Renault Triber (2020): First Drive Review
If there’s one thing South African car buyers love almost as much as a small hatchback or bakkie, it’s an SUV. But what happens when you make a small people mover, dress it up as an SUV, and price it within reach of many first-time new-car buyers? Renault did exactly that to create the new Triber, and we were there to try out the end result.
A sure-fire recipe for success in our marketplace is to make a car look like an SUV, and it’s even better if the resulting faux-by-four is relatively affordable. This neatly explains the popularity of the Sandero Stepway, Etios Cross, and Honda BR-V – they’re all normal cars dressed up as Crossovers, and they’re all highly sought-after in South Africa.
Renault has now extrapolated this principle to a new entry-level “SUV”. Starting off with the basic skeleton of an inexpensive multi-purpose vehicle, they’ve added some cladding over the wheelarches and lifted its belly further off the ground to create the new Triber. And, just as it has proved to be a sales success in its Indian home market, the Triber is also bound to find plenty of eager buyers in South Africa.
What is it?
Even Renault seem a bit unsure exactly how to categorise their latest arrival, but the one thing they won’t call it is an MPV (multi-purpose vehicle). Which is understandable, because MPVs are deeply and severely uncool these days, in spite of their impressive versatility and superior practicality. Instead, they call it an “ultra-flexible SUV-inspired vehicle”... in other words, an MPV wearing SUV clothes.
All the tell-tale signs are present: the tall-but-narrow stature, a stubby bonnet, and generous glass area. It’s also quite small, coming in below 4 metres in length. But, with all that, it butches up the plot with plastic fender cladding, some black stickers on the doors, skid plates under the bumpers, chunky alloy wheels, and fairly generous ground clearance. What we have here is a surprisingly successful mash-up of MPV practicality, junior hatchback dimensions, and SUV styling – a real Crossover, if you will.
And, for all the roles it can fulfill, it manages to look pretty attractive as well. Up front, the shiny three-blade grille and frowning headlights give it some road presence, the profile view has enough bulges and creases to avoid looking slab-sided, and the rear end benefits from very stylish “Eagle beak” tail lamps with a strong horisontal design emphasis. As a result, the Triber looks a lot more substantial than its proportions would suggest, and a fair bit more upmarket than its low-low list price deserves.
Triber's flexibility is real, not just a talking point
Inside the cabin, the main attraction is space. The seats are arranged in a theatre style, with the second seating row elevated slightly over the fronts, and the rearmost seats located higher still. The roofline follows a similar trend, partly to create extra headroom for the rear seating rows, but also to make room for the third row’s separately controlled air-conditioner outlets (and ducting for the second row’s B-pillar-mounted vents). That’s right: unlike many three-row vehicles, the Triber is pretty capable of carry 7 occupants in reasonable comfort.
But, with all three seating rows in use, there’s almost no luggage space available – understandable, given the Triber’s rather small footprint. Far better to take them out altogether and use the Triber as a 5-seater, then: the rearmost seats can be removed without any tools, which leaves a cavernous luggage area with 625 litres of cargo space.
In addition, the 60/40 split middle seats can recline individually, slide forwards and back to apportion space where it’s needed, and tumble away behind the front seats to maximise utility space (or allow easy access to the third row). Renault says that more than 100 different seating configurations are possible, and while we didn’t have time to verify this claim at the launch event, it doesn’t seem unlikely. The best part is that the Triber can be configured to carry 5 large humans and their chattel with room to spare.
There are also storage spaces scattered throughout the cabin. Renault’s prior experience with Espace and Scenic minivans definitely paid off in this department, with two cubby holes (one of which is refrigerated in up-specced variants), and a refrigerated box next to the handbrake.
The centre console has two shelves for phones and the like, the door pockets are large and easily accessible, and there’s a drawer underneath the driver’s seat to put wallets and the like out of sight. And, on top of all that, it’s a pleasant place to spend time, with a good-looking two-tone dashboard and easy-to-use ergonomics.
It’s loaded with toys as well
The Triber is available in three trim levels, and includes power steering and air conditioning across the board, along with Bluetooth/USB infotainment systems, front 12V power socket, remote central locking, electric windows in front, and rear parking sensors. Two airbags are standard, as is ABS with EBD. That’s the spec sheet for the entry-level Expression variant, but it gets better from there on upwards.
The mid-spec Dynamique derivative adds electric mirror adjustment and electric windows for the rear doors, a colour touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone mirroring, a 12V power socket for the middle row, and contrasting roof rails with a 50 kg load capacity. On top of this, the top-trim Prestige variant adds keyless entry with pushbutton engine start, LED daytime running lamps in front, a third 12V power point for the rear seats, a rear-view camera with guide lines, 15-inch alloy wheels (instead of 14-inch steel wheels with plastic covers), and front side airbags.
That’s a lot of kit for a car with an entry price of only R 164 900, with the range-topper carrying a pricetag of only R 189 900. In fact, the standard equipment is more in line with cars costing a fair bit more, and has some features for which buyers will have to pay extra in premium-brand offerings.
Under the skin
Given such a comprehensive equipment list, interior flexibility, and very low purchase prices, it follows that some compromises had to be made elsewhere. In the Triber’s case, these compromises stem from its base platform, which isn’t exactly the most enticing thing out there.
Starting off with the Kwid’s CMF-A underpinnings, various components were re-arranged for its use in the Triber. The firewall was moved forwards to increase cabin space, the wheelbase and track width were stretched, and judicious strengthening and high-strength steel use were applied to its construction. Yes, the Triber is related to the Kwid, but it’s been modified to the extent where just about everything Triber-related is unique to this model.
Related: Is the Renault Kwid good for new drivers?
Some Quid-ness still shines through, though
This is really an all-new car, unrelated to the similarly-configured Datsun Go+, and more than just an enlarged Kwid. As a result, it’s also quite different to drive, and generally, an all-round improvement over the Kwid. It’s more stable in crosswinds, for instance, and a fair bit more refined as well. The driving position is rather more spacious as a result of the relocated firewall and increased width, and the front door openings are larger, making entry and egress less head-bumpy.
The plastics inside are quite a bit nicer than you’d get in the Kwid as well, and the noise levels, once at speed, is a lot better contained. In short, the only real issues relate to the powertrain, and to the suspension tuning.
Speed freaks, drive around.
For an idea of the Triber’s performance, imagine a Kwid with two burly men inside. Now imagine that performance at Gauteng’s power-sapping altitude, after adding the weight of 5 people in a spacious cabin, and a hundred kilograms or so in that large boot (in “Life Mode” 5-seater configuration). Neck-snapping acceleration or high cruising speeds are definitely not on the menu, and be prepared to be serenaded by the thrum of a trembling three-cylinder.
As it is at the moment, the Triber is equipped with a derivative of the Kwid’s 1.0-litre engine. It’s been reasonably well-revised, through the addition of dual variable valve timing (VVT) and some internal re-engineering, which ups the power from 50 to a giddy 52 kW, and the peak torque 91 to 96 Nm. That's still very little power, though. It drives the front wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox, with a 5-speed AMT due to arrive soon, at a R10 000 premium.
Related: Budget automatic shootout - Renault Kwid vs Suzuki Celerio vs Datsun Go
Add the Triber’s substantial weight increase (around 200 kg more than a Kwid, with a still-feathery weight of 930 kg) to this modest output, and it becomes clear that acceleration (already not a Kwid strong suit) is on the excruciating side of leisurely. It’s reasonable around town, but moving-chicane-kind-of-slow on the freeway at sea level and with a light load. Gauteng’s lower-density air definitely won’t do it any favours, and neither will carrying anything more than two occupants. As a final insult, all these problems will be compounded by the clumsy AMT, when it arrives.
Rowing it along
As with the Kwid, the Triber’s lower gears (up to third) have very short ratios – needing high revs and quick gearshifts to achieve perceptible acceleration. In town, there’s enough power to get by, but, as the speed mounts, the widely-spaced higher gears can’t keep the engine operating in its very narrow power band, making for laborious progress and slow hill climbs. Driving on the test route, we kept up in traffic at low speeds, but obviously struggled above 80-ish km/h.
It is mooted that this serious performance deficit will soon be addressed through the addition of a turbocharged engine, which will up the outputs to around 70-ish kW and 160 Nm. That will give far more accessible and usable performance, and will definitely be worth the price premium over the naturally-aspirated versions.
They see me rollin’
As for the suspension calibration, the Triber is blessed with a pretty comfortable ride quality – the kind of ride quality that depends on very long suspension travel as well as on being somewhat under-damped. Every speed bump is felt at least twice, albeit softly, and body control around corners is rather slap-dash. Body lean is prodigious even at low speeds, and freeway driving elicits a gentle side-to-side swaying motion. Not exactly confidence-inspiring, but mostly up to the questions asked by the Triber's very modest performance.
It’s clear that the Triber has been optimised for India’s most common driving conditions, where smooth roads and high-speed driving are almost unheard of. This means that the suspension is very comfortable over road disturbances, but struggles to keep up with South Africa’s (generally much higher) cruising speeds and dynamic demands. The suspension tuning will most certainly require a re-tune for the turbo variant, so here’s hoping that such a revised (European?) setup will spill over to South Africa’s Tribers, along with the much-needed shot of steroids.
So, should I buy it?
Apart from these handling- and performance concerns, there’s a lot that the Renault Triber does right. The packaging and versatility are especially impressive, and the equipment list is very comprehensive for the money. The cute/attractive appearance and well-designed interior also score high marks, and its build quality appears to be on par with the rest of its price bracket. If most of your driving is around town, and you just need to cart people or their things from A to B as cheaply as possible, this is a pretty decent option, and good value on a spec-per-rand basis. Just be prepared to be patient on the road.
If you’re willing to put up with the sluggish performance and busy engine note, and like to have some space and creature comforts to keep you comfy and occupied in the low-speed daily grind, the Triber will do just fine. It could even stand in for a budget supermini in the same price bracket and do a better job of providing basic transport for a low purchase price, with more space, features and comfort than the smaller alternatives in the same price bracket. A lot of buyers will value these elements more than peppy performance, and for that reason, its success in this market is practically guaranteed.
But if you’re ever in a hurry, the Triber probably wouldn’t satisfy your needs. Yet. It still needs a turbo become a complete package.
Renault Triber range:
Renault Triber Expression : R 164 900
Renault Triber Dynamique : R 174 900
Renault Triber Prestige : R 189 900
Price includes a warranty for 5 years or 150 000 km and a service plan for 2 years or 30 000 km, with a 15 000 km service interval.