[hillram]

Much before my love for Fiat and Mercedes, there lived a burning inspiration of a Formula 1 car, a V10 powered by a Renault Engine and driven by Sir Damon Hill, the 1996 F1 Champion who gave Michael Schumacher tough competition in those years...
Thus my name HILLRAM was born at the end of 1996


When I purchased a Renault Kwid in 2017 from Autologic dealer in 2017, little I knew that in another 3 years, I would purchase TRIBER. May be because, some say : May the Tribe Increase....
Since I locked onto my choice of buying a Triber, I didn't bother to scout for any alternative brands in the same segment.
There was no booking amount as I paid away the whole amount (OTR) through NEFT after getting a satisfactory deal through loyalty bonus and some free accessories.

Delivery Experience
My car, the Renault Triber RXL in Electric Blue attire arrived from Oragadam Plant from Chennai, into Hyderabad on 26/01/2021 and the trim in date was 19/01/2021 and delivered on 28/01/2021 after a thorough PDI. Hence it was hot from the forge.

Delivery was fun filled as we reached PPS Renault Banjara Hills Showroom to be welcomed along with our puppy with warm smiles. a quick ceremony of cake cutting was organized by the dealer, which was followed by explaining the features of the car in details and finishing with handing over paper work.


Ceremonial Softkey was handed over in the end, marking an end to the episode...

While taking delivery of our Kwid in June 2017

Quick round of photos around the showroom, while our Puppy was cuddled by the friendly staff, who allowed an animal into the showroom with out any hesitation.




Odometer when I drove out of the showroom : 62 kms

Renault didn't offer many goodies, as they seemed to not focus on this aspect. But we did end up with some...

Reached home safe and our Kwid was waiting to meet its bigger brother.
Following day I spent at the RTA submitting my documents and by end of day i received an sms with my Registration number.
It turns out that High Security Number Plates will have to be procured through the showroom and once the order is placed by the showroom, they will be delivered in the showroom in 10 days and the vehicle should be taken to Service center for number plate fixing. I don't know if this is post covid precaution.

[hillram]

Official Ownership
09/02/2021: As per new Telangana RTO law, number plates would be sent to the dealer itself (dealer has to apply to RTO) and the vehicle has to be taken to the Authorized service center to rivet the number plates.
After nearly 10 days I took delivery of the car, I got a call from PPS Motors Showroom that my number plates arrived and I was on my way to the Renault SVC to get the number plates fitted. Once there, the number plates were fitted with utmost care and the vehicle was handed over to me, there by the Sales Motion was completed and the car is officially mine !!

The Journey Begins
I opted for Renault Triber as we already were owning a Kwid and the service standards have been very superior.
I decided to go for RXL variant to make the best of features and also keep the price around 7.0 Lacs, after loyalty bonus and discounts. Renault as such made a very aggressive pricing compared to other brands in this sub 4-Metre MPV category.

What I liked in Triber (RXL) Variant:
- Loads of Space / Leg Room / Roof Height.
- AC vents for 2nd and 3rd Row seats.
- Xenon Headlights from entry variant.
- Alloy like looking Wheel Caps.
- Strong Roof Rails to pack any load on the roof up to 50kgs.
- Multiple USB Slots.
- Cooling box(between front Seats) to keep those drinks chilled in summer.
- Speed Sensor Central Locking when the car reaches 10km speed.
- Rear Parking Sensors
- Easy Ingress and Egress in to the 3rd Row seats.
- Vibrant colors (Metal Mustard and Electric Blue).


What I disliked in Triber (RXL) Variant:
- 14" Tyre Size
- Very basic music system with display font resembling output from a Dot Matrix Printer
- Cumbersome process to remove and refit Stephany.
- Lack of Roof Light between 2nd and 3rd Row seats.
- Low frequency horn. Need to badly change to a better tone one.
- Air Con blower noise in the second row is a little high on Speed 2 and too loud on Speed 3 (1,2,3 speed modes).
- DRLs not provided in this model. I wanted to get them fitted as an extra accessory, but I was discouraged by Renault it self as there needs to
be an alteration of wires, which would void warranty.
- Spacing between Accelerator and Brake Pedals is rather small. Few times, my leg was pressing the brake pedal instead of Accelerator pedal.

Technical Specifications
Triber is powered by a 999cc MPFI Petrol Engine with 3 Cylinders, dishing out 72 BHP. This variant comes with 5-Speed manual Synchromesh Transmission. Triber falls in sub 4 Meter category of vehicles and in my opinion is an honest MPV.
Only front brakes are provided with discs for all variants. Tires are a puny and sized at 14" for all variants, except top end RXZ model comes with 15" Tires.
Space is the usp of Triber as it comes with myriad of options by adjusting 2nd and 3rd row seats to give maximum space for any kind of adventure. 2nd Row seats can be reclined to provide maximum comfort for rear passengers (only in 2nd row of course !!!!).


Exterior (Engine Bay)
The Bold Looks

Chrome garnish has been extravagant with a faux skid plate below the front bumper













999cc built on Renault pioneered Common Module Family-A platform


Interior
Driver and Front row passenger seats

2nd row seats which recline

3rd Row seats, literally are located in the boot.

Right side AC vent for 2nd row housed in B-Pillar

Left side AC vent for 2nd row housed in B-Pillar

Interior - 3rd Row and Boot
3rd row seen from the rear with boot door open

Limited boot space when 3rd row seats are upright to seat passengers

3rd Row seats collapsed and can be entirely removed for maximum space at the rear for luggage.

Interior - Centre Console Dashboard & Cockpit
In idling position

While at motion at 14kms speed..notice a gear knob image with down arrow indicating the necessity to down shift gear.

Centre Console is set between front 2 seats and houses a twin bottle holder.At the rear of the twin bottle holder is a cooling box to store cans of drinks and chocolates. An air vent is located in the Cooling box which is fed when the Aircon is switched on at driver seats.
Rear AC control can be operated by a knob located next to the cooling box which has 3 speed fan mode.This knob also sends AC through the vent located above 3rd Row seats, thus AC cooling is provided individually to all 3 rows of seating.

Cooling box housing those drinks...Renault thinks it all.

ICE -
Simple bluetooth enabled music system with USB and Aux slots. Front speakers are effecttive

Bluetooth Microphone is located just beside front cabin light providing good audio output during phone call.


Driving Ride & Handling (City and Highway)
Having owned many cars, mostly being European brands and knowing the pedigree of Renault globally, I went in 2017 for a Kwid, maonly driven by my spouse. I needed a larger and taller car, mainly for city drives and occasional long haul drives to Bangalore, Chennai where I travel a lot. Triber was the perfect answer for these reasons :

• 7 Seater with good space management
• BS6 Complaint, European Brand
• Good AC distribution
• Tight Budget under 7 Lacs

Urban Life..City Ride : Having lived in Hyderabad and Bangalore, I always compare the traffic and judge the former to be better, less stressful and some jolly rides. Since I work in Hitec City (some 15kms) from my home, I love city rides, nicely seated in my cars, with good music and bluetooth handfree turned on, ofcourse always wearing the seat belt.
Till now I have been used to driving my Mercedes E220, Fiat Avventura, Opel Corsa..all big engined cars, I felt TRIBER with 999cc would be the lowest and underpowered and that too with 3 AC distribution points under 4 Metres !!!! A bigger engine would have done full justice to Triber.
On Outer ring road around Hyderabad City


Speed Test : I always set a speed limit, just to be on the safer side. For my Triber I set 80 for city limits and floored the pedal twice till 120 on an expressway. Triber took this speed very well with 3 Passengers and my puppy !! There were no vibrations from the engine, Steering was rock steady, tyres had good grip and RPM was nearing 3000.All this speed was with Aircon switched for all 3 rows of seating.

Braking Power : Im rather Captain Slow, a situation for sudden braking doesn't arise, but having said this, Triber braking is adequate and smooth. No dramas here.
Turning Radius : Triber being an almost 4 meter (3990mm), I felt turning radius was poor. Though the front end of the car (Steering to front bumper) is relatively smaller, one needs to clear the large rear part of the car while turning. At U-Turns and parking, I have to execute meticulously my driving skills, and some times the parking sensor doesn't stop beeping while reversing, sensing a possible obstruction.
Ingress and Egress : Im loving these extra spaces, especially driver seat boarding and 2nd row seating. One need not duck to avoid hitting the roof while entering any row of the seats. 3rd Row seats are easily accessible up to medium sized passengers.
Suspension : For a 4 Metre vehicle, Renault has built a very comfortable suspension, that can take Indian roads (potholes and speed brakers). I found the suspension to be quite soft, with minimal jerk on the vehicle when it maneuvers over these obstacles.
Security Features: Triber comes with good security package and Im overwhelmed that such features are offers to lower variants like mine.
- Airbags : They are compulsory now. Driver and Front passenger have Airbags in RXL model
- Speed Sensing locking : Central locking kicks in as soon as the speed reaches 10 kms. For my Fiat Avventura, it happens at 30kms. One is
safe as the car will be probably locked by the time you leave your garage on to the road.
Once the car stops, a red light glows on the central locking button on the dash board, prompting to press it, to unlock doors. The red light
goes off after 2 minutes of motion.

- Boot Locking : As long as the car is centrally locked, the boot stands locked. Once the central locking is open, boot can be opened by
pressing a button under the boot door. One has to get accustomed to where this button is, or else you are playing a Piano there !!

FE
First Tank empty to full refill returned with a decent mileage of 17.5 kmpl. I was largely happy as this was mostly city drive in 100% AC switched on with both AC Power Units running most of the time.

Recommendation
I would recommend Triber as an upgrade from Kwid and also as a spacious sub 4-Meter vehicle with good build quality and features. Those who want more displacement and speedier vehicle, should not look at Triber as the 999cc offers limited power and revs.
A large 7 member families will enjoy Triber on long stretches, say 500-600kms with good storage space if seats are arranged economically to cater to family members and luggage.
Since AC blowers are located for all 3 sections of seats, the cabin is aeriated and cooled fairly well and that cooler box will provide much comfort on longer journeys.
Rating
Hillram's Rating : 7/10

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Reviews section. Thanks for sharing!

[Reinhard]

Congratulations on your new Triber. Wish you many happy miles ahead with it. A very practical car. Unique one too. Practically with no real competition (I don't think anyone would ever consider the GO+ etc for personal usage). I already see 3 Tribers in my housing complex acquired in last quarter or so. Cute little canine there , must be enjoying his drives in the spacious car. Excellent mileage you got there. Can't ask for more at all. This is a very versatile product and in fact I expected a lot of entry level hatchback customers to instead opt for the Tribers. A turbo engined variant surely will shoot the sales up for it.

Perfect for Renault that an existing KWID owner upgraded into a Triber. This is what Renault/Nissan need to focus now on. With precise product segments - KWID-Triber-Kiger-Duster/? at the right prices. So that customers have competitive products & their upgrades are within the same showroom. Finally they seem to have got the plan in place. Now upto the dealerships & workshops across the country to impress customers with correct attitude.

[hillram]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Congratulations on your new Triber. Wish you many happy miles ahead with it. A very practical car. Unique one too. Practically with no real competition (I don't think anyone would ever consider the GO+ etc for personal usage). I already see 3 Tribers in my housing complex acquired in last quarter or so. Cute little canine there , must be enjoying his drives in the spacious car. Excellent mileage you got there. Can't ask for more at all. This is a very versatile product and in fact I expected a lot of entry level hatchback customers to instead opt for the Tribers. A turbo engined variant surely will shoot the sales up for it.

Perfect for Renault that an existing KWID owner upgraded into a Triber. This is what Renault/Nissan need to focus now on. With precise product segments - KWID-Triber-Kiger-Duster/? at the right prices. So that customers have competitive products & their upgrades are within the same showroom. Finally they seem to have got the plan in place. Now upto the dealerships & workshops across the country to impress customers with correct attitude.

Thanks for your wishes. Indeed, I feel I made the right choice to go for Triber as my wife already owns and drives a faithful Kwid since 2017. We never had issues with Renault Service with Kwid and I have good attention of all Service staff to take care of my Triber. I can only hope that the Tribe(r)s increase.
We plan to do long drives with our puppy once Covid shots are done. Already he enjoys city rides to Dog Cafes and Parks.

[hillram]

1st Service : 650kms
First free Service fell from 2 months of purchase or 2000 kms which ever was earlier.
What was covered under 1st free Service :
- Engne Oil Top Up
- Coolant Top up
- Brake oil level check and Top up
- Exterior wash and Interior vacuum cleaning

As i walked out of the service centre, I was gifted another ceramic mug with Renault and Dealer Branding. Now have more than 10 such mugs !!!!