The Peugeot RCZ is stunning to look at, fun to drive and demonstrates how being unusual doesn’t have to equate with being weird.
I’ll get straight to the point: the Peugeot RCZ has got a cleavage.
So curvaceous, so stunningly attractive is the RCZ that it actually, honestly, really has a cleavage.
At least that’s the first thing that crossed my mind when I saw the RCZ sitting in a parking bay begging to be driven. It’s an unusual attribute but it’s definitely there, a ‘double bubble’ along the roof and long rear window of the car that helps give the RCZ the wow factor. That and the wide aluminium roof arches.
But then the RCZ is a pleasingly unusual car that has won a number of plaudits and awards – and rightly so.
There’s more than a touch of the Audi TT to the RCZ, only the RCZ is more flattened. Like with the TT there’s a near symmetry to the front and rear, with long elegant sloping, coupé lines.
So striking is the RCZ that it looks like the sort of prototype, almost-futuristic car that you normally only see spinning around on a turntable at a major international motor show. Like with the high fashion outfits catwalk models wear, they are not meant to be what people will end up going and buying. They’re meant just as an indication of what can be done.
Well the RCZ is a well-appointed supermodel that somehow made it out onto the high street.
There are a number of unusual-looking cars out there, fellow French manufacturers have produced a car park full over the years, but unusual can sometimes equate to quirky, or even a bit ugly.
That’s just not the case here. I parked on the side of the road in Dublin, sat outside the cafe opposite and watched what happened. People slowed down or even stopped to have a look.
This will happen if you park a Ferrari (I imagine) or a Citroen 2CV (I know) on the side of the road, but the looks you’ll get in each case are different. With a supercar you’ll see envy and a little bit of hatred for whoever the driver is, with a quirky car you’ll see a smile or even the hint of a laugh.
With the RCZ it was a look of admiration, a look that acknowledged that this was one attractive vehicle.
The attention to detail is impressive. While clearly looking like a Peugeot it looks nothing like any other Peugeot – this is the Peugeot that left the family in the suburbs to go on a bit of an adventure where, along the way, the RCZ spent time with the effortlessly cool crowd.
It’s beautiful without being pretty – yes she’s curvy and has a cleavage in her roof, but there’s nothing girly about her. She looks great, but you can tell that if need be she’d be quite the fighter
The RCZ is based loosely on the Peugeot 308 – it’s a similar sized hatchback, of sorts, but with its wheels set wider apart in the axles and covered with meatier wheel arches, giving it a smooth but slightly aggressive, and therefore sporty, profile.
Looks count for a lot, but the real test of a car is how she feels to drive, and the RCZ feels expensive and sporty.
The cabin looks quite small from outside, but inside there’s a large amount of glass around you making it feel bigger and roomier than it actually is. Yes, the rear seats are titchy, but it’s a coupé and that’s how it goes with coupés. Like the alcoholic uncle at a family get-together we are all aware, it’s just considered impolite to say anything negative, we just ignore the situation and move on.
Impressive
In particular the rear visibility is impressive – there are convertibles out there with more blind spots. One of the rear view mirrors even automatically tilts down to show you the curbside whenever you reverse, thereby saving the alloy wheels from the occasional accidental scrape.
When you look back inside the car you find plenty of leather (on the body-hugging electric sports seats, the dash and even on the pleasingly angular gearstick), aluminium door sills and a state-of-the-art multimedia system.
Some of the finishes around the back seat are a little bit plastic, but no-one you particularly care about is every likely to have to squeeze themselves into the back anyway.
The car comes with an active rear spoiler, cruise control, electric folding mirrors and front and rear parking aids. In Ireland the car comes as standard with a sports pack, which means you get a nice leather steering wheel to finish things off.
The wider wheel base and balanced look of the car have a practical application –the RCZ is beautiful agile and balanced when it comes to cornering. The steering in accurate and responsive, the car is poised and assured on the straight, and the absorbent chassis manages to smooth in all but the bumpiest of conditions.
Drive really quickly into really sharp bends and the car will feel like it’s struggling to find traction, but being as you’re a responsible driver who slows down for really sharp bends, that won’t be a problem.
Irish drivers have the choice of two engines. Under the large aluminium bonnet of the RCZ you can go for a 1.6 litre 200bhp petrol engine matched to a six-speed manual gearbox (category D road tax of €447) or a 2.0 litre HDi diesel 163bhp six speed manual (category B road tax of €156).
Both high-performance engines have plenty of torque and power, paired with low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Both variants meet the new strict Euro 5 emission standards.
All this doesn’t come cheap – the on the road price starts at €37,395. This means that it’s never going to be a massive seller, but it should still attract a fair-sized discerning audience. Especially fans of the Audi TT who will appreciate the stylistic similarities and the fact that it’s a fair whack cheaper than the German coupé.
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