[ariesonu]

A jeweler's family in my society has picked up TWO Tribers for their aged family members & man the car has presence. Must mention here that the same family had white ERTIGA's earlier & for same reason.
The aged Uncle & Aunty are cutest couple that I have known & they were pretty enthusiastic about their new car & comfort. I believe the rear seat is very good & comfy for them.
Being Jeweler's they are not short of money but their choice of cars always showed that they go for VFM cars like Skoda Yeti, Ertigas (now sold), an Elantra, a BMW 3 series & now Tribers.

Regards-Sonu

[Kosfactor]

I had a test drive in Triber today, it is nothing like a Kwid. It feels much better built, good control over NVH and an engine that can get the job done even with 7 adults and AC. Considering Gypsy as well had a 1 litre engine, this is adequate.

I saw two variants, RXT and RXZ, the interior is pleasant , good quality for the money, the tumble fold second row was easy to use, and makes it very easy to get into the third row. The process of getting into the third row was better than even something like a Kodiak!!
The third row is very usable for adults as well and Includes aircon vents as well.

The RXT version had pretty much everything including AVN phone connectivity as well as roof rails etc. A joint family with more than 5 members now has a solid choice of a vehicle. This will the first car for a friend of mine, apart from the budget constraints, the space is a problem with extremely narrow roads leading up to his house, looks like Renault has bagged a sale here with Triber.

With 1L down payment, EMI for 5 years is around 13K, I think that's cool for a seven seater.

[Jagann13]

Hi All,

Very happy to be here with all auto-enthusiasts! A thank you to the mods for letting me in. I am 20 and staying in Chennai right away from birth. I have been following the forum for the past 6 months seriously as we(family) were in the pursuit of a new car, our very first car indeed. I would like to share my experience with the same.

Note: A small user experience from my side and I hope that this doesn't need a new thread to be started. Also, being my 1st post here, mods please help me correct if any and I think I am good to go!

Before this, we never had a car and I occasionally drive a few from my relatives. So, our hunt for a new one started this February. It was primarily for my dad as he is tired of riding two-wheelers(aged). We are a family of 4 + 1 dog. Our budget was fixed as we don't want to invest more than 1 million on a depreciating asset, that too our 1st one. Being a petrol head, we were happy about the choices we had and the cars that we had in our mind was Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai Grand i10 and i20, Tata Tigor, Honda Amaze, Ford Figo and even the Tata Nexon.

The point we had in mind was that whatever car we take home should be a top-end model with infotainment, reverse camera and at least 2 airbags.
All the cars listed except Nexon fits the bill of less than Rs.10 Lakh On-road for the top-end trim. Top-end was preferred as we do not want to invest money and time in getting those infotainment and other updates after buying a low-variant car. We were about to finalize Tata Tigor despite its low selling figures and Tata's poor aftersales. But, Renault came with the Triber in June which again made our decision go late. We were quite impressed by the package that is offered on paper and my dad asked us to wait to take a look into the Triber. My parents were attracted to it and my dad fixed that our first car will be Triber. He always wanted to buy a people mover like Ertiga and Innova which is above the budget for us.

First Impressions:
We were the first one or one among the first to visit the showroom for Triber. We test drove the car on the same day of visit and coming in from no car background, the engine seemed to be good. In my view, the interior of the car is a treat along with the flexibility it has. Believe it or not, the 3rd row is accessible by adults. I am 5' 11 and I can stay in there for 2 hours without an issue. I am amazed by the space it offers under 4m. The engineers have nailed it. The seats are comfortable and have got what it can for the price it asks.

We immediately booked one on the same day. The delivery was expected then in 20 days. We were happy to pick Triber as we can move with our dog easily now. PDI was not done as the SA assured of the car and we know that Triber is new and hence the manufacturing date won't be an issue. We took her home on Sept 20th. It has been a month now. I can say that it was the first if not, one of the first Tribers on road in Chennai. The delivery was smooth and the entire process was awesome. We took it to the temple for initial proceedings. The car behaved well on the bad roads as 70% of the roads to my home are under repair.

Experience till Now:

Being new to cars, I don't find any problem with the engine. I have done 1000 Kms to date and never in the time, I found the engine poor. I can agree that it is underpowered for a car of this size. But for what it is meant, the engine does its job well. I drove with 7 people on board for about 100kms and I can find the difference there. The engine feels good with 4 people on board and feels a little underwhelmed with 7 onboard. We are a family of 4 and the engine is best suited for the purpose.

The car can easily do 100kmph with 4 people on board although noise from the engine is clear at that speed. It can move 7 people at 80 kmph without much struggle. If you follow the speed limits promptly, this car can fit. The suspension is more planted with more people on board. With more than 4 people, the suspension is good. I have covered a bad road patch alone on the Triber and it bounces due to no weight. The suspension seems to be tuned for more weight. The car manages bad roads well.

My suggestion to people who look into Triber is that, please look it as a 5 seater(hatch) with occasional 7 seating capability. It is the best for what you can get under 8L here. The AC is quite effective and it shows well on the mileage if fully operational. For the 1K run, I got 13.5 kmpl as the mileage(tank to tank) with AC on(all times) and 50% city(B2B traffic) and 50% highway commutes. The car fulfills our purpose of moving 4 and dog well. The engine is not an issue if you are a driver who doesn't need speed. Talking about the tyres, yes, it is skinny. I would say that the company kept it for better mileage. We will change it soon.

I will update once the 1st service is done. Now, why chose Triber instead of others.
Why?
1. It can seat 7(occasionally), unlike typical hatchbacks which we looked into.
2. VFM as none came close to this under 8L.
3. 625 Litres of the boot is humongous and it can be accessible from the rear bench.
4. Flexibility in seating.
5. We saved 2L on a budget buying this and will invest that on mods.

We rejected Swift as ZXi+ is too pricey for what it offers(9L OTR Chennai at the time we looked). Grand i10 was out as we didn't like the looks of the car(subjective) and heard that Hyundai is costly after sales. Tata Tigor was close in as it offered more VFM than others on the list. Ford Figo was out as Ford was unlikely to continue operations here.

Happy to have a Triber and happy to post my experience here! Thanks!

[honeybee]

Managed to get a small TD of the Triber from Thane. First the car impressions:

It's a damn neat package. Price, equipment, characteristics all spot on. Seating is a bit on the lower side, so took a few moments to adjust. I couldn't whip it on an open road because the only road that didn't have bumper to bumper traffic had numerous potholes and speedbreakers. That put paid to any longish test.

The car rides much better than the Baleno / Glanza. All round visibility is great. The power windows and power mirror controls are a tad lower and a little unergonomic, however nothing that can't be managed.

Engine response was linear. No sudden surge, but adequate power. Would love to take it to the ghats.

The only downside is a 2.5 months waiting period. Of course that also shows the car is selling like hot cake.

Now to the people experience. Due to some Google Maps location mistake, I ended up at their stockyard + service centre at Ghodbunder road instead of the showroom. But the lady at the reception promptly guided me to their PDI in charge Mr. Suresh Menon. He attended to me promptly and showed me around one of the Tribers parked nearby, and also suggested I could get a TD at their showroom.

So I drove to the showroom. It was almost 7.30pm, Diwali day and staff was already wrapping up their day. The security guy was doubling up as the reception clerk too. He asked me to take a look at a parked Triber and got one of the SAs to come in and attend to me.

The SA, Mahesh Panigrahi, had a small chat with me and arranged the TD right away. It was the last one for the day it seems.

So both the car and the people were good. Fantastic, actually.

I made my wife and daughter sit in the middle and then in the rear seats. The AC cooling was good as was the ride quality there.

With middle seats which recline and push back, the amount of flexibility with the difference seat config and a usable third row, along with the peppy engine and the price make this a very attractive bargain.

Out of the cars I have TDed so far, if I were to name a car that ticked all the boxes, it would undoubtedly be the Triber.

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by Jagann13

Hi All,
[left] Very happy to be here with all auto-enthusiasts! A thank you to the mods for letting me in. I am 20 and staying in Chennai right away from birth. I have been following the forum for the past 6 months seriously as we (family) were in the pursuit of a new car, our very first car indeed. Happy to have a Triber and happy to post my experience here! Thanks!

Congratulations on your first post in Team BHP and on your family's first car, the Triber. Would have loved it even more with a few pics along with the post.

Eagerly awaiting your Ownership Review here on the forum. Do keep us updated on the service costs, mileage figures etc.

[amateurpro]

Congratulations on your new car purchase. Happy motoring and drive safe.

Originally Posted by Jagann13

Hi All,

Very happy to be here with all auto-enthusiasts! A thank you to the mods for letting me in. I am 20 and staying in Chennai right away from birth. I have been following the forum for the past 6 months seriously as we(family) were in the pursuit of a new car, our very first car indeed. I would like to share my experience with the same.

Happy to have a Triber and happy to post my experience here! Thanks!

[arjab]

Took a longish test drive in this car.
This MPV is a serious contender to the "large hatchback" segment. Handsome looks, excellent space utilisation, compliant ride, benign handling and a healthy feature list will definitely sway potential buyers into signing that cheque.

To me, the negatives are:
> Restricted shoulder room
> NVH (the present status/or rather the lack of it may prove tiresome over long journeys)
> Power upgrade for better mid-range overtaking ability under full load. (Which i believe is being addressed with a turbocharged version)

The car is refreshingly different and, again as per my view, it's a very neat model and exhibits the qualities of a hatch (compact size), an MPV(tall stance), and an estate car(load lugging capabilities).

Well, the French were always masters at creating MPV's(Example : Renault Espace), but it's good to see them taking the Indian market seriously vis a vis their Japanese counterpart; Nissan, who is hell bent on committing a "brand suicide" .

Hope Renault's dealer community rises up to the occasion and delivers the level and care of after sales service the marque deserves with good products like these.

[sharktale]

Query:

How's the overall service of Renault? I have heard some horrid experiences of Nissan, and I'm skeptical to suggest Renault for the After sales service to a friend, who's eyeing this car for his parents.

Would love to receive the input of Triber/Renault owners.

[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

How to relate these though? If we are talking about 7 seaters, then even the XUV500 belongs here.

September Car Sales Analysis of 5+2 Seater Vehicles in India:-
No. 1 -> Maruti Eeco - 9949 units (no separate data available on how many were the 7 seater model units)
No. 2 -> Maruti Ertiga - 6284 units
No. 3 -> Renault Triber - 4710 units
No. 4 -> Toyota Innova Crysta - 4225 units
No. 5 -> Mahindra Bolero - 4179 units
No. 6 -> Maruti XL6 - 3840 units
No. 7 -> Mahindra Scorpio - 3600 units
No. 8 -> Mahindra XUV500 - 1120 units
No. 9 -> Mahindra TUV300 - 995 units (no separate data available on how many were TUV300 Plus variants in this)
No. 10 -> Toyota Fortuner - 920 units
No. 11 -> Mahindra Marazzo - 892 units
No. 12 -> Ford Endeavor - 568 units
No. 13 -> Mahindra Thar - 262 units
No. 14 -> Honda B-RV - 168 units
No. 15 -> Honda C-RV - 165 units
No. 16 -> Datsun Go Plus - 160 units
No. 17 -> Skoda Kodiaq - 150 units
No. 18 -> Tata Hexa - 148 units
No. 19 -> Tata Safari Stormed - 79 units
No. 20 -> Renault Lodgy - 78 units
No. 21 -> Mahindra Alturas G4 - 75 units
No. 22 -> Mahindra Xylo - 55 units
No. 23 -> Mahindra Quanto - 4 units

Vehicle Data Source (September 2019 : Indian Car Sales Figures & Analysis)

So, Triber is the 3rd best selling 5+2 seater in the country for the month, in September 2019. And I am sure Eeco 7 seater is not that big a seller, so I am sure that the Triber was the 2nd best seller in September 2019 which speaks a lot about being VFM and making an impact in the sales of UVs.

Hope this brings a perspective to you now sir.

[Jagann13]

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

Congratulations on your first post in Team BHP and on your family's first car, the Triber. Would have loved it even more with a few pics along with the post.

Eagerly awaiting your Ownership Review here on the forum. Do keep us updated on the service costs, mileage figures etc.

Thank you, Sir. Will update on the car more soon.

Originally Posted by amateurpro

Congratulations on your new car purchase. Happy motoring and drive safe.

Thank you so much! Sir.

Originally Posted by sharktale

How's the overall service of Renault? I have heard some horrid experiences of Nissan, and I'm skeptical to suggest Renault for the After sales service to a friend, who's eyeing this car for his parents.

The Renault Sales and Service is definitely good from what I have heard. From my experience, the entire process was brilliant. I registered my mobile number on the website in the inquiry form and that is the only thing I did myself. I got a call immediately from Renault and with my permission, they connected me to the nearest showroom and they are following me well till now. They called me to book an appointment for a visit and TD. The entire process(insurance, car allotment, VIN, registration, delivery) was updated on time. The delivery was a neat one with no issues.

I have visited the showroom twice after delivery. One is for a small problem in the reversing light. The process was clean this time too. I called them regarding the issue, they booked an immediate appointment. I visited the service and got it rectified in minutes. Never once in this entire thing, I felt short of good service. I was attended well every time I went there and by far the after-sales is good. My first service is due in 15 days and will update once that gets over.

Also, I would say that the good rating is because of the dealer. It is KUN Renault, who is dealing with Hyundai, Kia, BMW, and some other brands in my place. I can say that it depends on the dealer as I have heard a little bad about Khviraj Renault who is a different dealer in Chennai. You will definitely appreciate it if you come from Tata, VW, and other similar things. I will rate it below Maruti Suzuki and on par with Hyundai for what I have experienced(other TDs and inquiries) till now.

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

Hope this brings a perspective to you now sir.

Triber is definitely in a good position now. My SA told me that they had got 125 bookings to date on the day I took TD(Sept 1) in their chain(3 KUN Renault showrooms in Chennai). Also, I asked him about the same a day back when I went there to get my RC. He said that they have delivered 50+ Tribers to date(Ambattur only) and the waiting period now goes beyond 2 months for the line-topping RXZ(metal mustard).
Interestingly, ours was a mass delivery on Sept 20th. To bring a perspective of the number of cars delivered on Sept 20th from a single place in Chennai, I have added a video. Around 50 Tribers were delivered that day which includes all Tribers from 3 branches(Ambattur, Kattupakkam, and Kilpauk). You can find the video here. Our car was also there on that day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13gcWXSlpB4

Source: Youtube
Disclaimer: Sorry if the video has been posted already.

[shortbread]

The Triber is the best thing to happen to Renault India yet, perhaps bigger than the Duster and Kwid. While both the latter models had successful launches and played a big role in establishing the Renault brand in India, the Triber will help raise the stakes for the French major. The reason I say this is because time and again we see new entrants start with a bang and then slowly fizzle out. Renault on the other hand are very focused and have launched very India centric products.

1) It's a whole new segment and Renault have the first mover advantage. While M&M have come close with multiple adaptations of it's existing line up, a good modern sub 4 meter 6+ seater was missing from the Indian market. There is no better recipe for a successful car model in India than have lots of space within a small footprint. Pretty sure that other major player will now play catch up, but whether*they can create a package as good, affordable and pretty as the Triber is questionable. Tata can achieve the design but will fail on delivering a product, M&M will falter at the design phase, Maruti will come close but it will look ugly and cheap. Honda or Toyota cannot achieve the price point. The Triber has taken a big lead already.

2) The product will help the brand in a tough contracting market. While most manufacturers are staring at declining sales*and showrooms struggling to make money, Renault are turning the tide. It puts both the company and it's dealership network in a position of strength. In a market filled with doom and gloom, Renault has timed its launches perfectly to inject a lot of positivity into its Indian operations. It might seem trivial but I am convinced this will have a big impact within the immediate future.*

3) The Triber is a brilliant package that has plenty of room to grow. More engine options, auto transmission, electric/hybrid propulsion etc etc. There can be more expensive variants in the pipeline for discerning customers. The package is simply too attractive for anyone to ignore, small families, urban customers, large households, rural buyers, multi car garages looking for a flexible utilitarian run about etc..etc. The Triber just about fits every profile. Renault can keep working on the variants and help catch sales from multiple segments.

Well done and looking forward to the model going from strength to strength.

Now for an official Team bhp review?

[racer_ash]

Took a test drive of the TRIBER here at Hyderabad and here are my impressions of the experience:

I went to the showroom in my wife's Alto K10 AMT just to have a comparison between similar displacement engines and how they perform across target groups. Please note, I also drive a 2011 i20 and dad's 2015 Figo TDCi.

Summary of my observations are below:

Overall Looks - i20>TRIBER>Figo>Alto k10

While looks are subjective, I personally felt the previous gen i20 looks awesome and carried the super-mini look very well. However the TRIBER holds its own when it comes to certain styling elements and how it cleverly hides its MPV credentials. Kudos to Renault for this.

Build Quality - i20>>TRIBER=FIGO>>Alto K10

My i20 is leagues ahead of the TRIBER in terms of interior quality, fit and finish. But if you ask me, the TRIBER's build quality is at par with that of the Figo and that's no small feat. While there are no soft bits anywhere, the materials used gives a sense of premiumness to the TRIBER's cabin. The test drive car had done ~ 6000 km but there were no rattles or squeaks from anywhere in the cabin.

Practicality - TRIBER>>i20=Figo>>Alto K10

No contest here. TRIBER wins hands down. Camp mode, Tribe mode, Family mode, you name it and the TRIBER triumphs in practicality. My wife and me were able to comfortably sit in the 3rd row seat after adjusting the middle row seats to our comfortable sitting position. For reference, we are 5 11' and 5 9' and weigh around 80 kilos each so we are what you would consider well built adults.

Engine Start up and NVH levels - i20>TRIBER>FIGO==Alto K10

The TRIBER has a smooth start-up. The cabin vibrations are well-controlled for a 3 pot motor. The start-up sequence (motor engaging, disengaging as well as the sound during start-up) are pretty refined.

Drive experience - FIGO>TRIBER>i20>Alto K10

The TRIBER has a balanced ride. My test drive route consisted of some badly paved roads, smooth roads as well as some empty stretches where I could stretch the TRIBER's legs. Must say, Renault have done a good job here. The TRIBER sailed through the badly paved stretched and not much was transmitted into the cabin. Smooth stretches and highways were a cake-walk. Though its not Duster good, the TRIBER rides and handles well in isolation.

The TRIBER also has a surprisingly small turn radius for a car of this size. U-Turns in the city should be handled very easily.

Engine Performance - FIGO>>Alto K10>TRIBER=i20

In terms of Engine performance, I can say that the TRIBER felt adequate. We were 4 well built adults and the test drive car also had some cartons (assuming brochures) in the last row seats. This is a typical use case for the TRIBER. Where it disappointed was that you need to definitely provide A pedal input even to get going. My i20 (P) is better in this aspect since it moves on its own on fairly flat surfaces. But the TRIBER simply refused. No A pedal input, no forward movement!! Also, the engine is not very free-revving. It sounds coarse post 4000 RPM.

In gear accelerations are nothing to write home about. As mentioned, they are adequate to keep up with city traffic. That said, the 3rd gear is very well spread out and can pull from as low as 25 KMPH even with a partial load. I don't think this will change with a full load.

Gear Shifts - i20>FIGO>TRIBER (Alto is an AMT so no comparison here)

TRIBER's gear sifts are little on the notchy side and are not very smooth. That said, the gates are well defined and you don't need to hunt between gears. Its not an enjoyable gearbox though. An AMT is sorely missed.

Last but not the least

VFM - TRIBER>Figo>>Alto K10 (i20 is too old so cannot be compared in terms of today's money)

The TRIBER is absolutely worth every Naya Paisa it commands. The amount of space for practical everyday use cases, the flexibility it offers as well as the features it provides at the price point (e.g: Projector headlamps right from base variant) all make up for a compelling package.

[Durango Dude]

That's great news, only hope Renault keeps the fire burning by giving the Triber a more powerful engine and an automatic gearbox (CVT from the Nissan). That's when it will really fly of the shelves. A diesel engine may make it more attractive with an auto box. But please no AMT's! Triber is the best package the only fly in the ointment being a 1L NA petrol engine to pull a 7 seater.

[ant_vas]

3) The Triber is a brilliant package that has plenty of room to grow. More engine options, auto transmission, electric/hybrid propulsion etc etc. There can be more expensive variants in the pipeline for discerning customers. The package is simply too attractive for anyone to ignore, small families, urban customers, large households, rural buyers, multi car garages looking for a flexible utilitarian run about etc..etc. The Triber just about fits every profile. Renault can keep working on the variants and help catch sales from multiple segments.

Well done and looking forward to the model going from strength to strength.

Considering what Renault did with Kwid immediately after the launch of S-presso, i won't be surprised if they keep upping the game every time the competition comes up with a rival for Triber. Every time a new rival comes in, launch a varient with new feature like AMT/Auto/Hybrid/different engine or heck even a Pro model

Have seen Triber in flesh couple of time near my home and boy the car sure looks amazing.

[pseudo_coder]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

That's great news, only hope Renault keeps the fire burning by giving the Triber a more powerful engine and an automatic gearbox (CVT from the Nissan). That's when it will really fly of the shelves. A diesel engine may make it more attractive with an auto box. But please no AMT's! Triber is the best package the only fly in the ointment being a 1L NA petrol engine to pull a 7 seater.

I think they have already decided on AMT. Read somewhere that AMT version is due in first quarter of next year.

Given that even Duster diesel comes with AMT, don't keep high hopes! And the CVT on petrol duster is so bad that it makes AMT look good.

If Triber had an auto option, even AMT, I would have bought by now.

While we wish for bigger engine, diesel option and an auto box, the pricing will enter Ertiga's territory. I don't mind though. If I get a 1.2 L diesel with a torq converter or a CVT like the one in Amaze, I can pay even 10 L on road.