[AdityaDeane]

Originally Posted by Venky03

Also, special thanks to AdityaDeane for sharing his ownership review and experience

Originally Posted by wilful

I did toy with the idea of a Triber also and Dr.Aditya Deane was very helpful with his inputs.

If we BHP-ians don't guide and help each other, what's the use of being in a common fraternity then? Wishing you both, and all us petrolheads safe and memorable miles in these trying times (once the lockdown restrictions are lifted through the country and the situation is better).

Lovely ownership thread Venky03! :-)

[wilful]

Originally Posted by Venky03

Thank you! and congratulations to you as well.
What made you change your decision from Sonet to Kiger? One of my friends is interested in buying one but held back because of the engine specs on paper.
Thank you!
Yes, it is indeed a very practical car and a very unique proposition at that price point.

The most important reason was the price - I had booked a top end Sonet DCT. I then kept looking at various options and arrived at the conclusion that the Kiger RXZ AMT gave me all that I needed (in terms of features and looks) at a very affordable price. As a senior citizen, my driving habits have changed quite a bit over the years. A much more sedate driver, head nods are ok by me. I revel in them, in fact.
These days it’s more about getting from point A to point B in reasonable comfort, which this car does.

[Emvi]

Congratulations! You have bought one of the most practical cars in its price segment. I personally love the way it looks. Compact proportions and simple,neat lines gel really well. Space management wise, Triber is second to none. Lot of accessories! You seem to have gone on a shopping spree

Stay safe, drive safe. Wish you happy motoring.

[Philomath55]

Congratulations on your car!
Love the DIY work you have done on your car, It require immense amount of patience to clean the car for 2-3 hours but absolutely worth it when you see the end result!
Have fun and drive safe!

[07CR]

Some really nice accessories.

Can you tell me how those puddle lamps work? Are they in ON position 24*7? Or are there any sensors on it, which turn them on, once the door is opened?

[W.A.G.7]

Congratulations! That's a very nicely written review of the Triber. I like the sunlight orange colour as well, that's been present in Renault/Nissan since 2010. I think this is one of the better Renaults out there in India. As you said, the third row will be rarely used; more practical usage would be limited as a boot. Enjoy your new car and wish you many happy kilometers with it.

P.S: How is the AMT experience? Did you find it good enough for daily usage?

[jithin23]

Congratulations in getting the triber. It is one of the most VFM and practical car for city and the occasional highway drive in India at the moment.

Very thoughtful and practical accessories you have added in your car. Nowadays most of the car makers are providing TPMS and I'm sure it'll soon become a common and a mandatory feature as it acts as a passive safety feature by alerting the driver about the tyre.

Also, does the AMT have hill assist/ESP and how are the gear shifts?

The only fly in the ointment is a a better petrol engine. If this car had a diesel engine, I'm sure this would have had a long waiting period! We lost so many lovely engines post BS6.

[Venky03]

Originally Posted by Storme5257

Excellent review @Venky03
Congratulations for your purchase.
The triber is a vfm and a cleverly designed 7 seater sub-4 metre car. It serves it's purpose very well.

One question : Did you test drive other AMTs? How different did they felt from the triber's transmission in terms of smoothness or driving?

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Congratulations! That's a very nicely written review of the Triber. I like the sunlight orange colour as well, that's been present in Renault/Nissan since 2010. I think this is one of the better Renaults out there in India. As you said, the third row will be rarely used; more practical usage would be limited as a boot. Enjoy your new car and wish you many happy kilometers with it.

P.S: How is the AMT experience? Did you find it good enough for daily usage?

Thank you! The AMT is decent enough for daily usage, I found it to be a bit lazy when compared to AGS on Dzire; you need to be patient with the shifts from neutral to reverse and vice-versa.

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Sweet thread. Loved reading it. Congratulations on the very practical and thoughtful buy. Wishing you & your loved ones safe & happy miles with the Triber. Quite a long list of mods and accessories. Neatly documented as well. I believe this is one of the best reference threads for the Triber & mods. One really pampered Triber in caring hands this one I must say.

Keep the thread regularly updated if possible! Stay safe & take care. Cheers!

Thank you!
Yes, I've got many mods on the pending list; next one should be the auto-climate control mod. Will update the thread with updates.

Originally Posted by 07CR

Some really nice accessories.

Can you tell me how those puddle lamps work? Are they in ON position 24*7? Or are there any sensors on it, which turn them on, once the door is opened?

It has a magnetic sensor and a small metallic strip which you have to set on the carpet area, when it senses the metallic strip(doors closed) it turns off.

[Venky03]

So I ordered a couple of LED dome lights and tested them before installation, here are the test results :

LED #1 :





Cost : INR 60

LED #2 :





Cost : INR 120

LED #3 :



Cost : INR 704

Comparison :



Had to stop the temperature test for LED #1 midway because of the very high temps. Personally I would never use a LED cob without adequate cooling; LED #2 did perform well but we have to consider that the test was performed in an open environment. LED #3 was the best performer with stable temps and power draw.

All of the attachments provided with the Philips reading light did not fit, so had to manually splice the cables; used polyimide tape to keep them in place. This is a temporary solution, will secure them with zip-ties later.





Never buy the cob-style LEDs as most of them won't have adequate cooling, the SMD-style LEDs should work for budget minded buyers; but again most of them are generic products with unknown reliability.
Initially I was looking for Osram but settled with Philips because of stock issues.

Originally Posted by jithin23

Congratulations in getting the triber. It is one of the most VFM and practical car for city and the occasional highway drive in India at the moment.

Very thoughtful and practical accessories you have added in your car. Nowadays most of the car makers are providing TPMS and I'm sure it'll soon become a common and a mandatory feature as it acts as a passive safety feature by alerting the driver about the tyre.

Also, does the AMT have hill assist/ESP and how are the gear shifts?

The only fly in the ointment is a a better petrol engine. If this car had a diesel engine, I'm sure this would have had a long waiting period! We lost so many lovely engines post BS6.

So sorry for the late reply, hill assist/ESP are absent; would've been great additions.

[Venky03]

The stock headlights are not adequate for night driving on unlit highways, and as the Mumbai-Goa highway is a frequent route for me I had to do something about the headlights.

The HID and LEDs are not permitted to be used in halogen housing as per what I read, so sticking with halogen upgrades for now to avoid any issues with cops.
After a bit of research found out that the Osram Nightbreakers are more expensive and don't last as long as its Philips counterpart, so went with Philips Xtremevision G-force.
Both the pairs costed me a total of INR 2,459 including shipping.

Low Beam (Projector) : H7




High Beam (Reflector) : H1



The difference is noticeable and definitely improves visibility at night.

Mileage :

Eco2 :



Actual tank to tank :

6.75 litres to full tank
Mileage = 133.5/6.75 = 19.78 km/l

20% city and 80% highway.

[Venky03]

Completed 5000kms yesterday, and so far I did not face any issues with the car. Absolutely happy with my Triber, my friends and family both love the comfort and space during road trips.

Monsoons :

Had to take special care of interiors and interior electronics in monsoon as the car was mostly parked due to covid restrictions, used two moisture absorbers(one in front row and another one in last row) and replaced them once every month to prevent fungus growth on fabrics and a pack of silica gel in every closed compartment.


Mileage :

Mileage has been a hot topic with the Triber, with many owners claiming that the car returns very poor mileage and expecting it to improve after 1st service.
For me, I got excellent fuel figures on highway trips (same as mentioned in OP) and decent fuel figures in stop and go city traffic; and no, the mileage won't improve after first service for those wondering. I got an average of 19.5 on MID on my very first highway trip when the ODO was on ~200kms.

Me and my friend drove my car on the same route, during my driving the car returned an average of 16.4kmpl but during his driving it returned a very measly 10.5kmpl; so it is not just about the efficiency of the engine but also about how you drive.

If you buy a Triber and expect it to accelerate like a Seltos while giving a fuel efficiency of 18kmpl then I think it is a mistake on the buyer's end.
Triber is strictly a value for money option and it is unfair to compare it with other cars from expensive price segments.

Sharing some photos from my last Raigad trip :

[Venky03]

Last month received a message from Renault regarding the Triber recall. They strengthened the bonnet lock and returned my vehicle.
Attaching details of the recall & the before and after images.





Before



After

[wilful]

How do you find the shifts in the AMT? I find the creep-1st-2nd requires very careful acceleration to avoid hard jerks. Especially so when you have to stop and take a steep culvert or steeply raised surface and more so if at a curve.
The rest seems pretty good.

[Venky03]

Originally Posted by wilful

How do you find the shifts in the AMT? I find the creep-1st-2nd requires very careful acceleration to avoid hard jerks. Especially so when you have to stop and take a steep culvert or steeply raised surface and more so if at a curve.
The rest seems pretty good.

The shifts are on a lazier side and also quite vocal in tight situations.
Yes, there are jerks on 1st and 2nd gear if you're aggressive with a-pedal. It did take some time getting used to, but now manage to keep it smooth throughout.
My second service will be due shortly, will update the thread once I'm done!

[mail2vm]

Great review, Venky. I was going through a lot of the reviews about this car as I'm planning to change my Celerio AMT- It’s almost 6 years now, a no-problem car with great mileage and serves the purpose, but I'm always concerned about the Tinsheet-built of Maruti’s. *
Since Triber is 4 star rated and comes with a list of better features and most importantly, better boot space, I’m thinking of changing it to Triber AMT.
I was skeptical about the mileage and your review is a relief for me. I just wanted to check a few things with you.
1) Do you feel that the engine noise levels are high in Triber?
2) I was told that the 3rd row AC compressor is beneath the front co-driver seat. Hence, there is some additional noise when its turned on.
3) When I inquired about the pricing, I was told about the Renault Easy Care *- A prepaid maintenance program that covers 3yrs/30kms. Do you suggest I take it or can I skip it?