RCZ R - Driving Spirit Review

[Anonymous]

Hi folks, it's been a while since I last reviewed a RCZ but I was recently lucky enough to enjoy a day with the awesome new R. You can read my thoughts and enjoy the pics at:

http://drivingspirit.com/peugeot-rcz-r-review/

Happy to answer any questions you may have.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Anonymous]

A very interesting and balanced review. Very interested to hear of your experiences of the R on uneven/poor road services and this kind of confirms the suspicions and concerns of some of us. Still...on a good road, the R sounds awesome and I so want to hear that exhaust first hand!!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks mrizzle.

I should make it clear that the steering is only really a handful when you mix full throttle with bad roads, but back off a bit and things settle down. I was expecting more from the mechanical diff, for example the Fiesta ST's electronic torque vectoring system seems much more effective, although it is 90bhp down on the R.

On track it's fantastic and if you're lucky enough to buy one you should definitely take it on a track day. It really comes alive when you push it, and at one point I hit 125mph in 5th and it was still pulling well.

 

[RCZ-R]

Thanks a lot for the review! And the pictures!

I'd like to ask you for your impression about the car's handling at those 125mph. This is where that question comes from: the THP156 and THP200 "feel" kind of light at the front when going beyond those speeds. I don't mean, they are unsafe, cause they are not. But there is this sensation as of like the steering gets lighter and the feedback you get from the front wheels diminish slowly as you go faster.
How does the RCZ R feel at those speeds? Is it planted, does the steering still "talk" to you? Do you have the feeling the car is glued to the road?

cheers

 

[Anonymous]

Hey RCZ-R! Having not pushed a standard RCZ into three figures I can't give a definitive comparison but what I can say is that the R's steering feels good on track at all speeds. You get a sense of where the grip is (and isn't) and it doesn't have the same artificial feel of standard RCZs. The wider track helps improve stability at the front, so much so that it's the rear that feels loose. Messing about in the empty car park revealed that the back end will come around if you lift suddenly at low speeds (with ESC switched off).

Great fun if you like to feel the car moving around underneath you. It reminds me of a smaller, lighter hot hatch.

 

[hanswuk]

drivingspirit, in your opinion would it be madness to even consider a move to an 'R' if I find the 200GT uncomfortable on poor road surfaces (of which there are many in the UK)? I've read elsewhere that although the 'R' is stiffer it's also better damped and so in some ways gives a better ride.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi hanswuk. If you're not happy with the 200 GT on bad surfaces I would say you'll find the R a step too far. It's never less than firm and on bad surfaces leaves you wincing with every thump. As the driver you can tune out some of the harshness but for passengers it's less fun. The 19s are partly to blame but they're the only option.

The damping is good though. It follows the road well and doesn't get thrown about like some other cars I can think of - for example, JCW MINIs can feel really nervous at speed on rough roads as the back end struggles to cope. There were no such worries with the R.

 

[RCZ-R]

Hey RCZ-R! Having not pushed a standard RCZ into three figures I can't give a definitive comparison but what I can say is that the R's steering feels good on track at all speeds. You get a sense of where the grip is (and isn't) and it doesn't have the same artificial feel of standard RCZs. The wider track helps improve stability at the front, so much so that it's the rear that feels loose. Messing about in the empty car park revealed that the back end will come around if you lift suddenly at low speeds (with ESC switched off).

Great fun if you like to feel the car moving around underneath you. It reminds me of a smaller, lighter hot hatch.

Sounds good to me! I like it! That is what I was looking for.
Thank you very much for your insights