Peugeot RCZ coupe 2010 review

WANDERING past the Peugeot stand at the Frankfurt motor show three years ago I was hit with an overwhelming sense of deja vu.  The centrepiece was a coupe concept exceedingly reminiscent of the Audi TT, which first appeared more than a decade before.

Closer inspection revealed they were indeed very similar.  The Peugeot had nearly identical dimensions, rounded lines and a central cabin defined by a geometric curve. It could have been a direct steal.

Of course, Audi doesn't own the coupe idea and for Peugeot executives the two designs stand apart. Any similarities with an Audi vehicle, living or dead, are purely coincidental.

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The Peugeot RCZ, as it's called, has arrived in Australia and on the drive program in Queensland last week it was impossible not to tick off a list of comparisons with the TT. Turbo engine? Check. Front-wheel drive? Check. Two-plus-two seats? Check. Natty design details? And so on.

But it was also impossible not to welcome the arrival of a stylish new coupe when the market isn't exactly awash with them; at least, not at sub-six-figure prices. Apart from the Audi, what else is there? Very little, and there's room for at least one more.  Peugeot believes the RCZ will inject a bit of excitement into its line-up and there are few brands that need it more.

In an Australian vehicle market running 15 per cent ahead of last year, Peugeot sales are 4 per cent down. It has had little new to offer for some time and it's starting to show in the numbers.

To combat this, Peugeot is working on a new design direction and a recent concept called the SR1 reveals its thinking. The over-sized grille and headlights, which have been a brand feature since the 407 six years ago, will eventually be replaced with something more subtle, starting with the 508 next year.

In the meantime, the RCZ will be one of the last models to employ the current design language. Even those who struggle with the big-mouth look will find more to like here. Clever use of structural features, such as the double-bubble roof or conspicuous aluminium roof arches, targets the same visually aware professionals who devoured the Audi. In the RCZ, it's a lot less Bauhaus and a bit more baroque. But it's appealing nonetheless.

PRICING AND DRIVETRAIN

Those comparing the two will find the RCZ has some advantages. Chief among them is price, with all three RCZ variants starting at the same spot: $54,990, or nearly $9000 less than the most affordable Audi TT, the turbocharged 1.8-litre.

In the Peugeot you can have a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel or 1.6-litre turbo petrol in two specifications, depending on transmission. An automatic is available only on the low-output petrol. Unlike the TT, no all-wheel drive is available at any price. All RCZs are front-wheel drive.

DRIVING

I stuck with the 147kW petrol, which is expected to attract 70 per cent of buyers, at least initially.  It delivers 29kW more power than the 1.8 TT and 25Nm more torque. Despite this, it's marginally slower than the Audi, at 7.5 seconds to 100km/h.

Extra weight may be one reason because the top-spec RCZ engine is a hi-tech unit with direct injection, twin-scroll turbocharger and variable valves. And it's a beauty, with plenty of low-rev suppleness, sturdy power delivery and a lovely soundtrack.

If you don't need an automatic, the manual can be pleasing to use while the steering and brakes are vice-free.  That suggests driver appeal, and up to a point it's there.

DESIGN

The RCZ is based, like the new 3008 (see below) on basic hatchback underpinnings borrowed from the 308. Here it has been lowered, widened and stiffened to good effect.

However, an enthusiastic driver will fairly quickly find its dynamic limits and exhaust its potential to engage. Front-wheel drive and a torsion bar rear suspension are never going to deliver the last word in handling enjoyment. Those sorts of buyers will be looking at rear-wheel drive options such as the BMW 1 Series, Nissan 370Z or Mazda MX-5.

All those, of course, are compromised in other ways. Both the Nissan and Mazda have only two seats, and the MX-5 comes only as a convertible.  You will need to spend much more on the BMW to get equivalent power. In the RCZ, you get a blend of attributes that will please more mainstream buyers.

Driveability is just one strand of that, along with practicality and design appeal.  On practicality, having rear seats - even when they are too tight for adults - will rule the RCZ into contention when two-seaters are strictly off-limits. Against the Audi, the RCZ has a larger boot.  The exterior emphasis on design is carried into the cabin to good effect, making it a pleasing place to be.

The materials are well chosen, with Peugeot's usual hard plastics relegated to below-eye-level, and the natty details referred to above make a persuasive case, taken together.  These include appealing dials that show evidence of the attentions of a typographer, with their style attractively echoed in a central clock.

In effect, the RCZ strives to repeat the Audi TT formula in a more affordable format. Imitation may be flattery by another name, but the RCZ is worth a look in its own right.