Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2010/January 2011 | Page 101

Island Life - December 2010

motoring

impress.
One of the very few buttons to push is the one which brings
the spoiler up, and you can see why Peugeot kept this as an
option. Why jolt those lovely curves?
And so to the ride. As soon as you move you feel it wants
to play, to go places. Keep it in a low gear and it will dance
for you; let it have its head and it will race up through the
speeds with more alacrity than the 1.6 engine would suggest
is possible. When your favourite tune comes on the radio, this
car represents pure happiness. You just have to sing.
It’s worth putting the windows down for a second or two,
even in the cold, to hear the baritone noise of the engine.
Baritone. No whines, no keks. Wind up again and you’ll
notice the strength of the noise insulation.
While the RCZ has all the zoom power most mortals could
possibly want, it doesn’t tug to get away, it doesn’t need
reining in. Take care of course – it’s easy to let its exuberance
get the better of you – but the surprise is that it copes easily
with anything the Island roads can throw at it. Suspension is
firm and sporty so the bumps turn into thrills, and clearance
is good so the chromed twin exhaust remains intact in rocky
side roads and dippy car parks.
You’re not nannied but you are looked after : as well as
low-toned hazard sensors, a friendly ‘poing’ sounds when
you pop into reverse. Behind the scenes are the airbags, of
course, and as well as the gear indicator, which suggests the
one for optimum fuel efficiency, on the manual models a
clever fuel-cleaning system reduces your conscience about the
environment.
Yes, the RCZ is a sports car for every day. But this is no
everyday sports car.
On test was the Peugeot RCZ 1.6 THR156 manual. Test drive
it at Staddlestones, Church Road, Bembridge PO35 5ND. Tel:
01983 872121

Visit our new website - www.visitislandlife.com

101