Confused between the Hyundai Venue, Renault Triber & Kiger

We have a budget of Rs 10 lakh and this car will replace our ageing Hyundai Eon.

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Greetings!

We've been scouting the market for the last 5 months to replace our ageing Hyundai Eon which is in its 10th year now. Preferred to take a bigger/taller car this time, in the compact SUV space. After a lot of research and discussions (and a ton of trips to various showrooms), we finally narrowed the competition to Venue S+ 1.2 MT, Kiger RXZ 1.0 AMT, Triber RXZ 1.0 AMT.

We've checked out the service centers for the latter cars and found good confidence in them. Did hear some horror stories about a relay problem that stops the engine from starting mid-road in the Triber in 2019, but haven't heard that since. Do note that we've taken TDs of all three vehicles and our observations are as follows:

Venue

Pros: Buttersmooth gear shifts, zero engine noise, an ultralight clutch, build quality gives confidence, not much sheet metal flex, and the after-sales service if Hyundai is 10/10.

Cons: Gets no functional roof rails, no 60:40 split rear seats, no rear seat armrest, no rear wiper + washer, and lesser boot space than the Renaults (also misses a lot of other bells and whistles, but these are the ones that matter a lot) and a missing NCAP rating even after 4 years of running in the market.

Triber

Pros: Superior versatility in seating, can recline middle row seats (ideal for sleeping/resting in long journeys), almost no engine noise in the middle row, the suspension makes you feel like you're floating over various road conditions; and a 4-star safety rating by NCAP!

Cons: Engine starts getting audible above 50kmph, reverse gear shudders horribly and made us feel as if the machine was coming apart. Vibrations are not so well contained at speeds above ~45kmph, and no armrests in the car. Lastly, the MT is very hard to move around and slot in the gears, and the lack of proper clutch footrest area doesn't make it any better.

Kiger

Pros: The headlights and their coverage for all OEM components are easily the best among the other two. Although the Venue provides cornering lamps, we didn't feel a need for the same in the Kiger. A 7" MID and 8" infotainment system provide a sci-fi look in the cabin and the center console (gearbox area between the driver and front passenger) together gives a sense of premium and sturdy-feeling in the car. Same suspension quality as the Triber and the engine noise/vibrations are very well contained, almost as if it were a 4-cylinder unit. Loaded with all the features we missed in the Venue.

Cons: Solid paints like the white are prone to get scratches easier than their metallic counterparts, or so I heard (can someone confirm, please?) and a pending NCAP rating for the car. Rear seat comfort could've been better, after reclining in the Triber, this feels too upright. Same hard MT as the Triber, so shifting to AMT. Overall, can't think of anything to complain about much this car.

Finally, confused about the three cars. Each one of them is wonderful in its own rights, but can't really make up our minds for any one of them, hence, I decided to post here and take advice from Team-BHP. Thank you!

Here's what BHPian shancz had to say about the matter:

Moving to the AMT because the MT isn't good doesn't make sense IMHO but if you've taken extended TDs over varying roads and find it apt then it is ok.

It's a difficult choice, the Venue is more refined in powertrain but loses out on features while the Kiger is the exact opposite. I would take the better powertrain on the Venue.

In your 5 months of research I am sure you haven't missed anything but will just list a few which fall your price range, do TD if you haven't:

• Punch Creative MT
• Brezza VXi : wait for the updated version

Personally, if GC wasn't a big concern and I had a hard limit of 10 lakhs I would get a hatch like the i20/Altroz/Baleno. IMO they are more FTD and comfortable than the stiffly sprung CSUVs but that's a personal choice.

Here's what BHPian VBHYD had to say about the matter:

Apart from the options listed above, you can consider Brezza MT VXI as well if you are not averse to owning a Maruti and do not care about features like Sunroof, Ventilated seats etc.

Here's what BHPian quantobigboot had to say about the matter:

You haven't listed your requirements specifically, but you seem to be impressed by the Kiger. Between these 3 options, it is the better option, but I would recommend a change in the variant.

Based on a quick search, the RXT Turbo comes @ 9.6L and RXZ Turbo @ 10.6L (Both manual spec). Please take a TD of the Turbo manual variants and decide if the MT is liveable or not. Because the upgrade to the Turbo variants will be worth it.

If you still decide on the AMT, Kiger > Triber unless you need the 7 seats.

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