Here's Why The Quirky Peugeot RCZ Deserves a Second Chance (Drive and Review) 

One of the nicest looking cars Peugeot have ever designed and rare enough to be a head-turner 👍

Bought a Red Carbon edition in August 22. Mint condition and purs like a kitten. Such a beautiful car and a real head turner. Buy one and enjoy the experience

It's a rather interesting car. And we all like interesting cars, don't we?

The Peugeot RC Z is one of the best French cars ever made

My brother had a facelift RCZ 156 for a few years. It was relatively cheap, really well equipped, and generally a really lovely little pocket GT. I thought it was pretty good looking as well. In the best way it was a "Cheap TT", in the way an MX-5 is a cheap sportscar. It's a shame it didn't sell, and I suspect it's badge-snobbery. Put an Audi badge on it, and it would still be selling today. Put a Peugeot badge on a TT and that would've gone the same way as the RCZ.

I remember this being the first Peugeot I actually liked in some years when it cam out. A red one used to live near me and I actually really liked the way it looked, much different to most other cars on the road.

Yes I owned a TT which just felt dull & let's face it are so common nobody gives them a second look, also after a long journey all i wanted to do was park it up and walk away. The RCZ always interested me and I seen a lovely black one in a local dealership had a look but then was told it was a diesel so turned my nose up & didn't test drive it. Then i seen a video with Anthony Davidson you know the F1 driver & WEC World Sports Car Championship & he said he owned a Diesel RCZ and that it had lots of torque and was excellent. He did a timed lap and yeah it resparked my interest. So I went back test drove it and i bloody loved it so much I bought it then and THERE. I've now owned 2 diesel RCZ's and it's the best cars I've ever owned. Some interesting facts... at Magny Stear when the RCZ was in production it was built alongside the Aston Martin Rapide and Mercedes G Wagon also there are videos on line of Vicky Butler-Henderson demolishing the very last 4-wheel drive TT model (on a wet track) beating it by more than a couple of seconds in an RCZ-R also a video of a RCZ-R at a Dutch track that is timed against a new Porsche Boxster and is unbelievabley beaten by only a few tenths (less than a second) So the moral of this story is ignore the naysayers because you might be a little bit surprised & even today people still stop & look at this little French wonder.

Nice balanced review, enjoyed watching. There are circa 300 RCZR's in the UK, it is a totally different beast to the 156/200 as it has not only circa 270bhp but also chassis, bodywork, geo/handling, wheel/brake and engine enhancements etc.. The interior feels and looks more bespoke too. Get a drive of one if you can as some of the negatives you had with regards to the Z beinga 'sports' car on the lesser powered models have been addressed and engineered into the R's DNA as it is a focused, fast and fun car to drive.

Peugeot really needs to make another sports car like the RC Z since Renault now has the new Alpine sports car

This is one of the prettiest modern cars in my opinion.

A lot of new cars look great when they first appear but after a couple of years, they lose their impact on you. Not so for the RCZ for me. I thought they looked stunning when they first came out and they still do it for me after all this time. I finally bought one 3 yrs ago and still own and love it as much as when I first bought it. In fact, if I ever have to replace it for whatever reason, I'd definitely buy another. The best car I've ever owned or driven (and I've had quite a few in my time).

Mass flashback to 1980s Top Gear, commentary, shots, weather, everything......and I'm fine with that! No irrelevant narrative, story, comments about co-hosts etc, etc, etc. Keep it up

I first had to 200bhp version and it was a fantastic and reliable companion for 6 years. I then upgraded to an RCZ R last year. The R version is definetly not comparable with the standard versions. Many things have been manufactured more solid and the whole car feels much more racy. I love my R. I would let you drive it. But then you have to come to Germany. :-)

I remember seeing this car next to the TT lol The TT is a nice car but I like the RC Z more

Design is really timeless, looks like a new car for me...

I have a red RCZ HDi diesel with black roof rails & smokey grey alloys, it looks a million dollars (in my eyes) & pulls like a train. Easily out dragging the less powerful 1.6 petrol-engined cars. I drive it hard & still get around 40-45mpg. It's a fun car to own & the diesels have the best reputation for reliability. The only downside is the hard ride with 19-inch wheels & 35 profile tyres, but it corners like it's on rails.

First time I hear about of it being quirky. It looks undeniably gorgeous, you say yourself, it's well put together. It wasn't too popular, well it's a Peugeot, people were not expecting it.

I love driving this car. Really good semi-sports car for beginners because it feels incredibly stable through turns while providing great feedback. Also ridiculously cheap for what it is.

I’m lucky enough to have one of the “rare autos” - love her to bits!

I've always wondered about this car. Has an R8esque appearance.

That "funky rear arch", as you put it, is very reminiscent of VW's Karmann Ghia. Well done JayEmm.

i have the R model, tuned to 300hp, what a car. people look at it on a daily basis. it is truly beautiful

Own 2 RCZ's but have had 3. First was a 156GT which was a lovely car, just not that quick, traded in 6 months later for one of the first R's in the country, love the car as not only is it quick, handles extremely well but is slso stupidly economical considering its 270ps output. The R also has a strengthened block, uprated cylinder head, Mahle forged pistons and rods plus polymer coated race bearings, but the Torsen limited slip differential and Alcon brakes (marked as Peugeot Sport). Its still not a perfect engine but its overall more reliable than the 156's earlier design. My other is a 2ltr HDi 163 (the 165 being a face lift car with 2ps and 20nm of torque more). Deemed by most to be the most reliable of the 4 engines available (its a pretty solid unit and if looked after will just keep on going), it is a good drive though not as rewarding as the R but a nicer place on a long motorway drive. Points to note, the 156thp has the smallest brakes in the range with the 302mm fronts, the 200thp and HDi both have 340mm fronts and the R has 380mm 2 piece (and very expensive) front brakes.

Had mine for ten years now. No bad suprises just going on passing 70000 km now. Great motor!

I always loved that car. WOuld drive this over a TT or Porsche everyday. Fun Fact: Magna Steyr don't just build the Supra, they also build the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon there.

It may not seem like much now but I had a chance to try the THP 200 for 3 weeks back in 2011 when I was 20 years old. It started a passion that I didn't know existed, since then I've owned three hot hatches and put over 15k km's on the track.

The RCZ-r has held value surprisingly well. Here in Belgium at least. No idea about the UK

No comparison to RZC R. I used to have a 208GTi and despite the "oldschool" interior of the RCZ R, the performance and fun you get when driving it just made me jump back in time to get an RCZ R. It's the kind of car you turn back to take a look, after having parked somewhere. Driving around our mountain passes in Switzerland with it is so much fun. It's agile, and has so much grip you feel like you're driving on rails. If I could I'd drive it 24/7/365.

I have always had the poor man's sport's cars this will be my next one spotted one today at traffic lights it's a real beauty.

Owned m RCZ for 16mths, it’s still a head turner, and very good fun to drive. Love this car! It’s has expensive appearances for budget monies. A real bargain..... a possible future classic and only car with stunning double bubble roofline.....

These do look nice with the batman backside rear glass 😎. The R version is mad with the ~265hp 1.6 turbo I believe the most powerful 1.6 from factory.

Lovely Jubbly, always been a French car nut myself and always will, not bothered what other people think.

Love how you put time in good reading up about the cars your driving

The only Peugeot I like since 2000. A great and interesting car

I have the R version which is wonderful. Nicer interior, fixed spoiler and lower stance perfects the lines compared to other versions. Great cornering with the split diff and ludicrous mid range acceleration for the money

I always loved these cars. And i just bought one! The 1/200 limited edition launch model. Perfect daily driver, cheap to run, but still exotic and nice

Had one of these for 2.5yrs , 2.0ltr diesel, got it remapped and it really opened it up. Was so torqy and would just go, no lag at all. I actually found the steering wheel to be oversized, it really bugged me. I now have an i30N performance 😎

I used to own a White right Peugeot RCZ 156 GT with the hilariously named Feline Pack (mesh grille, side stripes and quad exhausts) The interior was the main reason I bought it, reminded me on an Aston Martin on a budget. The issues I had was it broke down in the 1st year due to it letting all of its oil out at once on the entrance to a town in Leicestershire, ended up being pushed into a council estate (got quite a bit of attention there), can’t remember exactly what caused it but it was something involving the timing chain or belt system coming loose and letting a ‘bit of oil’ (that was the Peugeot service technician line) after covering the car park and dual carriageway in oil And had to go to the dealership every 2-3 months as the exhaust didn’t fit the chassis (apparently my chassis was unique eventhough i bought it new). Aside from those issues was a lovely car, just had to be used to people thinking it’s a 6 cylinder etc thanks to it looking sporty. The story with the big boot from what I when I was active in the RCZ owners club was that they used the 308 CC (convertible) as the basis that resulted in the large boot. But if what was true they did to a prototype convertible version, but decided against as it defeats the point of the 308 CC. Those rear seats are hilariously bad, I had a college rugby player and a 6ft 4 farmer in my RCZ, the farmer ended up in the back with his legs being in the front passenger seat around the rugby player for an hour drive. Also unusually there is 2 steering wheels available on the RCZ there was really big for what the car was, and smaller wheel (that one had the smaller wheel)

Always thought that was a great looking car...

You should try the RCZ R! Still got mine and plan to keep it for years to come.

I have one in dark grey best car I ever had 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

I love those things, more so the facelift version, the earlier one has the styling hurt by the giant, gaping Peugeot maw. I remember modding the hell out of one in Forza 4 and putting it against Veyrons with varying success.

Easily, my favourite Pug from the last 10 years.

I worked for Peugeot for 30 years and the RCZ was a brilliant car, I had three as company cars. I do get annoyed when people put the brand down, always going on about reliability, yes we had a few issues but I've owned BMW's VW, Volvo's and many other cars and trust me they all have faults and don't get me started on Land Rover, the Range Rovers and Discovery's what a pile of crap but people put up with them because of the badges ? Anyway rant over. Oh by the way we had a huge amount of TT's traded in because their owners said compared to the RCZ they just looked boring.

Always loved the look of these - big fan 👍🏻

I always thought this was a beautiful looking car.

Got mine pug six years ago gonna keep it for a long time to come .timeless design , almost no truble . Fast motor loves curvy roads .gonna be a collector car in the future meaning prices going up . Worth keeping and enjoying everyday driving .

My mum’s dream car is an Audi TT but since its quite pricey this car may be a good option for her and as a car enthusiast i wouldn’t mind her owning this. Pretty cool french car!

I've seen this parked somewhere i and instantly noticed its awesomeness

I owned an RCZ for about 2 years and did 100,000 bumpy miles in it. I loved tearing around the country roads of the Cotswold but on the motorway it never seemed to settle. I’ll never forget the 1st time I got in it and nearly knocked myself out as it was unexpectedly low! Also for the entire two years of ownership, the driver seat squeaked and despite numerous trips back to Peugeot the eventual fix they told me was to move my seat forward about 2 inches - very French! It’s definitely a looker tho and although I don’t miss it I’m glad I got to own one.

Not a bad looking car for a Peugeot, i always admired them and obviously saw the resemblance to the Audi TT

I've got the black version of he HDi Magnetic (remapped facelift) and it's a great car. Mine is fun to drive and reliable - don't tar all Peugeots with the old unreliability brush ;)

I’ve had two RCZ’s so far the first a 156bhp GT The second is an RCZ R which is absolutely Lovely!!!...

Take it onto a track and you'll know that this is not just a 308 in a dress ;-)

When looking around for interesting first cars, I did actually look into one of these, the problem is that they haven't depreciated hard enough for me to afford one :p

I love my rcz had it for over 4 years 20k miles a year. Only regular servicing no dramas at all.

Ah! A nice little Chernobyl reference there, Chief Engr Dyatlov! I see you're a man of culture as well 😉

I'm not a fan of modern Peugeots but I would definitely consider an RCZ, they look great and are less likely to have been thrashed than a TT so on that basis would be a good buy.

It's based on the Mk. I 308 which explains the weight. This lineage is more evident in the pre-facelift model which, to some, looks prettier despite the apparent "boxer's gum shield" face. The THP 200 model has revised suspension over the THP 156 and HDi 163, and all three have the active spoiler that deploys at 53mph and increases angle again at 96mph but can be overridden using a button near the handbrake - the R has to make do with a fixed spoiler. There were even plans for a Hybrid4 model - HDi powering front, motor powering rear, 200bhp, essentially the same as with the Mk. I 3008, but like a lot of Peugeot's ideas (e.g. 407 Macarena, 208 Hybrid Air), they were shelved. The RCZ's death was no real surprise - Peugeot were culling their less profitable models including the 308 CC (another reason there was no convertible RCZ) and the RCZ, neither of which were moved over to the new EMP2 platform - an instant 140KG weight loss, a move to THP 165 and THP 208, Euro 6 compliance, bye-bye Eolys in favour of AdBlue, that sort of thing - so they were dinosaurs and not the sales revelations they'd hoped for. You mentioned that you had a 407. If you want something well put together, has lots of gadgets and offers supreme comfort, I'd check out the 407 Coupé. They were built on a half-speed assembly line for better quality control; there's actually a four-minute clip of this assembly line on RU-vid where the bodywork appears to get looked at and felt up quite a lot. The Sport HDi 240 (2009 - 2010) is the true halo model but Peugeot only brought about 60 to these shores. Even without the AMVAR suspension setup of the V6 models it's reportedly very comfortable for a big barge, and post-2009 versions go some way to tarting up the button-heavy dash that caused so many complaints. They were generally overlooked not only because people thought they were ugly and certainly no match for the 406 in that respect (which is subjective), but due to their sheer size and, excluding the 2 litre diesels, their running costs.

Got an HTP 200. Love it.

I remember renting one of these from avis many years ago on a trip back to the uk. I quite enjoyed it and made me sad that we don't get interesting cars like this in the USA

I own a Mk 2 RCZ THP200 in Australia. Very rare here and a great car to enjoy. Pug did it good on this one.

The interior on the lads 208 Peugeot Sport is a lovely place to sit. The seats, though a pig to get out of at 50, hug you well and far more comfortable than my Lancer is. I like these a lot, had I not got to ferry grandkids about, and our Adam is useless for this also, I'd certainly consider one. Its nice to be quirky different what these are

The 156bhp was the slows mobile version. The R version is the one to have.

The 308cc was the predecessor of the RCZ, I won't mind a RCZ but won't part with my 308cc as I need the open roof on great sunny days 😁

I think this is a really cool looking car, thanks Jay🇺🇸

i got this one beginning of the year, peugeot rcz gt 200. One thing i hate in any cars - lather seats! You using your car, its not for display - leather is onlu for display! The uncomfortable, they are cold (i know there is heating seats in rcz, but turning heat does not make seats instantly warm) in winter, they are hot as fuck in sumer...Its just good look, that's all! Apart that i have no complaints - drives ok. Have 19" wheels, so its feels like you drive on rims :D but i dont mind, i got use to it. RCZ is one of the all peugeot it's worth to buy!

Now is the turn of the Citroën C4 VTS!

The RCZ always reminds me of the Proxima prototype from the 1980s, which I liked a lot.

Never understood why there are so many VW scirocco on the road and not many of these, the VW is the usual bland box people seem to lap up, whilst this is well on the way to being as mad as a box of frogs. That twin bubble roof is stunning. I guess a lack of a truely hot version lets it down a bit.

Nice review, had my eyes on one these few time but decided on a Boxster. Interesting I know these roads as only 5 miles from me and part my Sunday morning run.

Love this shape

I like your review, it gives me a better idea of what to expect when driving one of these. I am thinking of replacing my old car. I really like the style, although I feel it is more for a man...but what the heck! if I like it, I can have it. Thanks very much for your video.

I've been tempted to get one, maybe I'll replace my 407 coupe with one of these eventually. Main reason why I prefer the 407 coupe is the fact that it has a V6 but both are really uncommon these days and turn some heads

I remember at the Brussels auto show a Peugeot salesman where the RCZ was. My wife wanted one, they had just discontinued it. I remember saying to the poor man, before I even realised it...’oh, so Peugeot only makes boring cars anymore’. It came out so spontaneous it caught the salesman totally off guard. We ended up buying my wife an gen3 TT.

Interior quality is probably down to the fact that PSA group are a controlling shareholder of Faurucia who make interiors for vw, merc, BMW amongst others.

Awesome car. Keep up the good work.

Good timing, my neighbour's just bought one of these and it's a very pretty thing- i particularly like the double bubble roof. Not sure I'd trust Peugeot build quality but apparently they've improved in the last decade..

Slap a remap on em and they are super!

3.6 roentgen, not great not terrible 😂. Nicest Peugeot I remember from that era for sure!

the rcz first caught my eye in gran turismo 6 i believe. properly good looking car.

If Opel/Heuliez had put the VXR Corsa D 1.6 Turbo unit in the Tigra Twintop, that could have been a more interesting proposition... Instead, I'd happily go after the RCZ.

I had one... Diesel 'sport'. The most gorgeous looking car and got sooo many +ve comments. Great cruiser, very comfy, super reliable & a huge boot with useful cargo net. Only downside - a big one - was the horrible crashy slow speed ride

Always said if they had a Porsche badge they'd of sold like hot cakes. Very attractive coupé. Doesn't picture very well though, much better in person.

Why does everyone say things are going to eventually break, just because it is a Peugeot? Find me one car where stuff doesn’t go wrong? All pugs i have had have been excellent cars and have served me well. And were no different to own than any other car i have owned. Sorry just grinds my gears when people go to town on their build quality!

I think that I would prefer a 406 coupe

I like these cars. I don’t drive but they’re good to look at. Someone that lives at my bit has a black one with black wheels. Someone further up the road has a white one but a young dude at the end of the next village has an orange McLaren. He wins 😂

Yes, I remember it, my uncle had one of the first cars with the 200hp engine. It was always broken, sometimes minor problems, sometimes big problems. It wasn‘t fast either, the 1.6 often seemed to be a bitted stressed. He sold it last year and the depreciation was just next level. I would always go with a TT.

I'm a TT driver, so I'm not sure if I'm supposed to like this obvious stylistic rip-off, but I must admit I have always been fond of these cars when I see them on the road. Mind you, the car I had before the TT was a peugeot, so maybe this is the car I should have gone for!

I have a Peugeot 207 1.4 Hdi s 2011. It runs great, iv had it remapped even better now really good mpg.

Great looking car , went to test drive/buy one , second hand though , really wanted the car but being over 6ft I found it hard to get in and out of , but decent drive , didn't but it because I knew at 5:30am in the morning I would soon get sick of getting into it like a woman.

underated car

I have fifteen gazillion of these on Gran Turismo Sport...

I had one back in 2010 when they first appeared on British roads 👍 The first one I ever saw was on a motorway in Perthshire and I just thought it looked beautiful and somewhat Porsche looking, unfortunately it doesn't drive like one. The driving position is all wrong in my opinion but it is drop dead gorgeous especially from the inside. I had a rare model which had white stitched grey leather and with a pop up satnav which was cool because most RCZ's dont have a satnav at all. The boot was absolutely massive, a bit like Dr Who's tardus on wheels, it'll hold two large suitcases all day long but the rear seats are pretty unusable unless you've got very small kids. It's also not the fastest off the block as is pretty slow to take off from standstill but the mid range is pretty decent because 30 to 70 is pretty fast, I had the entry level156 BHP model but with gorgeous looking 19" wheels.

They should have gone mid-engined with this one.

They have held some value here in Australia I'd love to own one of these but they are all like $20000 down here

I’m interested in speaking one of these see how they drive, I have some years back a early TT and I really was impressed, it felt heavy and stiff ,harsh clutch , maybe I had a bad one . I’ve owned quite a few French cars and yes I know the jokes , but yes they were a little boring but in all honesty they looked after me . If I wanted a V8 400bhp obvi wouldn’t be looking at this , but as a daily bit of fun and running around it may do what I need . The storage space is a plus something that’s missing in things like z4 mx5 etc but the people who buy those simply don’t care , so horses for courses as they say . That’s for the review and take on the car always helpful 👍👍👍

I am glad you did this one. I always saw one at my last place of work car park and liked the looks, whilst wondering at the same time what it would be like to drive. PS it's autumn for a bit longer even if it feels like winter!

I have been thinking about one of those , i would choose the 2.0 HDi well because i am careful

Stunning design. I would pick it over the TT, but not for the performance. 2.5 TTRS...