Friday 28th September 2012

Paris 2012: Peugeot RCZ R and 208 GTi

The other French hot hatch comeback and its coupe partner in crime...

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Until his win in New York, Andy Murray was the Peugeot RCZ of tennis. Great player, but always up against even better ones like Nadal, Djoko and of course The Fedster.

In the world of sporting coupés, the equivalent of Federer is the Audi TT, a true icon and one of the most enduring cars in any sector. Few rivals have had the guts to challenge it, and none (RCZ included) have bested it - a shame really, because the RCZ is by no means a bad car.

RCZ now has the power to make good on the looks

By persevering, however, Murray eventually prevailed. Peugeot is clearly taking a similar view with the RCZ, judging by its Paris ‘concept’ RCZ R, which is pretty sure to graduate to reality sometime next year.

Will it have the game to dethrone the TT? Well, it will certainly have decent power, with 260bhp (60bhp more than today’s fastest RCZ) from Peugeot’s feisty little 1.6-litre THP turbo. There’ll be a new Torsen differential and revised suspension to put the power down, plus styling tweaks to show TT owners what they’re up against, including a new grille and headlamps (with DRLs), new body colours, and new wheel designs.

The Peugeot 208 GTI you can buy...

We’re unlikely to see the RCZ R until latter part of 2013. In the meantime, we’ve got the 208 GTI to look forward to. Here's another Peugeot that’s up against it, but this time from its own illustrious forebear, the 205 GTI.

The key spec points of the 208 GTI - 1,160kg, 200hp, 203lb ft, 0-62mph in under seven seconds, £18,995 – make for a decent-sounding package. That price will certainly make it look attractive against the Mk 7 Golf GTI that’ll also be out next year. You may say that the VW is in a class of its own, and it is quite literally in the class above the 208, but size is less important than sporting appeal in the hot hatch milieu, and even the mighty can fall – as Andy Murray’s opponents have found.

...as opposed to the one you dreamed of

There’s another thing in the 208’s favour: the two Peugeot GTIs between it and the 205 were, frankly, toilet, so expectations are conveniently low. With Renaultsport also looking on slightly shaky ground with its next-gen Clio 4, could 2013 be Peugeot’s ‘Murray year’?

[tommy vercetti]

I quite like the looks of the RCZ R, great looking car imo

[750turbo]

Come on Peugeot, please get it right.

[HighwayStar]

750turbo said:

Come on Peugeot, please get it right.

Ditto that

[KM666]

HighwayStar said:

750turbo said:

Come on Peugeot, please get it right.

Ditto that

I really hope they turn out to be decent! Will make great 2nd hand buys the pair if they are.

[pilchardthecat]

Either their designers have lost the plot completely or EU pedestrian crash regulations just got tougher. Either way they all look awful from the front.

[Ollieb7]

The rally one looks so right and just emphasises how much the road one looks like dog sh#te. Have they made the former in order to insult the fans of the 205 by giving us the latter? Cos if they have its worked!

[anonymous-user]

For a proper sized car, with all the modern safety and convenience features, 1160kg is actually commendably light!

[heretheygo]

pilchardthecat said:

Either their designers have lost the plot completely or EU pedestrian crash regulations just got tougher. Either way they all look awful from the front.

the designers at pug and citroen are studying other european car designs at the moment - they are trying to get the ncap/equivalent results up without losing control of the aesthetics.
might be too late.

[GTRene]

if that RCZ-R had a longitudinal engine in the back and RWD it would be something I could like.

[Craigyp79]

Seems like the death throes of a dying company, factories closing down left, right and centre, government investigation into their finances and they're busy spunking it all on cars that people will never buy.

[Regiment]

I'd have thought 260hp wouldn't be enough to call a car like tat an 'R', especially when they're are more powerful and cheaper cars in the bracket below it I.e. the Astra vxr, the Megane 265, the focus st, etc.

[HighwayStar]

Regiment said:

I'd have thought 260hp wouldn't be enough to call a car like tat an 'R', especially when they're are more powerful and cheaper cars in the bracket below it I.e. the Astra vxr, the Megane 265, the focus st, etc.

Completely different cars. I drive a TTS and would not count those as cars I would be looking at. There are plenty of RCZ's out there, they have done quite nicely for Peugeot. Buying car is not always a sensible decision. The Astra VXR & Megan 265 maybe more powerful, Focus isn't, and cheaper but people will buy the RCZ R. A Mondeo is a great car but others will buy a Passat or a 3 series.

[glazbagun]

Hope it's good. It actually reminds me of the old Clio!

[80quattro]

I've driven an RCZ 156 and was pleasantly surprised with its performance, especially from such a wee engine. This new power upgrade will make it a very nice drivers car. Hopefully they won't ramp up the price too much.

[Frimley111R]

260bhp from a 1.6! That's pushing it a bit. Nice looking car but BIG!

I think any 'new 205 GTI' from Peugeot is going to fail. They're trying to bring out a new legend.

[hotmelt]

Video from Topgear introshow. 205 Gti magnificent off course, but 208 quite snappy for a modern car. maybe that 208 Gti is worth the wait.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8wB_gaxjo4&fea...

[thiscocks]

Going back to original Peugeot Sport colours for the rally car- Nice!

[zcacogp]

hotmelt said:

Video from Topgear introshow. 205 Gti magnificent off course, but 208 quite snappy for a modern car. maybe that 208 Gti is worth the wait.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8wB_gaxjo4&fea...

Crumbs - is that really where motoring is going? Four cars doing handbrake turns in a semi-lit arena while assembled masses watch on and cheer? It looks like a McDonalds car park on a Saturday night and has to be surely one of the most miserable bits of motoring 'journalism' I have ever seen.

Tragic. And desperately, desperately sad.


Oli.

[thiscocks]

zcacogp said:

Crumbs - is that really where motoring is going? Four cars doing handbrake turns in a semi-lit arena while assembled masses watch on and cheer? It looks like a McDonalds car park on a Saturday night and has to be surely one of the most miserable bits of motoring 'journalism' I have ever seen.

Tragic. And desperately, desperately sad.


Oli.

+1. Even worse than their car 'tests' on the show

[hotmelt]

I despise handbraking too, but at least in this modern sanitised times it can hint at cars balance and tail out possibility.