Renault India is all set to launch the Triber compact MPV on the 28th of August. The vehicle has already begun reaching dealerships across India, and a Youtuber Gagan Choudhary has even managed to take a quick spin in it. Here are the initial drive impressions of the Kwid platform-based sub-4 meter MPV, whose prices are likely to start from under Rs. 5 lakhs, making it one of the most affordable vehicles in its segment, deeply undercutting the best selling Maruti Ertiga.
As the video indicates, the Triber is likely to get a very competitive price tag given the quality levels all around. The compact MPV is clearly built to a price, and this is something that’s not surprising given the fact that it is based on the same platform as the Kwid. The CMF-A platform that underpins the Triber has been developed as a low cost platform for emerging markets across the world.
The MPV is built at Renault-Nissan’s joint manufacturing facility at Chennai, and shares its engine with the Kwid 1.0. The 1 liter-3 cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine gets a mild power and torque bump up, making 72 Bhp-96 Nm, which is slightly higher than what the Kwid 1.0 makes: 67 Bhp-91 Nm. The additional power and torque should be useful, given the higher weight that the engine has to lug around on the Triber. There is no diesel engine on offer, and won’t be offered even in the future. Renault might offer a CNG-Petrol dual fuel option in certain variants though.
Gearbox options on the Triber include 5 speed manual and AMTs. The compact MPV gets 2 airbags, ABS+EBD, reverse parking sensors, seat belt reminders, speed alerts and ISOFIX mounting points for child seats as standard safety features across all trims. The higher variants get a reverse parking camera as an additional safety feature. The higher variants also get a touchscreen infotainment unit with navigation, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Power up and down functions are available across all four windows, and the compact MPV also gets power adjustable wing mirrors. The major selling point of the Triber is its versatile seating layout. The MPV is offered with a 7 seat layout as standard, spread across three rows. The last row of seats can be removed individually or collectively to liberate additional boot space. Even the middle row of seats fold down to make the Triber a really spacious and versatile car for carrying a lot of luggage.