Car Moon

Overall, we'd say that the RCZ is not only the best looking Pug in recent years, but it also boasts one of the most attention-grabbing designs in the mainstream coupe segment since the presentation of the first-generation Audi TT.

And if that's not enough, Peugeot also offers customers the chance to further personalize the RCZ's appearance with a range of special options including a real carbon rooftop, roof arches in different colors (black chrome, satin finish), numerous 18- and 19-inch alloy wheels in several finishes (matt black, polished black, dark grey, diamante), black lacquered body parts at the front, carbon door mirror covers, bodywork detailing and more.

Inside, the RCZ can seat two adults up front while there's also what Peugeot describes as, two occasional seats at the rear, "fully sculpted and perfectly usable" that can be folded down to increase the standard boot capacity of 384 litres. Although the dashboard comes directly from the 308 hatch, Peugeot's designers spiced up the interior with the use of higher quality materials and unique trim options.

As you'd expect, there's a lot of 308 architecture under the skin of the RCZ which uses a revised version of the McPherson type front suspension and rear torsion beam. Compared to the so-called "Platform Two" vehicle, Peugeot says that the ride height of the RCZ has been lowered by 20mm and the centre of gravity by 40mm while the front track has been widened by 54mm and the rear track by 72mm.

The RCZ also gets a hydraulic power steering while braking power is provided by beefy discs all-around. All models will come with a Hill Assist system coupled as standard with ESP which can be turned off to fully exploit the car's capabilities.

At launch, the RCZ that will be built by Magna Steyr in Austria in a production centre that specialises in exclusive vehicles, will be offered with three powerplants all of which meet the Euro 5 standards. The most powerful engine is the 1.6-liter THP petrol unit boasting a twin-scroll turbocharger that pumps out 200 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 188 lb ft at 1,700rpm (or 203 lb ft with overboost) and is linked to a six-speed manual gearbox.

With this engine the RCZ accelerates from 50 to 75mph (80 km/h - 120 km/h) in 6.5 seconds in fifth gear and 0 to 62mph (100km/h) in 7.6 seconds. Fuel consumption in the combined cycle is 39.8mpg with UK or the equivalent 33.1 mpg US and 7.1 lt /100km with CO2 emission of less than 165g/km.

The second petrol option for the RCZ is the 1.6-liter turbocharged direct-injection engine coupled to a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox. The unit produces an output of 156-horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 177 lb ft of torque at 1,400 rpm with the French automaker announcing a combined fuel economy of 40.9 mpg UK (6.9 lt /100 km or 34.1 mpg US) for the manual gearbox model.

Last but not least is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel engine matted to a six-speed manual gearbox. It delivers 163-horsepower at 3,750 rpm and a maximum torque of 251 lb ft at 2,000 rpm returning a combined fuel consumption of 52.3 mpg UK (5.4 lt /100km or 43.6 mpg US) with CO2 emissions of 139 g/km.