The recent flood of new cars like MG Hector, Hyundai Venue, Kia Seltos, Maruti XL6 and Renault Triber have been a bright spot in the crisis-hit auto sector. With aggressive publicity and advance bookings they have recorded about 200,000 bookings and made all existing models look dated, so it is of no surprise that it has made the sales of the latter sluggish.
Renault had done well with its strategies of disruptive marketing. Their Duster disrupted the SUV segment by offering a smaller but very competent vehicle at a competitive price. Then it launched Kwid that looked like a mini SUV in a lower price bracket. Now it has enlarged the basic Kwid platform but within a short length of four meter it has somehow managed to find space for seven quite spacious seats. And… most disruptive of all, it has priced this new offering so aggressively that it has caused a virtual pricequake in the auto market.
Triber may not be a fantastic brand name but it has something for everybody. It is an amazing feat of interior space engineering and has the looks to satisfy any young heart plus the utility features to satisfy the most demanding commercial user. To provide for three rows of seats it has a smaller engine compartment housing a three-cylinder 999 cc 72 hp petrol engine but also has a stretched wheelbase.
The seats have been stacked theatre style with the rear rows slightly higher than the ones in front to get a bit more toe room plus better visibility for all passengers. Surprisingly access to all the rows is quite easy with the one lever to fold down mechanism while the back of the second row can also be tilted back a little for comfort. Three people can sit in a second and third row except that a tall passenger. A roof-mounted air-conditioning blower with a separate blower control also keeps all passengers cool. As with Ertiga or Innova, there is little storage space when all seats are being used.
Triber is also quite a pretty package with a sporty sloping shoulder line, graceful curves and a muscular bonnet. The Renault trademark diamond logo and cascade grille are fairly typical and the head and tail lights are attractive.
It is also good on the insides with a large eight centre-mounted touchscreen and an unusual digital instrument cluster. It offers a long list of electronic gadgets for entertainment, comfort, safety and navigation. Without a test drive, one cannot judge if the 999 cc 72 hp petrol engine has the power or torque to effectively move a 950 kg vehicle with a full load of passengers and their baggage but the test reports indicate that it will not be disappointing and that it has good fuel consumption.
Triber has been aggressively priced below Ford Ecosport, Honda Amaze, Hyundai Xcent, Hyundai Venue, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Tata Nexon, Toyota Etios and Volkswagen Ameo while its space and features will also draw some sales from smaller cars. As it has something for all buyer preferences it will probably disrupt the sales of all the small and medium-sized cars, UVs and SUVs. Triber has a lot going for it and will make all buyers reavlualate their choices and looks quite capable of being able to carve a slot for itself in the sluggish but highly competitive market.