Peugeot RCZ GT THP 1.6 156 Review & Road Test (2010)

Peugeot RCZ Review & Road Test. Claire gets to play

The Peugeot RCZ is a big deal for Peugeot, so we’ve been looking forward to getting our hands on the RCZ for a review and road test more than most cars this year.

Peugeot has already shown recently – with cars like the 3008 and 5008 – that they are once again making cars that – if not exactly the drive of your life – are very much a cut above for the driver. And now, with the RCZ, they’ve made a bold statement. They’ve dropped their historic nomenclature by having a Peugeot model without a zero in the name and they’ve made it clear they think they can take on Audi’s TT.

So who was going to get the bulk of the time with the RCZ this week? There was lots of competition, but it was clear that Claire was pretty close to the target demographic, and she looked a lot better in the RCZ than the rest of us. And she did beg. Relentlessly.

W

hen Arnold Schwarzenegger ran for Governor of California, or when the Wright brothers invented their ‘flying machine’, both looked set to be a complete failure. But on reflection we think the Governator has done a pretty decent job, and that flying machine of the Wright brothers looks promising.

But turning an Austrian bodybuilder in to the Governor of California or making a machine that defies gravity looks a doddle compared to Peugeot’s ambition to put in to production the glorious 308 RCZ Concept – complete with Zagato-esque glass – as the Peugeot RCZ and take the fight to the Audi TT.

The smart money was on Peugeot delivering a toned-down version of the 308 RCZ Concept that looked like a squashed, two-door 308, but to everyone’s amazement it turned up almost unchanged. And it’s much cheaper than the Audi TT. But is that enough? Can Peugeot – makers of middle of the road family cars – really produce a credible alternative to the TT?

We spent the week with the new Peugeot RCZ GT THP 156hp 6 speed manual which shares its engine with the MINI, its platform with the 308 hatch and the 3008 crossover, some of the interior bits from the 3008 and exterior styling from the Audi TT school of car design. Oh, and a nod to Zagato for the double-bubble glass roof.

The RCZ starts out at £20,450 for the Sport THP 156 and rises to £25,050 for the top of the tree RCZ GT THP 200. Our car for this week’s review and road test is the RCZ GT THP 156 which costs £22,750 – middle of the range time.

Which is very promising. The Audi TT starts out at a rather large £26,475 – £6,000 more than the RCZ – and goes on up to a less than bargain basement £36,210 (and 44k if you throw in the TT RS). But does that matter? Can the TT and the RCZ really be compared?

click next below to continue reading

1 | 2 | 3 next

By Cars UK