Multidimensional: Stargazing, capturing landscapes and more in the Renault Triber

Special Feature Updated: December 12, 2019, 02:00 PM IST

"Are you sure about this?" was the first question that many asked when I shared my idea of taking the Renault Triber closer to the grand Himalayas, given how the route and the climate is extremely unpredictable in these regions. One would ideally choose a hatchback for driving in the city and an SUV for venturing out on the highways. Further, if one wants to move around with more occupants, it has to be an MPV. These are the cliched choices of vehicles depending on where you want to head and its purpose. The Renault Triber, however, does not fit in any of these set definitions but blends in the qualities of all of them together, claims the company. We take the youngest Renault to beautiful North India and visit the last official Indian village, get mesmerised by stars and also capture some of the most picturesque landscapes that the country has to offer.

This trip was unlike any as we were accompanied by Jatin Rathod, an astronomer who has been associated with Nehru Planetarium for 15 years with research interests in solar physics, observational astronomy, meteor research and much more. The first thing that Jatin noticed after getting inside the Triber was the spacious cabin. In fact, he was mighty surprised looking at the Triber from the outside which looks compact, thanks to its sub-four-metre dimensions yet offers generous space inside. "Occupants sitting in the front and the second row should be extremely comfortable in this,'' said Jatin. I had to correct that by showing him the third row seats. The Triber comes with four seating modes and more than hundred seating combinations, that makes it a unique offering in the segment. The comfort of the seats along with the space offered in the cabin is extremely important on longer journeys as the occupants spend most of their time in the vehicle.

Once inside the Renault Triber, it does not feel like any other sub-four-metre offering in India, comes equipped with keyless entry and the generous space. There is no cramping of the knees, tucking of the head or squeezing of the elbow, something that I normally go through while getting inside a car of this segment. While bits like the flat bottom steering wheel, digital instrumentation leave a positive impression, the piano finished, dash-mounted eight-inch touchscreen infotainment with CarPlay and Android Auto lends a premium touch.

In addition to the multiple storage options, the Triber also comes with extremely practical cooled storage options. It is only when we saw the map on the screen that we had realised we were completing close to 500km from Delhi on the way to Mana village, the destination for the day. The impressive low-end torque of the Triber's 1-litre petrol engine paired with easy manoeuvring in city traffic and on hilly roads offers a nice driving experience.

The well-paved tarmac was replaced by broken surfaces and rocks at some of the places. It was here that the Duster genes of the Triber came into its element with the 182mm ground clearance and a strong suspension set-up. We decided to call it a day at the beautiful Mana village surrounded by the Himalayas, doing an interesting stargazing session.
When you look at the Triber, you realise that Renault has not compromised even a wee bit in making it look as impressive as it can be. The sleek headlights with projectors paired with the premium grille and strong muscular lines made the Triber blend in nicely with the gigantic mountains of the Himalayas. In fact, the Triber looks much more premium for its segment and appears to be positioned in the higher class. Perhaps the reason we went all out posting photos of the Triber on our Instagram profiles.

The next day, Anis Shaikh, OVERDRIVE photographer, came up with an adventurous plan of taking us to places on the way to Rudraprayag to capture beautiful landscapes. In the 5-seater Life mode, the Triber offers a best in class boot space of 625 litres which can be further increased in Camp and Surf modes. All this space was properly utilised by the long list of camera equipment that Anis was carrying for this shoot.

Driving to the final location did seem challenging with the climbing roads and broken surfaces, but the Renault Triber was at it. The Triber not only made sure we reached our destination but also let us witness one of the most beautiful sunsets in this part of the country. After living with the Renault Triber for so many days and clocking multiple kilometres over different types of climatic and road conditions, we are sure that the Triber is here to successfully play a long innings.