| First Drive | Spain | 2010 Peugeot RCZ |
So here it is. Finally. Peugeot's banker. A car that doesn't pin its hopes on just gluing a GTI badge on the back and hoping for the best. A car that looks good. Stunning, actually.
But it's easy to look good - ask Heidi Montag. It's not so easy to make a car drive properly. You might already be lamenting the RCZ for the blatancy of its Audi TT plagiarising, but believe us, in real life it's a different animal; the RCZ's lines are epic. If it goes properly, the revolution has begun.
In the Metal
There are a handful of constituent features vying for your eye on the RCZ, but the overall impression is of a low, wide, deliberately conspicuous car. Almost makes the TT look slab-sided. The rear wheels are pushed right out to the corners and the sides are scooped in, with the sill line following the flow of the wheel arches to broaden its stance
Inside it's more typically Peugeot, but with detailing that makes it the company's best cabin - possibly ever. Its ergonomics are obviously coupé-like, sinking you well below the high scuttle line and with the dash raked steeply away towards the windscreen. The horrible regular PSA stereo control unit is ditched and replaced with a rubbery textured bespoke item that looks great.
The boot's big too, and the aperture's vast so it's easily accessible. The 'occasional rear seats,' as Peugeot calls them, are useless though.
What you get for your Money
Peugeot can't quite play the budget card in a game of coupé top trumps, but the RCZ is priced lower than similar stuff. Most notably the Audi TT. A diesel and two petrol engines are available from launch, with the 2.0-litre HDi pushing out 163bhp. Two versions of a 1.6-litre THP turbocharged petrol unit make 156- and 200bhp. The two lower power cars can be had with a six-speed automatic, and the standard manual is a six-speed item.
Two trim levels, Sport and GT, make up the range. A 156bhp petrol Sport will set you back £20,450 and a flagship 200bhp GT £24,550. The basic diesel manual - the one your head will tell you to buy - is £22,250. Compare that to £27,375 for a bog-standard
Audi TT TDI.
And the RCZ is well equipped. Higher GT spec adds 19-inch alloys (an inch bigger than the Sport's rims), electric and heated leather seats, front parking sensors (Sport gets just rear ones) and labour-saving automatic lights and wipers. Two-zone climate is standard. You can swathe the dash in leather too, for a price, though the standard dashboard is of a leather-like material that's aesthetically stitched together.
Driving it
What were you expecting? You were wrong. The RCZ is proper. For start, the driving position is sound, with a wheel that telescopes for miles and lots of room to move the seat about. Peugeot has finally learned how to space its pedals properly too. There's a footrest. That might sound extraneous, but it makes a difference.
We had a go in the diesel and the 200bhp petrol. The former predictably has a little clatter at both idle and upper revs, but it's a unit that delivers its 250lb.ft of torque in a smooth, constant way, so it always feels strong. Equally the petrol model, which isn't peaky and doesn't necessarily explode at higher revs, pushes ahead strongly throughout the range. That's more suited to the car, but the diesel alternative isn't a weak relation by any means.
In both forms the RCZ is a highly convincing driver's coupé. The chassis is firm, as opposed to being a wobbly one with the suspension jacked up to provide a mirage of dynamic ability; the tautness is inherent. It transmits the natural Braille of the road surface into the cabin, but retains some pliancy so as not to be crashy or over-hard. Meanwhile the steering has more convincing weight, feedback and alacrity than any Peugeot rack in recent memory. Even the gear change has a nice tight feel through the gate.
It grips too. There's very little of the early onset understeer that you might expect from the front-drive coupé. It's balanced, adjustable through corners at speed, and its traction control rarely interferes. Is it perfect? No. Visibility through some corners is seriously restricted by the thick, raked A-pillars, and we suspect that the ride may prove too firm for some on the UK's decidedly coarse roads.
Worth Noting
The insane membrane. In order to sprinkle some sonic fairy dust onto the flagship 200bhp version, Peugeot has amped up the engine. A pipe attached to the turbo feeds air across a membrane, which vibrates. That vibration is picked up by an amplifier, which adds a layer of bark to the engine note. It's slightly weird. At full tilt it really works, enhancing the audio with a raspy crescendo that swirls through the cabin. However, at upper revs the high frequency of the noise can grate, as though the engine is operating at the resonant frequency of your ears. Some countries use that as a torture technique. It can't be turned off either. The jury's still out on that one.
Summary
Well blow us down. The RCZ has, finally, given Peugeot a car it can really shout about on every level. It's not flawless, but when it hits the shops in May it'll be one of the most feel-good cars on the market. Credit to Peugeot for making such a bold coupé, and even more credit for getting the driving bit just about spot on. Should you buy one over a TT? Well, you'll be a fool not to try an RCZ, at least. We think you'll have a little quandary thereafter.
