[Unicorn202]

I have extensively driven my cousin's Triber. It is way too underpowered for a 7 seater. Hope they plonk Kiger's 1L turbo into the Triber and give it a fresh lease of life !!

[uditanshh]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

Don't underestimate this engine, it is can really go. The numbers don't tell the whole story.

True that. Bashing a car over lethargic engine is just not fair. The Triber is a unique concept(7seater under 4m). People critise the Ertiga, XL6 for its lethargic 1.5L NA, but these sell like hot cakes. Contrary to popular opinion, the engine on the Triber does feel adequate for most city driving, and also the Triber looks good and has a good feature set.

What I think is that instead of adding 1.0L Turbo in the Triber, Renault should actually work on improving the build quality and feel of materials used in the car. Not the 4* crash rating, but the actual build quality like thicker sheet metal, better quality plastics, etc. Improving these aspects with a minor price bump would be better for the likes of TRIBER, KIGER, MAGNITE etc.

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Small turbo petrol engine on a small 7 seater is a bad idea because of turbo-lag. Let's do some math:

Triber kerb weight: 1000 kgs
4 adults + 2 kids + luggage: 500 kgs
Weight increase = 50%

The key requirement for a 7 seater is to get off the line smoothly when loaded with passengers & luggage. This is especially important in city traffic or on ghat roads or heavy traffic 2 laned roads. Triber with a turbo petrol engine will struggle. Don't be fooled by a turbo petrol's power or torque figures - they achieve these numbers at very high RPM (4000 RPM/6000 RPM).

But Kiger will be carrying less passengers and luggage.

Kiger kerb weight : 1000 kgs
2 adults + 2 kids + luggage = 300 kgs
Weight increase = 30%

Turbo-petrol might be able to handle this load reasonably well at low RPMs.

Also, product engineers have to assume that Triber might be overloaded occassionally too. They have to benchmark the performance of the car, with even higher loads than just 1,500 kgs. Meanwhile, Kiger is unlikely to be overloaded.

While I get your point, I have a slightly different perspective on this. Going by the official brochure and information available on the internet, here are a few numbers.

Renault Kiger
Kerb Weight - 1012 kg
Engine - 1.0L Energy MT / AMT

• Power- 72ps@6250rpm
• Torque - 96 Nm@ 3250 rpm

Engine - 1.0L Turbo MT / CVT

• Power- 100ps@5000rpm
• Torque - 160 Nm@ 2800-3600rpm / 152Nm@2200-4400 rpm

Boot Size - 405L
Brochure

Renault Triber
Kerb Weight - 947 kg
Engine - 1.0L Energy MT / AMT
Power- 72ps@6250rpm
Torque - 96 Nm@ 3250 rpm
Boot Size - 84L
Brochure

From the data available, it is obvious that the Kiger is not just 65 kgs heavier than the Triber, but also has a significantly larger boot. This means that when both cars are fully loaded, the difference in weight wouldn't be much. The power and torque figures of the three variants of the powertrains also tell an interesting story. The turbo version produces maximum power and torque at a relatively lower rpm. Despite the inherent turbo lag, the turbo powertrain should perform well based on the data.

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

Simple answer - 5.99L ex showroom pricing! Adding the turbo motor will push the price up by at least 1L, which takes away the Triber's USP - a cheap 7 seater. Furthermore, if they add the turbo motor to the Triber, the AMT wouldn't make sense anymore. So they'll have to bring the CVT as well, which is again going to push the price up!

When talking about pricing, no doubt the Triber is a compelling package with a starting price of 5.99 lakhs and the range-topping variant retailing at 8.97 lakhs ex-showroom Bangalore. If the addition of the turbo+CVT combo variant bumps up the price by about 1.5-1.75 lakhs, the Triber would still be an attractive package given that the Maruti Ertiga, which is the most affordable 7 seater after Triber(And Eeco of course ), retails at 8.64 to 13.08 lakhs ex-showroom Bangalore.

Make no mistake, the current version is a capable one. But, would anyone complain if a more potent powetrain is offered, even if it is priced at a premium?

[mail2vm]

I bought a 2022 model and sold it in 12 months.
1) The mileage was pathetic, between 7-11kmpl. The automatic model was too noisy and miserable to drive, takes a longer range for gear shift (drinks more fuel). I drove the car in manual mode for most of the time (I clocked around 11k kms) and that did a little to keep the mileage at the upper range (9-11kmpl). The service center could not fix the mileage issue.
2) There was a clutch problem which was replaced under warranty.

3) This model had a rollback problem and I presume it's fixed with the Hill Assist function now.
4) The start button models have a weird problem - You need to press the start button multiple times to make the engine start - It takes a few seconds to process and at times goes to hibernation mode. You need to try a few times.
There were times the car refused to start in the early mornings, especially in the middle of the road - I had to call the service center was suggested weird options to try to get the car started - One of the options I remember is to open the driver side door to reset the electronics set up and try the start option again. It actually works in this weird car.

Other than the comfort of carrying more luggage, I did not find anything interesting in this car. The sad part was, that people who had zero knowledge of cars asked me why I bought this car - I was told that their friends bought and sold this car as they were totally dissatisfied with it for many reasons including the poor resale value.
I sold it for a miserable price as there is no resale value for Renault cars, especially Triber - I tried via Spinny, cars24, and Cardekho etc., but no one was ready to buy it for a market price or even a reasonable price.
I bought the car for 10.5 Lakhs and the asking price was almost 50%. I had to sell it to the dealership after much fighting with them to take back the car that they sold to me.I regret the decision to buy this car. I would not even suggest this to a first-time buyer. For peace of mind, I would suggest you buy something better.

[Starfire]

Originally Posted by DustyWanderer

Renault still does not take Indian market very seriously. There is no excitement at all in their products.

They probably won’t cause after the original launch of the first gen Duster in 2012, the Indian market hasn’t taken them seriously either. That despite Renault actually launching half decent products like the Fluence or Koleos which ended up being buried 6 ft under.

Its sad cause not every company in India is lucky enough like Maruti Suzuki to get away with launching under-equipped, sub-par built, uninspiring engined and weak driving dynamic products . Its only recently after feeling the heat of the competition catching up that they were actually forced to launch a niche product like the Jimny. Simply shows how powerful the consumers really are and a simple shift in buyer mindset can actually create either a negative pressure or a positive stimulus on manufacturers to bring in better products into the country.

[DDV437]

Originally Posted by Starfire

They probably won’t cause after the original launch of the first gen Duster in 2012, the Indian market hasn’t taken them seriously either. That despite Renault actually launching half decent products like the Fluence or Koleos which ended up being buried 6 ft under.

Rightly said. I think it was another BHPian who said that if a car was a flop in India, it probably was a good car.

Renault has been trying in the Indian market. I can remember at least 5-6 different models that they have introduced in the last 10 years, but all (except Kwid, Triber and Duster) sank without a trace. The sad part is that all of these were good cars and we failed to recognize their strengths. If obsolete in all aspect's products like the Bolero (a design old enough to vote) can sell well, then what exactly was missing from the Captur, or the Koleos?

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by Unicorn202

I have extensively driven my cousin's Triber. It is way too underpowered for a 7 seater. Hope they plonk Kiger's 1L turbo into the Triber and give it a fresh lease of life !!

Originally Posted by mail2vm

I bought a 2022 model and sold it in 12 months.
1) The mileage was pathetic, between 7-11kmpl. The automatic model was too noisy and miserable to drive, takes a longer range for gear shift (drinks more fuel).

I have driven both the 2022 model as well as the 2023 uodate. I had the 2022 model as a rental and agree the pick up was not good and it was noisy. There is a night and day difference in pick up after Renault did some extensive work on the engine as they made it ready for BS6 Phase 2 in 2023. The pick up from start to about 80 kph has improved tremendously. The 2023 car clears the 2nd gear speed breaker test pretty easily with a little bit of clutch slipping. The noise level also is lesser in the 2023 model. I suggest you drive a 2023 or 2024 model and check for yourself.

The mileage is respectable if driven sedately. For an 85 kph steady highway run it gave 16 kpl and on a 90-100 kph run it gives 14 kpl. This is because the last two years are not too short. City mileage could be better as the first 3 gears are short, with the result that the car runs at a higher RPM than other similar engines at lower speeds.

Agree the AMT is not very good, and the manual is a better choice for the Triber, IMO.

I generally do not attach much credence to YouTube reviewers, however this guy gives a balanced and to-the-point update on the drive experience and improvements with the 2023 Triber.

https://youtu.be/Jx_Ul87wrQM?feature=shared

The 2024 RXL model makes great sense for the taxi market. They have added rear airconditioner for both second and third rows and yet brought down the price by 20k to 6.8 lakhs. The car has roof rails as well which should enable carriage of additional luggage on the roof rack in long distance taxi applications. I expect this car to slowly gain credibility in that market and fill the vaccum left by Etios. After its end of production , there has not been a spacious and cost effective alternative to replace the Etios in the large swathes of India's tourist taxi market.

[Asoon]

Renault has not learned from the past, They lost 4.2M segment to Creta / Seltos, infact they were clueless and had no response even after 5 years of Creta launch.

The signs are super clear, alto sales is coming down, EON & Santro are out of market, 3.95 meters / 4.2 meter segment is driving more volumes than 3.5 meter (alto segment). Car in India is a aspirational utility and you cannot win by just pricing better.

Customer is looking for a superior product and depending on the customer segment a brand need its moat (Safety [TATA M&M VW], Power[M&M Hyundai], Look[Hyundai, M&M, TATA], Features[Hyundai, M&M]). A Vanilla product will not sustain for long

Renault need to launch new duster ASAP, they need to have better build quality, powerful engines and other segment leading offerings to compete with the strong network of Suzuki / Hyundai

A not so practical Thar (costly than any Renault model available today) is doing more numbers than then entire Renault portfolio
(coming from an ex renault customer)

[Karthik Chandra]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Also, product engineers have to assume that Triber might be overloaded occassionally too. They have to benchmark the performance of the car, with even higher loads than just 1,500 kgs. Meanwhile, Kiger is unlikely to be overloaded.

Agreed, but what's the harm in offering an extra engine option. No one wants the current 1.0 NA to be stopped.
Give the option to those who would want a faster Triber.

Renault, anyway, doesn't have a huge portfolio - just 3 models and sales have been going down as well. Expand the range with the options available. Car is ready, engine and gearbox is ready - fuse them and create some more excitement around the brand.

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

Don't underestimate this engine, it is can really go.

It's under powered. It can chug along fine but having another engine option will expand its appeal.

[harikrishnansp]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

A 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine that makes 72 BHP and 96 Nm! Can it get any sadder than this? Oh wait, it can - this is supposed to be a people mover

The NA engine lets down what is an otherwise brilliant MPV. Same with the kiger.

[Bhokal]

Originally Posted by harikrishnansp

The NA engine lets down what is an otherwise brilliant MPV. Same with the kiger.

But Kiger does have a 1L turbo option.

[harikrishnansp]

Originally Posted by Bhokal

But Kiger does have a 1L turbo option.

Yes. I know a couple of friends who bought the NA version and regretted it later. The turbo is dearer by 1l for the same variant, most people will skip it. They could have given it a 1.2l atleast. That wouldn't make much of a cost difference. It's not like a company like Renault don't have a competent 1.2 in their arsenal. The 1.0 NA is underpowered, both on paper and on the road. It really screams underpowered when you do an overtaking maneuver. My 11 year old K10 with 90k under its belt feels much more sprightly in comparison.

Maybe they were targetting first time car buyers who weren't spoiled by better power to weight ratios.

[SJD@NewDelhi]

Current on-road pricelist of Triber in Delhi: