket each for the 2nd and 3rd row seats. That makes a lot of sense as children are expected to sit at the back.

Renault Triber’s 8 inch multimedia touch screen features the MediaNav Evolution connected multimedia system. With its smartphone replication feature, it is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and their numerous driving and entertainment apps. The multimedia system also allows videos to be played through USB plug.

The fully digital LED instrument cluster (a first in this segment) comes with a 3.5 inches LCD screen framed by three virtual gauges for the tachometer, fuel level, and engine temperature. The vehicle comes with rear parking sensors and reverse camera

With the convenient hands-free card which is the car key, doors can be opened and closed and the engine started with a smart start stop button, without making any physical contact with the key. The sensors in the card mean that the doors can be locked and unlocked without having to take the card out of a pocket or bag or pressing a button. The hands-free system includes an auto-lock function when drivers walk away from the vehicle.

The MPV offers boot capacity (625 litres) in the five-seater configuration. Boot capacity remains 320 litres in six-seater configuration and 84 litres in the seven-seater configuration. Renault Triber also comes with functional roof rails with a load carrying capacity of 50 kg.

Renault Triber has a smart packaged twin Air conditioning system ensuring cooling comfort across the rows. The second row customers get dedicated vents on centre pillars and the third row has specific air vents located on the ceiling. The knob to control the air flow for the second row and third row is a single one situated on the floor console and accessible to 2^nd row passengers.

While I found the first row and second row very comfortable for bulky adults, the third row was definitely a big squeeze.

The vehicle offers sliding, reclinable, foldable and tumble second-row seats along with the large door opening angles (74° on rear doors) which provide the best level ingress and egress of its segment. The two third row seats can be unlatched and taken out either in part or in whole. Yes, if you do not want the back rest, you can take it out and make more room for the boot. And if you don’t want the entire seat at the third row you can unlatch it and keep it in your garage. There are several permutations and combinations when it comes to seat configuration.

PERFORMANCE & SAFETY

The Triber is fitted with a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder petrol energy engine generating 71hp  and 96Nm of peak torque.  Since it is a small engine with three cylinders, it has its own limitations. The moment I accelerated the car, there was this very grating sound of the engine screaming its heart out. The little fellow did its best to surge ahead. But I am a little doubtful whether this machine can comfortably take seven fully grown adults on some hilly tracts. . With shorter gear throws, the torque is available from low revs and this in turn ensures decent acceleration. With dismal speed limits the order of the day in India, this car has nothing to worry.

But the car handled well at high speeds and NVH levels too were very decent. The ride quality is a lot above average.

The vehicle complies with all the safety requirements for the Indian market. You get 3-point belts in all rows, with those in rows 1 and side seats in row 2 equipped with a retractor. The rest of the seats get very normal non retractable seat belts. The driver's belt is also equipped with a pretensioner and load limiter. The Renault Triber is fitted with 4 airbags: driver, passenger, and front sides.

VERDICT

If I were to sum up, I would say that the Renault Triber is a great effort from the Renault engineering team. With growing competition and in a desperate bid to win the hearts of the large middle class in India, they have offered 7 seats with plenty of air conditioning and decent features. It’s set a new benchmark in the entry level MPV segment. It’s born to lead.