The Triber always had the right idea and the wrong engine.
Seven seats in a sub-4 metre package at a price nothing else could match, let down by a 1-litre naturally aspirated motor that ran out of ideas with four people on board. Renault has finally fixed it.
The Triber 100 PS launches in India at INR 7.84 lakh, with a turbocharged engine making almost double the torque of the old one. It is also the first Indian model built on Renault's new RGEP platform, which matters more than the engine swap in the long run. It arrived as part of a busy September for Indian launches.
Engine
The headline change is under the bonnet. A 1.0-litre turbocharged TCe petrol engine now produces 100 PS and 180 Nm.
That torque figure is the one that transforms the car. The Triber's weakness was never outright speed, it was pulling a fully loaded seven-seater up a hill or past a truck. One hundred and eighty Nm solves that problem in a way no amount of revving ever could.
Renault claims 21 km per litre, which for a turbocharged seven-seater is a reasonable return.
Platform
The Triber 100 PS is the first model in India to use Renault's new RGEP platform, and that is worth noting beyond this one car.
A new platform usually brings a stiffer structure, revised suspension geometry and better refinement, and it tends to signal what the manufacturer plans to build next. Renault has been quiet in India for a while. This suggests that is changing.
Seating and space
The modular cabin is still the Triber's trump card, and Renault has left it alone.
You can run it as a five, six or seven seater. The third row fixes in place or comes out entirely depending on what you are carrying. Second-row seats slide and recline.
Fold things down and boot space expands to a maximum of 625 litres, which for a car under four metres is remarkable packaging.
Features
The equipment list has moved up to match the price.
There is LED lighting, an 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a digital LED instrument cluster, a wireless charger, push-button start and stop, and cruise control.
Safety is where it gets serious. Six airbags, 21 safety features in total, a rear-view camera and tyre pressure monitoring.
Renault Triber 100 PS features
1.0-litre turbocharged TCe petrol engine
100 PS and 180 Nm
Built on Renault's new RGEP platform
Modular 5, 6 or 7 seat configurations
Removable third row, sliding and reclining second row
Up to 625 litres of boot space
8-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
Digital LED instrument cluster
Wireless charger and push-button start
Cruise control
Six airbags and 21 safety features
Rear-view camera and tyre pressure monitoring
Specifications
Specification | Detail |
Engine | 1.0-litre turbocharged TCe petrol |
Max Power | 100 PS |
Peak Torque | 180 Nm |
Claimed Mileage | 21 km/l |
Platform | RGEP |
Seating | 5, 6 or 7 configurations |
Boot Space | Up to 625 litres |
Infotainment | 8-inch touchscreen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay |
Instrument Cluster | Digital LED |
Airbags | Six |
Safety Features | 21 in total, including rear camera and TPMS |
Variants | Evolution, Techno, Emotion |
Price
Model | Starting Price (Ex-showroom) |
Renault Triber 100 PS | INR 7.84 lakh |
Three variants are offered: Evolution, Techno and Emotion.
Will it come to Nepal?
Nothing has been confirmed. Renault has not announced a Nepal launch, pricing or timeline for the Triber 100 PS, and we are not estimating a local figure here.
As with other recent Indian launches awaiting word on Nepal, Indian production shortens the logistics considerably compared with importing from elsewhere. But production location alone does not make a launch happen.
If it does arrive, the proposition would be unusual here. Seven seats, a turbo engine and six airbags in a compact footprint is not something Nepal's market currently offers at any sensible price.
Conclusion
Renault has taken a car that sold on practicality and finally given it the engine that practicality deserved.
Going from the old naturally aspirated unit to 100 PS and 180 Nm does not just make the Triber faster. It makes the seven-seat claim honest, because a people carrier that struggles when full is not really a people carrier.
The modular cabin, the 625-litre boot and six airbags as standard were always the reasons to look at this car. Now there is an engine worth matching them.
For more on new launches, prices and the auto market in Nepal, Autoncell covers them as they land.
