Thursday 19th May 2016

Peugeot RCZ R: Spotted

Peugeot's return to dynamic form makes even more sense at £18,000

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The term 'future classic' is one hurled around carelessly at the moment when discussing used cars. Unsurprisingly, it seems that everyone with something rare and four-wheeled thinks they've got a valuable car because of the current market. But here's a Peugeot that could well tick all the boxes on the elusive 'future classic' assessment sheet. That's on top of definitely making a brilliant sports coupe right now. Here's why...

It's rare, for a start. Being introduced at the end of 2013 with a price in excess of £30,000 won't have helped matters, but with Peugeot killing the RCZ range a little over a year later the R would never make big numbers. When was the last time you saw one? Howmanyleft has just 302 registered in the UK.

It's good looking too, adding some welcome aggression to the pretty RCZ shape. Sure, the interior wasn't and isn't all that amazing, but the vitals in terms of seats and contact points are pretty good. Just make sure you fit...

But perhaps the biggest possible contributing factor to the R's future success is that it was (and remains) excellent to drive. More than that, it marked the return of Peugeot to the radar of enthusiasts, where it hadn't registered for more than a decade. If Peugeot Sport can continue producing cars as good as the 270hp RCZ and the latest 208 GTI, then the R will appear even more significant as the beginning of the renaissance.

Sure, it's flawed, but the RCZ R is as entertaining as the very best hot hatches and coupes for the money. There's some serious hardware underneath it including Alcon brakes and a Torsen limited-slip diff, but a real sense of fun and mischief about it too. Read here about just how entertaining that differential in car with a strong tendency to oversteer can be...

So that's rare, stylish, talented and significant ticked off the list. It could also be argued the RCZ R is underappreciated at present, as it lingers in obscurity and faces the endlessly amusing (to those who make them) 'Aldi TT' jokes. But which is more likely to look desirable in 10 years time? The premium but rather joyless Audi, or the less polished but far more engaging Peugeot? Even 309s are being snapped up at big money, so there's hope for everything.

Finally, it's worth pointing out the RCZ R makes a damn good case for itself right now. This 2014 car has done less than 20,000 miles yet, going off the list price, is more than £12,000 cheaper than when new. The ad is lacking in detail but the car is most definitely worth consideration. Ahead of a TT or Scirocco? Definitely. Against a GT86? Tougher call. But if you are willing to be a little different, there's a lot to recommend this Peugeot. And if one day it is collectable, you'll know where the claim was first made!

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PEUGEOT RCZ R
Engine: 1,598cc, 4-cly turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 270@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 243@1,900-5,500rpm
MPG: 44.8 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 145g/km
First registered: 2014
Recorded mileage: 19,000
Price new: £31,995
Yours for: £18,000

See the original advert here

[Pominoz]

Hmm. Funny one this. 18k for a used Peugeot, notwithstanding the power and rariety on offer, I think I'd be more interested as the next owner around the 10k mark whenever that'll be

[sc0tt]

EIGHTEEN GRAND.

No.

[405dogvan]

I call them Aldi TT's because I thought it was funny the first time - but I also reckon they're good looking cars (all of em, not just the Rs) and I prefer them to the current/previous Actual TTs because it's boring-as-hell (the current one really is hyper-dull, some A4s are prettier)

Eighteen Grand tho? No... Eight? Maybe... I think the styling will only get better.

That said, I saw an Audi A2 this week for the first time in a while and thought "hey, that's a good looking shape" and I hated them when they first appeared (17 years ago for those feeling young today)

Edited by 405dogvan on Thursday 19th May 15:40

[Dave Hedgehog]

Pominoz said:

Hmm. Funny one this. 18k for a used Peugeot, notwithstanding the power and rariety on offer, I think I'd be more interested as the next owner around the 10k mark whenever that'll be

in about 6 months at the rate this one has done money so far

[kambites]

Dave Hedgehog said:

Pominoz said:

Hmm. Funny one this. 18k for a used Peugeot, notwithstanding the power and rariety on offer, I think I'd be more interested as the next owner around the 10k mark whenever that'll be

in about 6 months at the rate this one has done money so far

Eh?

£18k from a £31k list price in two years is pretty strong residuals, especially at a relatively high mileage. Almost unbelievable so, in fact; I'd be surprised if it's worth that much.

Edited by kambites on Thursday 19th May 15:55

[court]

£14.5k on WBAC. I'd want to drive it out at nearer 16k if was in the market I think.

[MDMA .]

Didnt know they were 1600cc. Women 4 doors up has a white one. Look ok. Bit girly.

[kambites]

Nanook said:

MDMA . said:

Didnt know they were 1600cc. Women 4 doors up has a white one. Look ok. Bit girly.

MINI R56 Cooper S engine IIRC.

The Mini didn't have 270bhp, though.

[av185]

Jokey hairdressers car.

Jokey price too.

[750turbo]

av185 said:

Jokey hairdressers car.

Jokey price too.

Do people still subscribe to views like this?

Model will be missed IMO.

[kambites]

750turbo said:

Do people still subscribe to views like this?

Model will be missed IMO.

It's possibly intended to be ironic given that it's coming from someone claiming to own an automatic M3 cabriolet.

[av185]

kambites said:

It's possibly intended to be ironic given that it's coming from someone claiming to own an automatic M3 cabriolet.

Good to see a small proportion of Skoda owners retain a sense of humour.......:

BTW its semi automatic.

Edited by av185 on Thursday 19th May 17:59

[kambites]

av185 said:

BTW its semi automatic.

Half automatic; half complete rubbish.

[MrBarry123]

I don't get the confusion at the price? People suggesting £8k?! Do bugger off.

£31k was strong however I doubt anyone bought one at that price, more £26k/£27k.

The amount of engineering on offer and the performance the car delivers more than justifies its price.

[Fire99]

I like it.. Thought it was a bit of a TT clone when it first arrived but now I rate the looks over the TT mk2.

I think Peugeot should have been braver and persevered.. A nice looking car.

[kambites]

Fire99 said:

I like it.. Thought it was a bit of a TT clone when it first arrived but now I rate the looks over the TT mk2.

I think Peugeot should have been braver and persevered.. A nice looking car.

Unfortunately, the market for style-centric cars correlates very closely with badge snobbery. Despite (IMO) being a better car than the TT, it was probably always doomed to sell in tiny numbers because it doesn't have a German badge on the grill.

[Jimbo.]

Love 'em. bks to the Audi TT comparisons.

This is a rare thing: no just the car, but one of those occasions wherein the marketing team and beancounters lost out to someone who wanted to make a car "just because". Take the rear glass: curved in several different ways and only ever being made in low volumes made it heinously expensive to produce, but they did it anyway "just because". And for that you've got to love them for it.

[av185]

kambites said:

av185 said:

BTW its semi automatic.

Half automatic; half complete rubbish.

Your knowledge of what is rubbish has clearly been finely honed by your ownership of a Skoda and British Leylands finest ...

[kambites]

av185 said:

Your knowledge of what is rubbish has clearly been finely honed by your ownership of a Skoda and British Leylands finest ...

Exactly, I should know.

I have no faith in VAG's engineering at all since owning the Skoda, but at least we didn't pay much for the privilege of owning an unreliable car.

I'd take an RCZ over the TT on the basis of how it drives, but I'd fully expect the Peugeot to be the more reliable of the two as well.

Edited by kambites on Thursday 19th May 18:28

[Fire99]

kambites said:

Fire99 said:

I like it.. Thought it was a bit of a TT clone when it first arrived but now I rate the looks over the TT mk2.

I think Peugeot should have been braver and persevered.. A nice looking car.

Unfortunately, the market for style-centric cars correlates very closely with badge snobbery. Despite (IMO) being a better car than the TT, it was probably always doomed to sell in tiny numbers because it doesn't have a German badge on the grill.

Yup, sadly I'd tend to agree with you..