Road Tests
Read the road tests that have appeared in Local Cars magazine
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Peugeot RCZ
It is a proven fact that thickness is all and that thin ones are much less satisfactory. I am told this ancient fact has made many people happy, though personally I couldn’t possibly comment. However, what I can say is that thickness certainly relaxes while thinness makes for tiredness.
Well, before you all rush off into wild conjecture let me explain that I am referring to steering wheels which ergonomic experts tell us the thicker ones make drivers more relaxed and comfortable which thin ones don’t. This is a detail which was obviously lost on car designers of yesteryear as most steering wheels in pre-1970 cars are dismally thin affairs and often made of Bakelite just like the original one on my 1967 Jag.
However, the one on the test car was spot on: big, chunky and covered in warm, fine leather which fitted my arthritic hands perfectly. Indeed, the whole ambience of the driver position was comfortable, inviting and very sporty.
Sitting low in the double stitched Nappa leather seats which moulded round me and faced by a clear binnacle with speed and revs plus ones for essential functions I felt the Peugeot RCZ had been designed as a World Rally Car, the impression enhanced by the drilled aluminium pedals, stumpy 6-speed gear stick and the handbrake falling easily to hand for maximum car control.
This is the second time I have been in the superb Peugeot RCZ the first being in a pre-launch model arranged by Phillip Hayton of the Hayton garage empire but I had to have a factory driver with me which rather dampened my enthusiasm to pile on the coals.
But no such problem with this RCZ as it was a real test and I was able to give it a spanking on the glorious roads of Eden and boy it blew my socks off!
Peugeot have always made well-handling cars but the great era of the thrilling 205 GTi, the seminal hot hatch, has been softened to meet the clamour for environmentally friendly cars which sadly have much of the excitement designed out.
No more! Some wise Pug boffin obviously decided there is still a market for truly sporty cars and set about designing and building one. I vote we give that person a knighthood because the RCZ is truly the best looking 2x2 mass-produced sports coupe on the market. So no wonder it has been voted the ‘Design of the Year’ and moreover it handles and performs like a well-honed athlete echoing the powerful Lion which is the Pug emblem; it’s very far from just being a pretty face.
The RCZ is wide with a deliciously aggressive, feline snout and a great backside looking like a Ferrari with two drainpipe exhausts and a sculpted profile with a double-bubble roof highlighted by distinctive aluminium arches sitting atop 18 inch alloys which makes it like no other coupe I have seen.
Feeling I would like a five-point harness, bone dome and a racing suit, I checked my mirrors, selected 1st gear and dropped the clutch. Wow! The road came towards me very quickly as the revs rose and I quickly grabbed 2nd then 3rd but grabbed no more as I was at the legal speed limit in 8 seconds. Had I been abroad I and used the remaining three gears I could have shot on to about 140mph!
And bear in mind this scintillating performance is thanks to a four cylinder oil burning 2.0-litre whose superb 163bhp and 240Nm of torque picks you up by the backside and relentlessly pushes you towards the horizon as if a raging buffalo was up your duff!
The sweet, close ratio ‘box swaps cogs rapidly and is a joy too with top being a cruising gear when the willing engine settles in to a quiet murmur with revs below 3,000rpm.
What rallyists call ‘sneeze and go off steering’ is one which requires a mere flick of the wrist to change direction just like the RCZ, and though it is well servoed it still has plenty of feel. I have no idea what Lewis Hamilton feels like in his F1 McLaren but it must be similar to the RCZ as the whole driving experience is like conducting a symphony of power by matching the power band between 2,000 and 4,000rpm with the gears. Joyful!
A 2x2, there is just about room for a pair of brats in the back or even normal sized teenagers as there is decent head room. However Pug screams bright young executive to me and I can imagine a young bratless couple tootling off for a weekend helped by a boot that is veritably cavernous and would take a set of clubs if St Andrews or Wentworth were their destinations.
The RCZ’s excellent handling is the result of what Peugeot call pseudo McPherson with drop-link anti-roll bar up front and a deformable cross member rear located by two arms and anti-roll bar which makes it firm for perfect cornering, yet with some give to provide a comfortable passenger experience.
The RCZ comes with a 1.6 turbo petrol engine of 156bhp, a quicker 200bhp turbo petrol or the 163bhp diesel on test. The boy racers would presumably go for 200bhp with a 0 – 62mph figure of 7.6 seconds which still has impressive fuel consumption of over 40mpg. However, for the huge punch of torque and its better fuel consumption of 53mpg my choice would be the diesel because the performance is only a second slower which for most drivers would be imperceptible.
The RCZ has the wow factor in spades and is a superb combination of looks, performance, handling, comfort, economy and room that an Audi TT could only dream about, so if any philanthropists out there fancy buying me one, I would be very grateful! After all the RCZ starts at only £20,450 OTR and the test car comes in at £24,550 – a snip.
By Tony Brunskill |
