Peugeot RCZ Review: The double-bubble Peugeot can bank on!

In the Pug of War with the Audi TT, the stunning Peugeot RCZ pulls sporty minds towards design aesthetics.

What does it take to make the drivers of the Audi TT to turn their heads? That was perhaps the very brief that Autodesk designers received at the Peugeot headquarters. It seems what they came up with has urged not only Ingolstadt but the entire world to sit up and take a second look! With the unique, even a bit weird double-bubble design, the RCZ from Peugeot reiterates the superiority of style over everything else in French Automobile Grammar.

RCZ: The power to pull the Peugeot brand-wagon

When offered the test drive, my preference to experience the manual drive first, as against the more popular automatic transmission, was just as obvious as the additional 44 bhp power available in the 200 bhp manual version.  The latter’s torque as high as 275 Nm makes the manual drive as powerful as you want a mid-range sports car to be. Despite fielding a 1.6 L engine – thanks to Peugeot’s environment-friendly agenda – you don’t have to wait for the torque to kick in. This makes the manual transmission smooth and pleasurable, and the purposeful gearshift adds to the sporty feeling of the drive.

RCZ runs up to 100 kmph swiftly enough (7.1 sec) but takes much longer to cruise past the 200 mark. But then, it’s an uncannily similar comparison here with the Audi TT 2.0 TFSI, that leaves 100 behind in less than 7 sec but crosses the 200 mark at (yawn!) 29.5 sec, in fact half a second behind the RCZ!

Active driving dynamics and N-Cap safety rating

Peugeot RCZ features a dashing spoiler across its boot that comes awake with a crunch that sounds more like a sharp and sudden revving of the turbo-booster – a signal to other drivers regarding the powerhouse that is passing by. Christened the Active Rear Spoiler, it is deployed automatically according to the vehicle speed or by the touch of a button in the central console, and is designed to optimize the flow of air and improve the down-force.

Besides the high visibility quotient of the rear windscreen, Parking Sensors with a blip make it a friendly cockpit to drive in. On the flipside are the cruise control and speed limiter stalks that are well concealed behind the steering spokes – looks great by being invisible is it at the cost of practicality?

Peugeot RCZ Automatic Transmission

Well, if you would rather barter a vial of adrenaline for the ease of everyday urban commute, the automatic transmission still doesn’t deprive you of the RCZ essence. There is a lot of style and character to the car that help keep the balance, as the absence of one-fourth of its pulling power tends to tip the scales in the wrong direction.

Above everything else, what marks the RCZ is its refreshing ability to inspire awe…

Read the whole story at http://drivemeonline.com/2011/09/13/peugeot-rcz-review-the-double-bubble-peugeot-can-bank-on/2