Introduction

If you are looking for an affordable seven-seater, the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga has been the default choice ever since it was launched in 2013. It offered seating for seven while being spacious, practical and easy on the pocket. So when Renault launched the Triber – based on the successful Kwid – everyone sat up and took notice. This seven-seater from the French carmaker is compact and packs some clever seating engineering while being available in the B-segment hatchback pricing. So let us take a look at how the interior dimensions of the two affordable seven-seaters compare on paper.

Front Row

The Ertiga’s cabin is thoroughly modern and manages to offer a big car feel. The beige and wooden trims also add to its airy feel. Meanwhile, the Triber is quite compact yet manages to offer more legroom of 900/700mm compared to Ertiga’s 850/620mm. But Ertiga’s taller height ensures an ample headroom of 1070mm; and the shoulder room of 1310mm is also much more than what Triber offers (970mm and 1270mm, respectively). Meanwhile, the seats in the Ertiga are large and offers a fair amount of support. On the other hand, the Triber does not offer adjustable headrest for the front row, which is a bit of a surprise.

Second Row

Moving on to the second row, the Triber still surprisingly manages to offer more legroom, thanks to its long wheelbase. Even the headroom is just short by 40mm. And the shoulder room is down by 20mm compared to the Ertiga. This means the second row of the Triber isn’t as cramped as you’d expect from a car with an overall length of just 3990mm. Even though they look thin and cost-effective, the Triber’s seat isn’t uncomfortable either. Sure, they aren’t as soft and supportive as the larger ones you get in the Ertiga, they manage to do their job without major complains. Over the Ertiga, you get large and plusher seats, roof-mounted AC vents, and foldable centre armrest. Both these cars get split-folding and tumble seats to access the third row.

Third row

The third row in the Triber is not as confined as you’d think. Two adults can sit at the back for usual city commutes without feeling claustrophobic. Although we think the seats could certainly do with better support and cushioning, at no point does it get uncomfortable. And the same goes for the Ertiga which also allows comfortable seating for two. There’s a large quarter window, three-point seat belt, and amenities like cup-holder and 12V power supply here. With the seats up, the boot space of the Ertiga is ample at 209 litres which cannot be said about the Triber. However, you could remove the third-row seats of the Triber entirely to make way for a luggage space of 625 litres.

Pictures by Kapil Angane

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