Peugeot Announces UK Prices for RCZ Coupe, Starts at £19,900, on Sale in Spring 2010

Even though we're still a week away from the first public appearance of Peugeot's sexy RCZ (for details and gallery, click here)at the Frankfurt Show and more than six months away from its market launch in the UK in Spring 2010, the French automaker has released pricing for the 2+2 coupe. The entry-level RCZ with the 156HP 1.6-liter turbocharged petrol and a manual gearbox starts start at an on-the-road price of £19,900 or £240 more than the VW Scirocco 160HP 1.4 TSI (£19,660).

The range-topping RCZ with the 200HP version of the 1.6L turbo is priced at £24,500 which is £980 less than the Audi TT Coupe 200HP 2.0 TSI. There's also a 2.0-liter HDi diesel with 163 horsepower that starts from £21,700.

The RCZ will be offered in two grades with the entry trim level including 18-inch alloy wheels, sports front seats, dual zone air-conditioning, folding rear seat, rear parking aid, deadlocks, selective access locking, alarm and immobilizer, four airbags, ESP, EBFD, EBA, ABS, double bubble rear screen, black roof panel, active rear spoiler and twin rear sports' exhaust.

The second trim level adds a leather interior, electric heated front seats, carpet mats, front parking aid, auto tilting (when reversing) door mirrors, automatic lights, follow-me-home lighting, automatic windscreen wipers, automatic exterior approach lighting, 19-inch alloy wheels.

Buyers can also further personalize their car with a range of options including different style 19-inch alloy wheels, carbon roof panel (gloss black), carbon roof panel (satin finish), integral leather, Peugeot connect media navigation 3D (NG4), xenon headlamps, directional lights, gloss black brake calipers, black roof arches, matt roof arches and JBL Hi Fi Pack.

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Peugeot to Reveal RCZ HYbrid4 and 3008 HYbrid4 Production Model in Frankfurt

Together with the production version of the impressive RCZ sports coupe, Peugeot's Frankfurt Show stand will also host the world premiere of the experimental RCZ HYbrid4 prototype and the 3008 HYbrid4 crossover in production form. As their moniker suggests, the two HYBrid4 models share the same hybrid drivetrain. It combines a 163-horsepower 2.0-liter diesel with stop and start that drives the front wheels and an electric motor with 27 HP and temporarily, 37 HP, that powers the rear wheels.

The hybrid system works in parallel allowing alternate, for maximum efficiency, or simultaneous, for increased performance, operation of the HDi diesel engine and the electric motor which can produce a combined maximum output of 200-horsepower.

The French automaker claims that the system can reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 35 per cent in the combined cycle, compared to conventional engines of an equivalent power output.

The 3008 HYbrid4 that is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2011 is said to return a combined fuel economy figure of 3.8 lt /100km or 61.9 mpg US with CO2 emissions of just 99g/km.

Depending on how well the 3008 HYbrid4 is received by the market, Peugeot may also introduce a production version of the RCZ HYbrid4.

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Peugeot RCZ Coupe Officially Revealed: Striking Audi TT Rival gets Petrol and Diesel Engines

Looks like the folks over at Peugeot couldn't wait for next month's Frankfurt Motor Show to fully reveal their latest creation, the all-new RCZ 2+2 sports coupe that is scheduled to go on sale across Europe in the spring of 2010. As the first full-blown photos of the new RCZ prove, Peugeot's designers stayed 99 percent faithful to the original concept car from the masculine wheel arches right up to its unique double bubble roof and rear windshield.

Overall, we'd say that the RCZ is not only the best looking Pug in recent years, but it also boasts one of the most attention-grabbing designs in the mainstream coupe segment since the presentation of the first-generation Audi TT.

And if that's not enough, Peugeot also offers customers the chance to further personalize the RCZ's appearance with a range of special options including a real carbon rooftop, roof arches in different colors (black chrome, satin finish), numerous 18- and 19-inch alloy wheels in several finishes (matt black, polished black, dark grey, diamante), black lacquered body parts at the front, carbon door mirror covers, bodywork detailing and more.

Inside, the RCZ can seat two adults up front while there's also what Peugeot describes as, two occasional seats at the rear, "fully sculpted and perfectly usable" that can be folded down to increase the standard boot capacity of 384 litres. Although the dashboard comes directly from the 308 hatch, Peugeot's designers spiced up the interior with the use of higher quality materials and unique trim options.

As you'd expect, there's a lot of 308 architecture under the skin of the RCZ which uses a revised version of the McPherson type front suspension and rear torsion beam. Compared to the so-called "Platform Two" vehicle, Peugeot says that the ride height of the RCZ has been lowered by 20mm and the centre of gravity by 40mm while the front track has been widened by 54mm and the rear track by 72mm.

The RCZ also gets a hydraulic power steering while braking power is provided by beefy discs all-around. All models will come with a Hill Assist system coupled as standard with ESP which can be turned off to fully exploit the car's capabilities.

At launch, the RCZ that will be built by Magna Steyr in Austria in a production centre that specialises in exclusive vehicles, will be offered with three powerplants all of which meet the Euro 5 standards. The most powerful engine is the 1.6-liter THP petrol unit boasting a twin-scroll turbocharger that pumps out 200 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 188 lb ft at 1,700rpm (or 203 lb ft with overboost) and is linked to a six-speed manual gearbox.

With this engine the RCZ accelerates from 50 to 75mph (80 km/h - 120 km/h) in 6.5 seconds in fifth gear and 0 to 62mph (100km/h) in 7.6 seconds. Fuel consumption in the combined cycle is 39.8mpg with UK or the equivalent 33.1 mpg US and 7.1 lt /100km with CO2 emission of less than 165g/km.

The second petrol option for the RCZ is the 1.6-liter turbocharged direct-injection engine coupled to a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox. The unit produces an output of 156-horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 177 lb ft of torque at 1,400 rpm with the French automaker announcing a combined fuel economy of 40.9 mpg UK (6.9 lt /100 km or 34.1 mpg US) for the manual gearbox model.

Last but not least is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel engine matted to a six-speed manual gearbox. It delivers 163-horsepower at 3,750 rpm and a maximum torque of 251 lb ft at 2,000 rpm returning a combined fuel consumption of 52.3 mpg UK (5.4 lt /100km or 43.6 mpg US) with CO2 emissions of 139 g/km.

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