A lunchtime meeting beckoned, just an hour away at Richmond. The sun was shining on what would turn out to be the warmest day, so far, of this chilly Spring.
CDG-CARS.com had loaned me an RCZ, Peugeot’s sports coupe, but this one was slightly different being a diesel. The car certainly looked the part with the contemporary white body and black roof.
After a few adjustments, the seating and steering position was comfortable and that feeling of sitting in a sports car was immediate. With the dual zone auto aircon set, I fired up the engine, half expecting the diesel engine clatter to be very noticeable, but it wasn’t. At all.
The journey was uneventful with the M25 being on good behaviour. The RCZ performed impeccably, with a slick, easy gear change through the six forward gears and plenty of torque if you felt less inclined to use them. I didn’t drive very quickly, but the performance, ride and road holding qualities were definitely sporty. It certainly feels like a car that could be driven hard if you felt so inclined.
Off the Motorway and in slow moving traffic, this car in this colour scheme turns heads with both men and women giving it admiring glances.
Parking was easy with the fitted parking sensors and the large back window affording plenty of rear visibility.
But why diesel in this type of car? Well I can think of 3 good reasons:
- I easily achieved 40mpg on my return journey and I think even for much shorter commuting, this car would deliver 36-37 mpg
- 130 g/km emissions – giving a lower road tax band
- No one but you need know it’s a diesel, until it comes to resale (then, it’ll help your bank balance)