Renault Triber AMT Automatic – Affordable, Convenient, Comfortable MPV?

When we begin our car review sitting outside the car on the car seat, the car in question is the Renault Triber that is known for its removeable third row seats. Renault introduced the Triber last year and now it has not wasted any time in adding the AMT automatic version to the lineup. We get behind the wheels of the most affordable 7 seater MPV currently in India to get you this detailed road test review of the Renault Triber AMT Automatic.

Food for thought

The Triber was developed by Renault specifically for the Indian market which also sells in the Indonesian market. The Triber uses the modified version of Renault Nissans CMF-A modular platform which is a very cost effective platform jointly developed by the two. As per Renault, the key USP of the Triber is flexibility, versatility and practicality. The Triber has a mix of a Crossover, SUV and an MPV in its design and styling elements. The Triber is a very important model for Renault India going ahead.

Exteriors

The Renault Triber is a very good looking car in terms of design and styling. From the front, it looks like a compact SUV. But, when you look at it from the side, it looks like an MPV. With the overall length just under 4 meters, it falls right under the sub-four meter lineup of cars giving it some tax benefits. Having said that, the Triber has its very own identity. The bonnet of the car is muscular with some sharp yet subtle character lines. Front is dominated by the huge Renault Lozenge logo which is complimented by a mixture of matte black and triple edge chrome grille. LED DRL’s makes its way on either side of the dual-tone front bumper and its horizontally placed surrounded by black plastic and a chrome outline. The front bumper has a huge air dam and a faux bash plate finished in silver, again enhancing the SUV’ish looks of the car. Coming to its sides, the Triber gets the typical black plastic cladding all over, thankfully it’s not overdone and helps give the car a sporty stance. The waistline has a small kink on the rear door with variants badging on the C-Pillar. The B & C-Pillars are blacked out and the rear view mirror housing is finished in dual-tone.

The eagle beak like split wrap-around tail lamps give the rear a rather interesting look. Thankfully the rear glass is not flat but curved on the sides and slopes down at a certain angle which adds to the overall design. The tailgate has the Triber badging right above the number plate placement and the branding. The roof rails on the top of the car smartly hides the bulge at the rear thanks to the placement to its placement, which are functional when it comes to carrying some load on the top. The B & C-Pillars are blacked out and the rear view mirror housing is finished in dual-tone. The car that was given to us came shod with 185/65 R15 tyres mounted on smartly designed steel wheels that look identical to alloys.

Interiors

Just like the exterior of the Renault Triber, the interiors gets interesting with smart touches all over. The highlight of the interior is the massive 8- inch touchscreen ‘MediaNav’ as Renault likes to call it  infotainment system. The dual-tone dashboard is mostly black with some silver accents thrown here and there. The Triber gets dual glovebox and the one at the bottom is a cooled glovebox.

Smart use of the available space even with an integrated passenger side airbag. The hazard light, lock and the rear defogger switches are placed right below the infotainment system, followed by the rotary controls for the air conditioner. There’s small stowage tray right below the aircon controls and the engine start/stop button is placed there. It can also be used to place your smartphone etc., although we wish it had an integrated wireless charger too. The steering is quite chunky to hold but does away with any steering controls for the infotainment system.

The instrument cluster is a digital one which displays all the required information and is backlit in white blue colour. The MiD gives out all the other information about how much fuel the car has consumed, two trip meters so on and so forth. The AMT Triber gets its shifter in leather finish and chrome on it. You have the Reverse, Neutral and Drive modes on it plus you also get tip-tronic shifts on this stalk type shifter. The driver and co-driver seats are well bolstered, but the under thigh support is a bit lacking.

There’s a smart cooled stowage between the drive and co-driver seats which is deep enough to hold more than a couple of instant energy cans. The rear passenger seat is 60:40 split and is fully adjustable for sliding and reclining. The rear seats are comfortable and offers adequate support and more than enough knee room even for taller people. Wait, there’s more seats on offer! Yes, the Triber offers not just 5 but 7 seats in total, the third row seating is strictly for either kids or extra lean humans.

However, it can get tiresome for longer period of time, but for shorter spins you won’t find the third row of passengers complaining about the space. Another additional utility if you don’t require the third row of seats, then you have the option to completely remove the third row of seats and open up the cavernous 625 liters of boot space which can gobble up the world for you. All thanks to the Renault’s smart modular platform.

With aircon vents available for second and third row of passengers and a decent sounding music system, we’re sure none of the Triber’s occupants will ever complain about anything.

Engine – Transmission – Drive

We had driven the Manual version of the Triber in Goa before its launch last year. AMT or Automated Manual Transmission is something that always attracts car makers as it is cheaper to source and hence can keep the car prices down. The Triber AMT is powered by the same 1.0L 3-Cylinder Petrol engine. This is the same engine that also powers the KWID. This engine makes 72PS of power and 96NM of torque. Mated to this engine is the 5-speed AMT transmission that Renault calls EasyR. This again is the same transmission that also comes with the KWID AMT except for that there it gets a rotary shifter and here it’s the stalk type shifter along with tip-tronic shifting.

The fun part on this AMT transmission is if you need sudden power burst you simply shift down a gear using the tip-tronic and surge ahead. This engine is pretty decently powered for its size and daily urban commute. The ride quality is also pretty decent for your intercity drives and also for some highway runs. Speaking of the steering feedback there is not much of it but then the power steering is surely a boon during rush hour driving.

What shines out in the Triber is its practicality and value for money, remember this car was built to a price and for that it does really well. Key USP being its low price and 7-seater seating with safety and other features loaded to the overall package.

Verdict

Renault launched the Triber just a few months back, they haven’t wasted much time in getting the AMT automatic version to the lineup. After driving the AMT version for a few days we can confidently say that we love the car for the way it drives in the city and highways. We are completely floored with the convenience of the AMT automatic in traffic conditions. The car is fun to drive, it shines in the practicality and convenience departments making it a very sweet deal in this class at this price that of Rs. 6 lakh.

Words – Ritesh Madhok
Photography & Video – Govind Gadekar