Peugeot RCZ minor change

2013 Peugeot RCZ

2013 Peugeot RCZ interior

So, Peugeot's sports coupe, the RCZ, may have been more of looker but when it take par against an entry-level Audi TT or a Mini Cooper (not the S variant) on it, you should have seen the look on your face that when you saw that on Top Gear Korea two years ago, the RCZ is much quicker than the entry-level TT and the Mini.

One thing I didn't like about this car was its double bubble roof and thanks for being in such size, I can't even fit myself at the rear seats. I would bump my head from fitting myself in it. Being a 2+2 sports coupe, it would be better to have two people fit inside because the rear seats have little legroom on it, unless you are sitting on it instead at the front passenger seat.

Anyway, for this minor change, the new RCZ is getting more of an emotional feast rather than being just a nuisance to the city streets. Thing is though, that horrible face of the RCZ when it first came in 2010 is now changed and whoa! Check this baby out! That fresh new face of the RCZ is looking a bit even more sexier than a high-school girl in a body of a 25-year-old supermodel. Welcome to the choose-your-poison swimming club cafe! He he he...

While the new exterior look of the RCZ's minor change has the appeal of a high-school girl in a body of a 25-year-old supermodel, the interior is pretty much the same and because it still has this rubbish double-bubble roof, I still have the hassle of fitting myself at the rear seats. Well, I could just forget about the rear seats anyway because the number of people you can fit on this 2+2 seater RCZ was only two. What's the use with those rear seats? Well, you can make patong-patong with your date's shopping bags or her purse or your personal stuff, whatever. He he he... Maybe unless if I can seat on those rear seats while the front passenger seat has been folded for a while but it would bump my head trying to fit myself in...Oh boy....

Engine choices? Let's have a look...

• 1.6-litre THP 200; 147kW (200bhp) Euro 5, 275Nm, 6-speed manual - CO2: 155g/km and 42.1mpg (6.7 l/100 km)
• 2.0-litre HDi 163 FAP; 120kW (163bhp) Euro 5, 340Nm, 6-speed manual - CO2: 139g/km and 53.2mpg (5.3 l/100 km)
• 1.6-litre THP 156 manual; 115kW (156bhp) Euro 5, 240Nm, 6-speed manual - CO2: 149g/km and 44.1mpg (6.4 l/100 km)
• 1.6-litre THP 156 automatic; 115kW (156bhp) Euro 5, 240Nm, 6-speed automatic - CO2: 168g/km and 38.6mpg (7.3 l/00 km)

Color Choices?

• Blanc Opale
• Noir Perla Nera
• Gris Haria
• Bleu Tuanake
• Gris Sidobre
• Brun Guaranja
• Rouge Erythree
• Blanc Nacre

Prices?

• 1,6L THP 155ch BVM6 - 29,900 Euros
• 1,6L THP 155ch BVA6 - 31,100 Euros
• 1,6L THP 200ch BVM6 - 32,500 Euros
• 2,0L HDi FAP 160ch BVM6 - 32,500 Euros

2013 Peugeot RCZ

Well, that really clears it up but it seems that Peugeot reworked the RCZ's suspension a little bit further. The ride height's been lowered, the center of gravity's been lowered, widened track and when I get over it, the reworked suspension's brewed like mild coffee. It's getting milder and milder, making it easy enough to get through even if you're not concentrating. I have to say that for a school girl with the body of a supermodel, that new RCZ's really know how to memorize The Frog poem without spilling a cup of mild coffee that I bought from Starbucks'. Well, isn't that wizard! Sadly, I'm afraid that is not sophisticated wizardry applied, that's old-fashioned Peugeot goodness. Despite the gearbox being too rubbish, the handling wasn't quite bad and it's not that desperately impractical. 

If that wasn't put you off, it seems that Peugeot is planning an even more powerful version of the RCZ, which will be introduced to the range at the end of 2013.

Photo: PSA Peugeot Citroen

Welcome Back: 2010 Peugeot RCZ

The RCZ's rear design

Peugeot RCZ in Top Gear? It's a YES
if you live in Korea

Seriously though, did the Peugeot RCZ has a place in Top Gear history. If you asked that question to The Stig's Korean cousin, well yes, the Peugeot RCZ does have a place in Top Gear history.

In an episode of Top Gear Korea, presenter Kim Gam Soo introduces to the Peugeot RCZ. Then, this car had a drag race against the Audi TT Roadster and the MINI Cooper S and the Peugeot RCZ won that race. The only problem Kim Gam Soo faces on the RCZ is the rear headroom because of the RCZ's double bubble roof.

In the hands of The Stig, it set a lap time of 1:40.86 round the Top Gear Korea test track, making it faster than the P_rsh_ P_n_m_r_ Diesel and the Range Rover Sport but just a few seconds slower than the Cadillac CTS-V. What a remarkable coupe made from PSA Peugeot Citroen.

The Peugeot RCZ has returned on Forza Motorsport 4 and that is why it's your turn to set the RCZ's personal best round the Top Gear Test Track. Hope that Top Gear executive producer, Andy Wilman, got that memo...

Peugeot RCZ - Forza 3 Owner's View

Misaki Ayuzawa-spec RCZ

Charlotte Dunois-spec RCZ

Final Impressions: "It chooses you, it owns you", that's how the feeling of the Peugeot RCZ feels like. It was first debuted at Forza 3 via the Summer Velocity car pack released since June 2010. What impresses me is its strikingly aggressive look that others think that this French sports car has a wickedly scary face to hide away from but in terms of performance, I think the RCZ need a little bit of TLC to push it to its full potential. Even when tuned to Class A, I think its still can't seem to be right. Convert it to FR and the RCZ would be rather disappointing at the start and cornering doesn't seem to be more dynamic. Set it to 4WD at the RCZ feels a bit more stable, at least what a few can say.

Whatever the heck is, I think the Peugeot RCZ can be a good car to decorate at. You can even mimic the RCZ Nurburgring 24HR race car or start something new you know, color it with everything or make an itasha out of it. I guess I can't find some real life RCZ itashas in Japan...

Peugeot RCZ

Most Peugeots used the numerical system for their car names having the zero or double zeros in the middle on it, for instance; the 207, 308, 3008, and the 5008. This time, the tradition of having this numeric naming system has been broken, because the name "RCZ" is finally unleashed from Peugeot. Started as the 308 RCZ concept car, as seen in the 2007 IAA on Frankfurt, Germany, Peugeot decided to create the brand's most sophisticated sports car to rival against the Audi TT. In the other hand, the RCZ is not very competitive against the Audi TT, because of its speed and handling, but when it comes to pricing, the RCZ is surely a winner.





The RCZ's exterior boasts its stunning boldness, undeniable sexiness, and its glamorous detail, from front and back. As from the exterior, the interior of the RCZ is quite an appealing trick to take lust for granted. With the paneling so manly, drivers can almost feel for the seducing feel of this French bombshell. Besides, the seating capacity is for four passengers. What I do not like about the RCZ is its rear seats because passengers find it difficult to get in or out from these rear seats, due to less legroom than the front seats. What makes up to these rear seats are the only room for the women's purses, your laptop, and everything you are carrying with it during those long highway drives.





The RCZ has two different engines to choose from (as of press time), a 1.6 THP turbocharged engine capable of releasing 156PS of power and the 2.0-litre HDi diesel engine which has lesser emissions than the first engine I mentioned here. Aside from the engine choices, the RCZ is equipped with power steering for precision, powerful braking system, adjustable spoiler that pops up when it reaches it top speed or braking, pop-up bonnet for less pedestrian impacts, and four airbags equipped in the front side.

My thoughts about the RCZ:
Although I am going to say that, the RCZ is a decent competitor against other FWD machines such as the Honda Civic Type R, the Kia Forte Koup, or even the Citroen DS3. With its decent features, bold design, and a new name to the new Peugeot (consider the new logo by the way), I can rest assured that the RCZ makes an decent machine, which others think this is a vehicle waiting to be a rant, and others think they will rave it. Is it a rant or rave? You decide when you are behind the wheel of the new Peugeot RCZ.

Photo: Peugeot