New Style Peugeot RCZ 2012

The Peugeot RCZ was to be considered Peugeot’s first example of its new design direction and branding, but it looks like it will undergoing a restyling as early as 2012 as the company looks to the Peugeot SR1 and HR1 concepts for its design inspiration. The new-look Peugeot could appear in two-years’ time at the 2012 Paris Motor Show and could take on the SR1 front. We should see more of the new Peugeot design with the upcoming Peugeot 308 restyling expected to appear at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March.

The RCZ is a racy sports car built on the 308 hatchback's foundations, but featuring a futuristic coupe body. This front-wheel-drive 2-door can be had with a turbocharged 1.6-litre mated to either a 6-speed manual or automatic, but the manual THP200 version is tuned much more power than the automatic THP156 model. Standard features include 19-inch alloy wheels, active rear spoiler, electric leather sports seats with memory, leather dashboard, cruise control with speed limiter, CD/MP3 stereo with USB/iPod connectivity, Bluetooth phone, auto dual-zone a/c, cooled glove box, electric mirrors with automatic-tilting on reverse, power windows, auto-dimming rear-view mirrors, automatic wipers, auto headlights, keyless entry, puncture repair kit, front and rear parking aid with screen display, and aluminium pedals. Safety features include front and side airbags, ABS, stability control, front and rear fog lights, and hill-start assist on the manual version. The manual THP200 also has slightly sportier suspension tuning, some shorter gearing and bigger front brakes.

The RCZ restyling should also include an updated engine range, which is good news, with a top-of-the-range 1.6 THP with 210 hp and a 2.2 HDi with 204 hp. In more good news, we could also see a hybrid RCZ with Hybrid4 all-wheel drive. The engines likely to be used on hybrid models could be the 2.0 HDi with 163 hp and the 1.6 THP with 156 hp. A second generation RCZ is planned for 2015 but it will depend on the success of the current model. With a possible restyling including this improvement in the engine range, there’s no reason why the RCZ shouldn’t have a modest success, and not just as a cheaper Audi TT knock-off.