We recently got our hands on Peugeot’s 2+2 coupe; the RCZ, and while manual transmissions do bring out the naughty side of us, this one brought out the devil within.
Initially introduced in 2007 at the Frankfurt Motorshow as the 308 RCZ Concept Car, it now calls the manufacturing plant of Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Co KG in Oberwaltersdorf, Austria; home.
Just take a step back and take a quick glance at the RCZ’s side profile for instance and voila! An image of the TT pops into mind. Non?
It’s when we take a step closer and have a walk around the RCZ that the front speaks of the French marque’s top selling 308 hatch. At the rear, the “double bubble” glass roof highlighted by the aluminium pillars depicts a rather slender feminine back, accentuating the car’s curvaceous hips and firm looking derriere. On the whole, it makes it distinctly feminine, slender and rather sensual altogether. Unfortunately, those pillars get a little downplayed due to the Pearlescent White paint job as compared to the Haria Grey.
Inside, everything seems to shout 308 styling; save the seats, steering-wheel and aluminium pedals. However, the stitched Nappa leather clad interior does help to welcome you with class, depicting the effort and detailed attention Peugeot has thankfully provided.
Much like any 2+2 coupes, the rear seats are ultimately impossible for any normal adult to fit behind. So why have it? At least the usable 309L boot space is the main cause for the lack there of, which offers great usability.
The inclusion of a rather stylish looking analogue clock right between two centre blowers is thankfully more visible than the digital one that often has your eyes searching and squinting to locate it.
The brake and accelerator pedal felt a little far apart, but perhaps it’d suit people with larger feet, in order to make heel and toe a little easier for us Asians. On top of that, room to rest your left foot is very limited.
Turn the ignition and the engine comes to life with a raspier than usual engine note. None of that 308 turbo whistle comes about as you lazily explore its engine’s revs.
The Prince engine still retains its 1.6L displacement, but with the aid of what Peugeot calls Turbo High Pressure (THP) and Variable Valve Timing with Lift (VTi), the RCZ now gets a respectable and potent 200bhp at 5,500rpm and 275Nm of torque at 1,700Nm. The RCZ is capable of going from zerotohundred in about 7.5s and is capable of puttering about, sipping on 6.9L/100km and emitting 159g/km of CO2.
It has to be noted that the RCZ does come with a 6-speed auto, but performance figures get thumbed-down a little to 156bhp and 240Nm of torque. Hence our delight with having the manual.
Puttering around town in heavy traffic may not be the ideal situation for this car, due to the need for releasing the clutch higher than usual as well as the clutch being positioned higher than the brake pedal, which is also higher than the accelerator pedal; a sort of do-ray-me placement. But thankfully, the clutch is relatively light and very usable, especially for the fairer sex.
Gear throws are somewhat short, not as short as say a Honda S2000’s, but a tad unrefined and enough to negate some of that elegant and classy feel that the interior tries to exude. You could even say it gives the impression of being rough around the edges, enough for you to be confident enough to abuse the damn thing without the fear of breaking it. Gear engagements are rather noisy, but it lets you know when you’re in gear.
At times, we did find ourselves exerting a little more effort just to get it in there, almost forcing it. Putting it into reverse may need a little getting used to, because you’ll need to lift a wrapped-around lever located just south of the gear knob’s shaft, then push the gear knob fully to the right and then upwards. There’s reverse for you.
Going through rough Malaysian roads slowly will help to pronounce the RCZ’s stiffer suspension, but then again this coupe isn’t meant to crawl through traffic, and is best appreciated at speed. The car seems to feel a little jittery when there’s a rough patch of road when at speed, but the electronic stability programmes does its job in keeping it in line. And once you’ve reached your destination, you can’t help but feel a smile come about. It seems that much satisfying to drive as you slip through tight corners relatively flat, as if mechanical grip were never-ending, on a set of sporty matt black 19” Solstice rims; wrapped by 235/40 ContiSportContact 3 tyres.
Going though corners with the RCZ may be a blast, but what makes things a little more reassuring when in the dark aren’t just the Xenon headlights, but rather its ability to shine where you turn and Peugeot calls this Dynamic Directional Lighting (DDL).
However, should the unfortunate happen in the form of a frontal impact, sensors signal the pyrotechnic system to activate, causing the bonnet’s hinges to be raised by 55m in a mere 0.1s.
As with most Pugs, brakes are firm, but the RCZ with the manual transmission gets larger 340mm x 30mm ventilated discs up front, rather than 302mm x 26mm found on the automatic variant. Making its ability to slow down rapidly and consistently from its 237kmh top speed, that much better. Though the RCZ possesses a drag coefficient of 0.33, which may seem rather quiet on paper, but at that kind of speed, it seems that those large exterior wing mirrors are providing quite a lot of wind noise as it tries to cut through the air. But at your usual 110km highway speeds, the cabin remains relatively well sound proofed, allowing you to enjoy your personal tunes stored in your USB/iPhone/iPod via the Pug’s 240W 6-Speaker JBL Hi-Fi system.
The dynamic rear wing will automatically activate by giving you a 19 degree angle once you’ve reached 85kmh. Full deployment at 34 degrees will be achieved when in access of 155kmh. However, it can be manually activated from within the cabin but sadly; you’ll need to remember to deactivate it once you’ve parked.
At the end of the day, the car seems to be relatively easy to bond with, masking all that stuff borrowed from the 308, allowing you to focus on enjoying the fast approaching corners.
Sure, it’s got a feminine je ne sais quoi about it, an engine that wants to be pushed, a stiffer yet arguably compliant suspension and a heck of an experience to drive at speed. But the question still remains, would you put down twice the money of a 308 Turbo for the RCZ?
http://youtu.be/OS9UILoE3so
http://youtu.be/lg3eBAC_JbE
COMMENTS FROM PREVIOUS PLATFORM:
 04-02-2012, 09:09 PM |
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‘(00) Lurker
Join Date: Jun 2006
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 Re: REVIEW: Peugeot RCZ – 1.6L 200bhp / 275Nm – Ooh La La“At times, we did find ourselves exerting a little more effort just to get it in there, almost forcing it. Putting it into reverse may need a little getting used to, because you’ll need to lift a wrapped-around lever located just south of the gear knob’s shaft, then push the gear knob fully to the right and then upwards. There’s reverse for you.”
Isn’t it fully to the left and upwards, as seen in the pictures of the gear knob. Correct me if I’m wrong. 🙂 Nice little write-up by the way. Last edited by bushidofang; 04-02-2012 at 09:12 PM. |
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| The Following User Likes Izso For This Useful Post: Remove Your Likes |
Jay (04-03-2012)
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| 04-04-2012, 05:56 PM |
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100bhp Junior
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Re: REVIEW: Peugeot RCZ – 1.6L 200bhp / 275Nm – Ooh La La Looks like a decent car to aim for! Nice writeup
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| 04-04-2012, 06:48 PM |
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Senior Member
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Re: REVIEW: Peugeot RCZ – 1.6L 200bhp / 275Nm – Ooh La La this ride is a looker.. with that double hump rear windscreen..
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| 04-04-2012, 08:13 PM |
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Re: REVIEW: Peugeot RCZ – 1.6L 200bhp / 275Nm – Ooh La La for starters. the design? seriously nice. but when it comes to the engine and interior wise. i tink i rather choose audi tt. DSG, Engine. Both can be flashed to gain maximum potential. price wise. about same like recond audi tt, scirocco and lotus exige . i’ll go with either these 3 rather than RCZ. huhu just my two cents.
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| 04-04-2012, 08:39 PM |
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600bhp Member
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Re: REVIEW: Peugeot RCZ – 1.6L 200bhp / 275Nm – Ooh La La Very nice looking car, just a bit too pricey for a 1.6ltr car.
I’d also personally rather go with a recond Audi TT but again this is always the classic case of whether you prefer new car but lower segment, or used but higher segment. Btw how much was the Honda S2000 when it was new back in early 2000? |
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| 04-07-2012, 01:37 PM |
#14 |
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Re: REVIEW: Peugeot RCZ – 1.6L 200bhp / 275Nm – Ooh La La should be 200k something la last time. now the price stuck at 120-130k. huhu still i love s2000.
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