Renault has always wanted to manufacture a small car for India, but instead of a premium hatchback, the French company decided to make a compact MPV that can seat seven.
They call it the Triber and practicality is one of its strengths. Being one of the latest cars in India, we decided to tell you more about it.
A different Tribe
The Renault Triber has a lot of crossover-inspired styling details, like the scuff plates up-front and at the back, the cladding over the wheel arches and those runners on either side.
The roof rails add to the appeal and its ground clearance of 182mm is great. The Renault Triber gets 15-inch steel wheels that get wheel covers that could easily be mistaken for being alloy wheels, so yes, that’s nice.
Up-ahead, it features the large Renault lozenge, the wraparound headlights with projectors. Even LED DRLs are found up-front.
The glasshouse has a kink in the C-pillar and the massive horizontally laid-out tail lights are eye-catching.
Compact but huge on capacity
When seated up-front, the driver’s seat feels elevated, giving you a good view out-front. The quality of plastics is reasonably good, and although there aren’t any soft-touch materials, the finish is rather good.
The dashboard sports a broad strip of faux metal, and the dual-tone theme gives it a premium look.
The seats are upholstered in a multi-fabric material and the bezel around the steering gives it a neat look.
The Renault Triber comes with an interior that is practical, and that not only means space but also lots of cubby holes and two gloveboxes.
The glovebox below gets a cooling function and there’s one in between the front seats as well. In the third row, the seats are positioned close to the flooring, so you sit with your knees up.
Getting into the third row is easy work and the space is reasonably good, even for some average-sized adults.
Headroom at the back is good and the rear headrests are adjustable. For the rear-most seated passengers, the windscreen is too close to the head.
Boot space is limited to just 84 litres with all rows up, meaning it’s sufficient for a few soft bags and nothing more. The Triber gets its spare wheel placed under the body.
Small and efficient
There are no diesel engines being offered on the Triber; it gets a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine, producing 71bhp and 96Nm of torque.
The motor features variable valve timing on the intake and exhaust sides. These power output figures aren’t particularly convincing given the fact it has to lug around a whole family and maybe more.
Performance isn’t impressive; it’s best driven in the city and overtaking on highways is not its forte. Power delivery is sluggish and you’ll have to work the engine hard to extract the most of it.
With full of passengers, you’ll have to ensure you’re in the right gear to maintain speed. The Triber ambles along nicely in the city, but a strong mid-range is absent.
The Triber could use a 1.0-litre turbo engine, which should make performance ideal. The engine comes paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox; there’s even an option of an AMT ‘box.
Even refinement levels need an improvement as the engine is always heard and it sounds vocal as speeds climb.
Also, we noticed a whine from the gearbox. Ride quality though, is good. The tyres take the whacks from the bumps well and although the suspension is a bit firm, it feels solid.
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At high speeds, you’d be surprised at how stable it is at high speeds. It stays planted and the steering is light, making it easy to twirl in the city. The Triber is one of the latest cars in India from the Renault brand.