Before the reveal of the first RCZ from Peugeot, we thought the brand had grown stale and lacked drive to shake up its image, and avoid not being able to support itself financially…  Sporty cars are a great way to boost an automotive brand’s appeal, as are green cars, and the lion-shaped half of PSA is now doing both, and one can see they are really trying.

The RCZ R is easily the most extreme car that they’ve put on the road in a long time, and one of the most powerful front-wheel drive cars one could think of. It’s a kind-of direct rival for the VW Scrirocco R, which gets a similar power figure, and it too is sold as a coupe. However, whereas the VW needs two liters to achieve its power and torque figures, the RCZ R matches it despite having about 400 cc less displacement.

Performance is brisk too, and 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) should take just under six seconds, while the slippery shape should mean it can cruise at high speeds and not suffer from terrible wind noise. Peugeot is also trying to tell us the RCZ R will also be good around the track, as some of the photos below, as well as the recently posted promo video suggest.

By Andrei Nedelea

PHOTO GALLERY

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