Triber

Overview

The Triber has always been Renault’s act of subtraction: remove everything that is not the point, and sell what remains at a price that makes rivals re-print their brochures. In this listing the point is the little three-cylinder turbo — 999 cc making 100 bhp and 152 Nm, figures that cost a fortune in any other car under ₹8 lakh and which make the Triber the most flexible thing in its price band once it is moving.

The rest of the subtraction sheet is equally bold. The body is sedan-shaped with a tall roof and a 425-litre boot, so the family gets a trunk without paying a sedan premium; the 180 mm of clearance means the car is parked on curbs rather than beside them; and the bench folds, tumbles and can be removed in minutes, a party trick that turns the car into a two-seat cargo van for moving a bookshelf. The claimed 19 kmpl keeps the running costs as lean as the spec sheet.

Where the arithmetic gets grim is the safety score: two stars for adults in this listing, dual airbags and stability control as the full kit, and nothing like the six-airbag structure of the Tatas at the same money. The three-cylinder thrum is felt through the steering at idle, the gearbox is long in the gears for economy and needs a downshift on a loaded climb, and the interiors creak in the way of cars where the sound deadening line item was deleted. The Triber is a genuinely clever object and an honest value; the crash structure is the one part of the deal you cannot get more of by paying less.

• 1.0 turbo: 100 bhp and 152 Nm at entry-car money
• 425-litre boot and folding rear bench
• Turbo flexibility no rival at this price can match