RENAULT Triber

Launched in July, the Triber facelift is on sale starting at ₹5.76 lakh (ex-showroom). This price is hard to beat in the MPV category. For the top-spec variant, users must pay ₹8.12 lakh (ex-showroom) for the manual transmission and ₹8.59 lakh (ex-showroom) for the AMT. We drove the top-spec Emotion. While it misses some modern conveniences like seat ventilation and automatic climate control, these aren't dealbreakers at this price.

Renault Triber facelift: Does it look the part?

Outward appearances do matter. That said, we only received feedback from friends and acquaintances, expressing that the car looks handsome and stylish. With the new sculpted hood and redesigned bumpers, Renault has elevated the looks of this MPV, and, to that end, it even looks better than its immediate rivals in the segment.

The new LED headlamps look smaller in proportion to the car, but not to the extent that it ruins the aesthetic. It gives the fascia a slightly petite-ish touch. From the front, the dual-tone paint accentuates the pillars well while also helping to conceal the stepped roof to some extent. And just so you know, the front of the car is the best angle to admire it from.

At the rear, the Triber maintains an appearance similar to the pre-facelift model. The changes, such as the new smoked LED taillights and the revised ‘Triber’ lettering, are subtle yet noticeable. The rear section now feels thoroughly updated.

On the profile, the new alloy-like wheel covers steal the spotlight and get the styling job done well. The blacked-out ORVMs with integrated turn indicators add to the overall appeal quotient of the vehicle as well.

Renault Triber facelift: How does it feel inside the cabin?

On the inside, the Triber looks rather decent. It gets a dual-tone interior along with a new instrument cluster and a redesigned steering wheel. The prominent shade on the interior is the lighter beige, owing to which the cabin does feel airy. The darker grey shade is placed at the key touchpoints, such as the steering wheel, the infotainment, the air conditioning, and the door-mounted switches, to accentuate these areas.

Sitting in the driver's seat, you do not feel like you're sitting in an ‘affordable’ MPV at all. It does make you feel welcome with the modernity it has to offer, with its driver's instrument display and the floating style 8-inch touchscreen. The graphics on the Multi-Information Display (MID) look great for the most part. The animations feel a tad gimmicky, but you cannot be asking for too much here again.

The useful toggles are all placed below the infotainment screen; these include parking sensor deactivation, defogger, emergency parking, door lock, and traction control toggles. The lock toggle location does take a day or two getting used to, as it's usually placed at the driver's door. However, giving credit where it's due, once you get used to the positioning, it really does feel much more convenient than the former placement.

Expanding on the convenience bit, the cabin gets ample storage for things. There are two places for storage in front of the passenger seat, a place to keep your phone on the centre console, in addition to the wireless charger, and another cooled storage behind the gear shift knob and cupholders.

Moving to the back, there are 60:40 seats in the second row, which can be adjusted in four ways. There are two adjustable headrests in this row and two in the third row. The third row gets a 50:50 split and can also be removed altogether to make more space in the trunk. The Triber gets 625 litres of boot space with the seats folded.

Renault Triber facelift: Driving and passenger experiences

Now, cutting to the chase, let's talk about how the Triber drives. The 1.0-litre engine feels peppy in the city if you're driving alone and know how to use the car's powerband. Personally, driving a slow car fast feels much more fun to me than vice versa, but the majority won't push the car as much. Nonetheless, the 71 bhp does seem to fade with every passenger that's added to the car, and with full capacity, overtaking vehicles becomes a fairly engaging task.

A redeeming cause for the Triber is the adaptive steering weight that stays light during slow speeds and gets heavier when you pick up the pace. The weighted steering wheel adds confidence and allows more feedback. The MPV feels mostly planted, except at highway speeds, where you'll feel it acting more nervously and the rear wanting to get loose with every sharp manoeuvre.

In terms of comfort, the seats could have done with slightly more cushioning, considering the fact that this is an MPV. People often purchase one, thinking about taking it on a road trip. We even tested capacity beyond the rated seating capacity and took the car around for a quick 30-minute drive in the city, and none of the passengers had any complaints. On the same trip, the Triber also fit a full-sized guitar in the boot with everyone seated.

Braking performance is decent, but there's room for more. The wheels on the top variant are 15 inches, but the lower variants might feel the need for more grip with the 14-inch wheels.

Renault Triber facelift: What needs improvement?

The Renault Triber misses out on certain fronts. These include a missed armrest for the second row seats, along with no USB-C charging ports. The Triber also does not get a dead pedal or enough leg space on the driver's side to rest your left foot when it's off the clutch.

Now, to nitpick, the cruise control switch is placed in an awkward spot; placing it on the steering wheel would have been more accessible. The traction control toggle turns off immediately when tapped, increasing the risk of accidentally toggling off. The hood release and headlamp leveller switches are also placed so low that they are very hard to find. You will need to find the leveller often since the main beam is decent at most, and you would mostly be relying on the high beam to illuminate the path ahead of you at night. There is an audible gear whine, which is prominent at the lower speeds.

Renault Triber facelift: Verdict

All in all, the Renault Triber now looks the part and gets added features that make it contemporary, too. It is affordable and seats seven or more passengers. The only thing you have to live with is the small engine, which could make sense for you if you value economy over anything else. It offers a lot of value for what it's worth.