I’m not sold on the name, but a rival to the Avanza and Ertiga with a footprint barely bigger than a Sandero has my interest piqued
What is it?
Well, I’ve just said it – a very compact seven-seater in the style of a crossover with minivan aspirations, and did I mention it was the size of a B-Segment hatchback? Also, mine’s rather orange.
How does it look?
Quite pleasant really, no head-turner but super inoffensive and clearly a Renault. It has all the hallmarks and stylistic cues and accents to qualify it to that most popular of French brands, a good thing since they do have history of making good five-door hatches. So very orange.
What about living with it?
Again, pleasant rather than pleasing – with my brood of five fitting comfortably across all three rows. Mod-cons are suffice and connectivity is ample, whilst the presence of several airbags made for safe passage. Although, and my concern is shared across all vehicles of this nature, I do worry about the third-row occupants who’s bums are mere centimeters away from the back bumper.
How does it go?
Look, I’m going to be real with you, it’s a buzzy little thing that hardly matches its performance to the noise. Even at the coast I found myself constantly winding up the motor. But then, it is just a humble naturally-aspirated one-litre after all, ticking over at a modest 52kW and 96Nm. I imagine further inland it will lose a considerable amount of the little grunt it only had.
Should you buy one?
If you like the idea of having a tiny seven-seater ala Toyota Avanza, Suzuki Ertiga or Honda BR-V, but don’t enjoy the Uber vibes that come along with those then I can see the Triber being a viable option for you. Triber. Such an odd name. I don’t like it. But don’t let that put you off what is a decent bang-for-buck proposition.
Quick Spec: 1.0l fwd, 52kW, 96Nm, 5-speed manual, 5.5l/100km fuel consumption
Renault Triber Pricing
1.0 EXPRESSION R171 900
1.0 DYNAMIQUE R181 900
1.0 PRESTIGE R196 900
