Sleight of Hand: How the Renault Kiger and Triber are different but still similar

For the uninitiated, it'd be hard to fathom just looking at these two cars that both the Renault Kiger and the Renault Triber are made together. Not just in the same factory but on the same production line, along with the Nissan Magnite, the Renault Kwid and the Datsun Redi-Go. And they serve as a perfect example of the miracles of modern-day automotive manufacturing, with their starkly different appearances and target audiences.

A far cry from the sometimes questionable badge-engineering that we have been subjected to in the past, the Renault Kiger and Triber can differentiate themselves by way of the structure they are built around. The Common Module Family(CMF)-A+ architecture, itself a scaled-up derivative of CMF-A,  is Renault-Nissan's take on modular automobile production. It's a process that is now the norm across the auto industry, every car maker you can think of uses this is some form. Volkswagen MQB and Toyota's TNGA are two that come easily to mind.

Unlike the earlier trend of platform sharing, where entire structures were shared and therefore very difficult to replace or change from new one car to the next, architectures like CMF-A+ aren't really platforms at all. They are much closer to being a shared manufacturing process that involves a few fixed components like the engine bay, the driver's controls, the front and rear underbody components and electrical systems. These can then be placed under a unique bodyshell and be fitted with other shared components. The advantages are obvious. Firms can increase their economies of scale, easily adapt to newer tech like electrification, create many more products across segments and simplify manufacturing.

In the case of the Renault Triber and Kiger, both share the same 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine with its 72PS and 96 Nm as well as the same manual and AMT gearboxes. The 1.0-litre turbo you just read about in our Renault Kiger review will eventually find its way into the Renault Triber too, with the CVT transmission. Both cars also come with a very similar electronics package with similar touchscreens, keyless entry and start, safety systems and so on. Look a bit more closely and it is apparent that both cars also share a number of smaller interior components to maximize cost savings. This is most apparent in the dashboard whose basic shape and constituent parts are largely identical, aside from the different ornamentation and the rearranged centre console.

In the Renault Triber for example, where space optimisation is key, the shared mechanical components have been placed much further along the length of the car at both ends to open up interior room. Although both are almost identically long, 3,990mm for the Triber against 3,991mm for the Kiger, the Triber's wheelbase is a significant 136mm more. Similarly to give the Kiger its SUV street-cred, these common components are mounted higher for 23mm more ground clearance. Although, again in the interest of space optimization, the Triber is taller with its stepped roof by about 38mm. Most notably, unlike in more traditional platform sharing, the Triber's front and rear tracks are also wider by 10mm over the Kiger.

But what does this mean to you as a buyer? Again the Renault Triber and Renault Kiger are good examples. The cost savings from using these shared components and processes eventually benefit the car buyer. In the Kiger, this is seen in the features it offers and in the Triber with the sheer space. At a sub-10 lakh price point, this hasn't been as well-executed before.

Read our comparison review to know how the Renault Kiger stacks up against its rivals here