Road Test: Peugeot RCZ Coupé

You know that Peugeot is known for selling large numbers of small cars, right? But surely it’s a bit of a stretch to mention a Peugeot product in the same sentence as the Audi TT or VW Scirocco? It may have been unthinkable in the past, but here’s the Peugeot RCZ, spoiling for a fight in VW and Audi territory.

The Peugeot RCZ is a stunning head turner that adds yet another car to the increasingly convincing Peugeot line up in South Africa. The RCZ is the first of a new range of ‘special cars’, meant to add an edge of exclusiveness to a French marque not always known for passion or emotive design and engineering. Peugeot, it must be said, are producing some very good cars recently though. We currently have the 3008 ‘crossover’ on test and will be reporting back on that and the 5008 MPV soon.

Peugeot have been around as an industrial business for 200 years. They’ve had a lot of time to re-imagine themselves plenty of times in the past, but the current shift in management thinking is dramatic. Determined to grow market share through emotive and engaging products, the RCZ is meant to show off these new aspirations. And I think they are on to a winner.

Peugeot have some fairly straight-forward, but well proven mechanicals in the shape of the PSA transverse front-drive ‘Platform 2’. The cunning plan is to combine the proven platform we know so well (think Peugeot 308 and Citroen C4) with the fabulous Peugeot RCZ 2+2 coupé concept unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2007.

Given how close the concept was to the reality, we need to sit up and take notice of future Peugeot concept cars as a clear indication of their intent. If you saw the original show car, you’d be hard pressed to see the difference between concept and production. It’s just the way RCZ project manager Marjorie D’huillier wanted it. “Every effort was made to capture the show car’s looks in production”, he says. It has worked.

Peugeot have entrusted the production of the car to Magna Steyr in Austria. “Magna who?”, I hear you ask. Well, they develop and assemble cars like the Mercedes E Class 4Matic, and were instrumental in developing the BMW X3, Audi TT and Fiat Bravo. So they know what they are doing.

But how much does the RCZ really threaten the authority of the Audi TT and VW Scirocco? It is a fine looking car and the South African version serves up 147 kW in manual guise and 115 kW in auto form, with a 1 598 cc petrol turbocharged engine.

Inside, the car is perfectly acceptable, but somehow does not follow through on the promise of the exterior visual excitement. It’s a decent enough layout, all logically thought through and is much more appealing than previous Peugeots. But there’s not much new or exciting in here. A transparent roof, like the 3008 would have helped. The cabin access is easy through its big doors and it’s much more practical than you may think. A decent boot cements the deal, particularly when you fold down the rear seats (which, incidentally, were designed for dwarves). Visibility is slightly hampered by thick ‘A’ pillars.

On the road, RCZ is instantly impressive for its sheer presence, with its forward cabin, metallic cabin rails and evocative double-bubble roof. I can think of few cars in this range with more passion and daring. It’s a hoot to drive with neat handling, plenty of grip and a very communicative steering. Still, it’ll always understeer when pressed and there’s more body roll than you’d like. It’s a trade off for a fairly supple ride through town though. But what of the cars’ hard-core enthusiast credentials? Our test car’s impression of good body rigidity was slightly marred by suspension noise not evident in the Scirocco or TT. The 147 kW manual I drove felt very swift, but not laugh-out-loud quick. It’s grunt really arrives at around 2 200 r/min, becoming urgent and melodic as you pass 4 500 on the way to the 6 700 r/min rev-limiter.

It’s only a 1.6-litre, but the THP (turbo high-pressure) engine employs a twin-scroll turbocharger to propel it on to a top speed of 237 km/h. Its slippery shape and modest frontal area helps. The RCZ’s 0 – 100 km/h time of 7.5 seconds is influenced by the hefty 1 768 kg it has to haul around. What makes this car a joy to drive is that it’s so unexpected and refreshing. The car oozes style and impressed everyone we introduced it to, with many commenting that it looks far better on the road than either the Scirocco or Audi TT.

But the German cars will out-perform the car if you judge it purely from a driver involvement score. The German cars will be quicker around a track and will give more grins per kilometer than the Peugeot. Re-sale value will see the VW group products do well too. But the RCZ is different. It’s a practical car that’s really is a gas to drive. What’s more, this car looks far prettier and way more expensive than it is. Just goes to show you can teach a 200-year-old lion some fancy new tricks.

What we like…

• The latest Peugeot Lion brand identity.
• The sheer audacity of it.
• Peugeot’s new found confidence.

What we would like…

• The 340 Nm diesel version soon, please Peugeot.
• A see through glass roof like the 3008.
• Change the colour of the exterior roof arches, black would look much better.

Richard Webb is the publisher of Blower, South Africa’s longest running car magazine and contributor to SACarFan.

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