Car blogs

cj hubbard writes:

Drove the Peugeot RCZ at the end of last week, and it raises one or two interesting issues that I didn’t really have the space to go into in the First Drive. So indulge me as I explain them here instead.



The first thing to point out is that the RCZ really is quite something – both to look at and, perhaps more importantly, to drive. It would have been easy for Peugeot to rest easy once it had managed to turn the concept car looks into reality, but reflecting the fact that almost every car manufacturer is finally coming to understand that fun to drive cars are easier to sell, the engineers have done a proper number on the RCZ’s chassis. As good as an Audi TT? Oh, at least.

So, interesting issue number one – and unsurprisingly enough it’s looks related. I should point out that I have absolutely no corroborating evidence to support this theory, it’s just an idea I had (I also apologise if anyone else has beaten me to the suggestion and I haven’t seen it). Peugeot will tell you the RCZ went from concept to reality in just two years, after receiving a rapturous original reception at the Geneva motor show in 2008.



I’m not sure that I believe it. The thing is the RCZ doesn’t seem to follow the styling direction of the two latest Peugeot models that preceded the RCZ into the marketplace – the 3008 and the 5008, both of which have a distinctly different overall frontend treatment,. The RCZ on the other hand seems to follow the previous Peugeot styling direction seen on cars like the 308 and 207. It seems odd that Peugeot would do this unless the RCZ was already well into its development phase before the 3008 and 5008 arrived. If it really took just two years, why not change the front end to reflect the latest looks?



The fact that the RCZ looks so much like the original concept only further feeds my suspicions. That double-bubble roof and curved rear glass must have taken some serious engineering forethought, and for the two to look so similar to me suggests that Peugeot was merely using the concept to preview the already finalised design.



This would not be especially unusual. Renault, for example, makes a firm distinction between ‘show cars’ and ‘concept cars’; I can’t remember exactly which is which – and it doesn’t really matter – but the point is one stands for totally wild and outlandish forward thinking without any plans for production, and the other represents the preview form of vehicles that are already signed off and heading for production but aren’t quite public domain yet. The recent Laguna Coupé is a prime example, the concept version previewing almost exactly the production car’s overall bodyshape and dimensions, but garnishing/disguising it with scissor doors.



It’s only my opinion, of course. But I’d be prepared to put money on Peugeot having done the exact same thing here.

Not that it really matters, either way. The RCZ is a fine looking car. But arriving in the midst of a change in Peugeot’s styling direction does open up the opportunity for a mouth wateringly different mid-life facelift.

RCZ 'interesting' issue number two coming up soon…

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Links:

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2010 Toyota Auris: launch weirdness in general

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Peugeot RCZ: styling a conspiracy was originally published by Inside Track. Read the full story by clicking here.