Peugeot RCZ GT THP 1.6 156 Review & Road Test (2010) Part 2

The Peugeot RCZ Interior - really quite decent

Let’s get some of the styling stuff out of the way first. The front is a bit of a let-down. It has the same Peugeot wide grill, oversized, in-your-face badge and lights that make the nose of the RCZ look like it’s had a botched rhinoplasty. There’s nothing at the front to really set it apart from the rest of the Peugeot range. It’s also a bit sad to think how good the front could have looked if the RCZ had arrived in 2011 with the nose of the Aston Martin-like Peugeot SR1. Oh, well.

The money shot however is the back end of the RCZ. It sits squat and purposeful with glorious rounded flanks and good looking twin exhausts. And there’s a trick active spoiler which comes up at the appropriate speed (and seems to have been designed to alert PC Plod of your speed). Thankfully it can also be manually activated, which means you have a handy explanation for the Rozzers and you can also pose with it up. If you must.

But the big deal for the RCZ is the astonishing double-bubble glass roof. Astonishing because it looks so good and, coupled with the aluminium-look arches framing the roof, it looks incredible. But astonishing also because it must cost an arm and a leg to make. Good on Peugeot for having the balls to make such a bold statement. And it makes the TT look a bit of a plain Jane. Which won’t hurt.

Inside Peugeot has made a pretty decent job of the RCZ. But the biggest surprise was that it’s not half as squashed inside as I’d expected. The RCZ gets the usual 2+2 designation and I’d expected it would have two seats in the front and an upholstered parcel shelf in the back. But no, if you’re not too greedy with front leg room you can get a child or small adult in the back. And one with actual legs. But not a man. At least not a proper-sized man. We tried.

But considering you’d have problems getting Snow White’s friends in the back of the TT, it’s a points score for the RCZ. As is boot capacity, a handy 19 litres more than the TT and big enough to get a set of golf clubs in. With a bit of fiddling. But don’t run away with the idea that the RCZ is the size of a small van inside. It’s not.

The RCZ may have a double-bubble roof – which does actually help a bit with headroom – but it’s still a cosy 2+2 coupe. But it does manage a not too shoddy 760 litres of boot space if you fold the back seats down. And back seats up it has more boot space than not just the TT, but the VW Scirocco too.

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By Cars UK