Renault launched the facelifted Triber MPV last year, kickstarting its brand revival journey in India. This model caters to buyers looking for an affordable seven-seater family vehicle. It is now available only with a 1.0L naturally aspirated petrol engine. We have now learnt that the Triber will get a turbocharged petrol engine next month.
Rumours of the Triber getting a turbo-engine have been floating in the air for long. There has, in fact, been a strong demand for it. Many expected that the 2025 facelift of the update that came in April this year would give the MPV a turbo-petrol engine. Those, however, did not happen.
We have now learnt that the turbo-petrol engine-powered Triber is ready for launch. The company will launch it in September, closer to the festive season, although an exact launch date is not known.
We do know that the Triber will get the Kiger’s 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, in the same state of tune. In that case, it will make 100PS and 160Nm on the MPV.
Interestingly, both the Kiger and Triber used to share the same platform- Renault Group’s CMF-A+. The carmaker is now transitioning these models into the Renault Group Entry Platform (RGEP). The RGEP is significantly more localised and modern than the CMF-A family.
Being based on the RGEP platform means that it won’t be too difficult to integrate the turbo-petrol engine into the Triber. Looks like Renault is finally considering customer demands for a more powerful engine.
The Triber has always been offering strong value. It is a cost-effective people mover that’s fairly comfortable. All it lacked was a powerful engine. The 1.0-litre, naturally aspirated, three-cylinder unit making 72PS and 96Nm, felt just adequate, and sometimes underpowered under full load. It needs to be noted here that the Triber is a seven-seater. A stronger engine will make the experience a lot better. Journalists and customers have long been pointing this out to Renault.
Let’s talk about the transmission options now. The Kiger offers two gearbox options on turbocharged petrol variants- a 5-speed Manual Transmission (5MT) and an X-Tronic CVT automatic. The Triber, however, is likely to offer just the manual transmission initially, with the turbo-petrol engine. The CVT automatic gearbox is likely to be introduced over time.
The Triber is currently priced in the range of Rs 5.81 lakh- 8.69 lakh, ex-showroom. These are for the naturally aspirated variants. The turbocharged version is likely to cost more.
The 2025 facelift was largely a cosmetic upgrade. The design evolved significantly. The MPV looked much sharper than before. It has a stylish black grille with angular slats, taller and more upright bonnet, redesigned bumpers, LED headlamps and tail lamps, and more.
The Turbo-petrol version is likely to retain these and the upright stance. However, it may see the addition of Turbo badges and sportier detailing. The 2025 update has brought new variant names to the vehicle. The same are expected to be retained on the turbo version as well. It remains to be seen which trims will get the turbo engine.
The 2025 facelift had brought about significant improvements in the cabin experience. The MPV got a more modern layout and a redesigned dashboard. It also received a large floating 8-inch touchscreen infotainment unit, better-quality materials, and new interior colours. Other new additions included automatic headlamps and rain sensing wipers.
The update that was rolled out in late April this yearfocussed on improving the feature list further. The MPV then saw the addition of an automatic climate control, a first in its segment. This has made the package even more compelling. Additionally, the carmaker has reworked the variant-wise feature distribution, to improve the overall value proposition.
On the safety front, the Triber comes equipped with 21 standard safety features. These include 6 airbags, tyre pressure monitoring system, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, and more.
In the Indian market, the Triber competes primarily with the Nissan Gravite, its badge-engineered cousin. Other rivals are all longer, larger MPVs like the Maruti Ertiga. Following this update, we may also see Nissan introducing the turbocharged petrol engine on the Gravite.