Renault Triber
As Dipayan takes charge of the Kona Electric, Gurdeep handed over the keys to the Triber to me, a car he clearly has taken a liking to based on his reports. I’ve already tested the car in the past and have made my admiration for, what is without doubt one of the most impressive products currently on sale, quite clear. Living with it has made me appreciate it even more even though time behind the wheel has been severely restricted owing to the current state of affairs. Still, I can’t help but marvel at what Renault has managed to pull off with the Triber. During its development and the days leading up to its launch most were apprehensive about the idea of a sub-4m MPV, especially since sister concern Datsun’s GO Plus had turned out to be rather underwhelming to say the least. All reservations and apprehensions were well and truly laid to rest as Renault proved that an MPV with these length restrictions could be done and done rather well. The Triber fits so many roles. It’s a people mover that can ferry seven in reasonable comfort, it’s a very practical five seater with seats that can be slid back and forth and reclined, something that’s pretty much unheard of at this price point, and it is adept at being a wagon as well with third rows seats than can be easily removed in a minute or two. You can seat four/five and take your dog along with the kind of space on offer and I can’t think of anything else in this segment which can do that! Renault hasn’t just carved out room for people, but found room for improvement as well having recently launched the AMT variant. And there’s more good news with the plans of a more potent turbocharged variant on the anvil. Thoroughly impressive car, this.
THE TRIBER
FITS SO MANY ROLES. IT’S A PEOPLE MOVER THAT CAN FERRY SEVEN IN REASONABLE COMFORT
Times are a changing, and thus far if you’re planning your exodus from public transport, you’re probably in the market for an inexpensive commuter motorcycle that could ease the risk involved in commuting under the “new normal’’ without really having to break the bank. If you are one of those who look at a product objectively and don’t mind walking away from a crowd then you’ve probably arrived at the new TVS Sport. It’s a value for money commuter with a slightly more sporty approach, with respect to the rest of the segment. In its BS6 avatar it gets the added value of fuel injection and more displacement, all with the promise of 15 per cent better efficiency.
Interestingly, despite the ground-up mechanical overhaul, the TVS Sport gets only a few small tweaks to its visual presence. There’s a slightly updated livery package along the tank and the panels and the headlamps get a DRL (a segment first feature) as well as some new colours. The tweaks may be limited but they do their fair bit in ensuring that the 2020 Sports stands apart from its predecessor.
Mechanically though the TVS went back to the drawing board with the Sport BS6. Instead of going the easy way round and losing some of the Sport’s urgent demeanor in the conversion to BS6, TVS instead decided to increase the displacement by 10 cubic cen