The only thing this facelift had to
do was change the front end. Luckily, Peugeot’s done more than that
The thing with midlife facelifts is that
they can often go awry. Some designer gets a bit heavy-handed, and, before you
know it, the car’s become a caricature of itself. Luckily, Peugeot had the
foresight to make a hash of the original RCZ, so all they’ve had to do is put
that right.
The
forte of the Peugeot RCZ is the way it looks
Not a total hash, you understand. No, it
was just the grille, a gaping great maw filled out with a boxer’s Gum Shield of
a bumper. Now there’s a much more acceptable two-tier arrangement, upper and
lower separated by a slice of body color. And that’s it. All is aligned. You
can forget about the old one’s conk and focus on what a handsome, uniquely
proportioned coupe this is.
And that’s almost all you need to know
about this facelift, one plucked straight from the color/trim/kit school of
cost-effective upgrades. You can now have the roof arches in matt black,
leather and Alcantara upholstery can be added to the base sport model (for
$1,800), while the higher-spec is available with brown leather. Thrills.
Wheel
could be to chunky for delicate little hands
However, this is a car worth taking another
look at. The temptation is to imagine it as another ordinary continental
couple, more style than content. But the RCZ does feel sports car-ish. The ride
is firm but not jarringly so, and it has responsive steering and good turn-in.
it’s quite eager and backed up by an engine that’s way more punchy than its
1.6-litre displacement suggests. It even sounds vaguely enticing.
This
is a car worth taking another look at. The temptation is to imagine it as
another ordinary continental couple, more style than content.
The manual gearbox is tight and sharp, and
this is a satisfying car to punt around in. the gearing’s a bit low and noise a
fraction high, just taking the edge off refinement, while comfort is slightly
compromised by a flat, firm seat that’s mounted too high in the car. We don’t
go a bundle on the bulbous steering wheel, either. But it’s a light, airy cabin
with good visibility and reasonable practicality. It’s a two-seater, though –
the back’s not for humans.
Prices start at $32,393 for the 156bhp
petrol Sport, with this hot 197bhp GT as the flagship. There’s also a 161bhp,
2.0-litre diesel from $35,145. Personally, I’m not sure GT trim is worth the
mark-up – the pokiest engine in Sport trim at $35,970 looks the best deal to
me. Oh, and the hot 256bhp RCZ R? Not here until the end of the year.
It’s
a light, airy cabin with good visibility and reasonable practicality. It’s a
two-seater, though the back’s not for humans.
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The specs
Peugeot RCZ GT
§ The
numbers: 1598c, 4cyl, FWD, 197bhp, 206lb ft, 42.1mpg, 155g/km CO2,
0-62mph in 7.6secs, 146mph, 1421kg
§ The
cost: $39,570
§ The
verdict: Vastly improved front-end treatment takes care of our only real
criticism. Not wonderfully charismatic, but a more enticing driver’s car than
you might think.
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