I'm Driving Peugeot's Hot 267bhp RCZ R Over The Cold Winter Months: Am I Mad?

By now, most of you already know about my summer ‘romance’ with Toyota’s most popular hybrid, the Prius. After three months I learned that my petrolhead credibility didn’t get torn to shreds, but that the love story which has apparently captivated over 3.36 million of the world’s drivers just didn’t materialise for me.

And so I moved on. Having spent some time chatting with Pierre Budar (one of Peugeot Sport’s head honchos) about his 208 GTi 30th anniversary project at this year’s Paris motor show, I decided to ask the team whether I could spend some time getting to know its first road car, the 267bhp RCZ R, over the winter months. Thankfully, I got a yes.

So here she is. This 2+2 sports coupé is Peugeot’s fastest-accelerating road car in the history of the Pug lion. Owners will be able to nail the 0-62mph run in 5.9 seconds and reach a limited top speed of 155mph. And I stress limited because the RCZ R is Peugeot’s first car to have this speed cap applied.

And guess what? All this power and performance has been squeezed from a tiny 1.6-litre engine. Phenomenal, I know, especially when you look at cars like the Ford Focus ST, which puts out a comparatively miserly 247bhp from a beefier 2.0-litre block. Peugeot’s ‘R’ power boost was achieved by using a new twin-scroll turbocharger, new manifold, a stronger cylinder block, forged aluminium pistons and polymer coated bearings.

Other things you get with your ‘R’ include part-leather, part-alcantara sports seats with R stitching, 19-inch alloy wheels, dual sports exhausts and a fixed rear spoiler instead of the electronically-activated wing we saw on the standard RCZ. My long-term test car also comes with a few optional extras: front parking aid and a JBL Hi-Fi system to name but a few. All in all, the car sits pretty on the road for a “let’s-be-honest-oh-you’re-not-joking” price of just under £32,000.

Initial driving impressions so far have been largely positive. The R’s acceleration is addictive, particularly when the turbo kicks in and the car unleashes its wave of torque. On dry, autumnal roads, there’s a shedload of grip helped by a Torsen limited-slip differential, and Peugeot Sport has also upgraded the front brakes to 380mm Alcon discs and calipers, the same as you’d have found on the old 206 WRC model. So, yeah, there’s just about enough stopping power.

So what’s my plan with the RCZ R over the coming months? It’s simple. I want to see how practical it is to pilot a front-wheel drive, performance coupé over a cold, slippery and presumably (hello, welcome to England) wet winter. Will the fact that there are no seat heaters on my already pricey Pug dampen my spirits over Christmas? Will I be able to plant all that power down on our icy B-roads? How does the stiffer RCZ R perform on track? These answers and more on a plate for you over the next few months.