Peugeot RCZ R

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the Peugeot RCZ R, the Peugeot Sport version of the RCZ coupe with the 1.6L turbocharged inline-4 petrol engine rated at 270 PS, which is 266 bhp, and a six-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels through a Torsen limited-slip differential. It is a front-wheel drive 2+2 coupe built in small numbers for 2014 and 2015. It is not a guide to the ordinary RCZ with the 156 PS or the 200 PS version of the same 1.6 litre engine, nor to the 2.0 litre diesel, and we say below where those cars differ, because a lot of what is written online about RCZ problems was written about them and not about the R.

We have not driven this model for this article. Everything here comes from three cited sources: Autoblog's report of 10 July 2013, which reproduces the technical detail of Peugeot's launch release, PistonHeads' January 2022 used-car piece on a 2015 RCZ R, and the government recall checker. We also read PistonHeads' March 2014 UK review and its December 2019 Shed buying guide for the RCZ, a Peugeot France brochure for the R dated September 2013, and the RCZ article on Wikipedia, and we say when a point rests on one of those. Several other pages we tried were blocked or paywalled, and we did not work around that.

The figures at a glance

• Engine: 1.6L turbocharged inline-4 petrol, 1598 cc, with a twin-scroll turbocharger and direct injection. The engine code given in the launch material is EP6CDTR.
• Power: 266 bhp, which is Peugeot's 270 PS (199 kW) at 6000 rpm.
• Torque: 330 Nm, available from 1900 rpm to 5500 rpm.
• 0-100 km/h: 5.9 seconds. Peugeot's French brochure prints 5.9 seconds for 0 to 100 km/h, while Autoblog and PistonHeads print 5.9 seconds for 0-62 mph.
• Top speed: 250 km/h, electronically limited. That is about 155 mph.
• Drive: front-wheel drive, six-speed manual only, Torsen limited-slip differential.
• Weight: 1280 kg as printed by Autoblog and PistonHeads.
• Economy: 44.8 mpg combined and 145 g/km of carbon dioxide on the old NEDC test, which Peugeot's brochure also gives as 6.3 litres per 100 km.

Power, torque and the conversions

The headline number is the easiest to get wrong. Peugeot's own figure is 270 PS, the metric horsepower, and the launch release gave 199 kW. Converting, 270 PS multiplied by 0.98632 is about 266.3 bhp, and 199 kW divided by 0.7457 is about 266.9 bhp. Wikipedia prints 266 bhp for the R. Autoblog and PistonHeads print 270 hp, which is the PS figure under a different label, and a few European reports print 273 CV, which we could not trace to a Peugeot document. We therefore state 266 bhp, and a catalogue showing 268 bhp is not a clean conversion of any published figure.

Torque is 330 Nm in the release, and the US-style figure of 243 lb ft converts to about 329.5 Nm, so the two agree. The peak is flat between 1900 rpm and 5500 rpm according to Autoblog and PistonHeads, though some reports quote only the 1900 rpm point. The engine is the same 1598 cc block as the other RCZ petrols, but the launch material describes a forged piston set from Mahle, a steel exhaust manifold, a twin-scroll turbocharger and a 9.2 to 1 compression ratio. On that description it is more than a software change to the 1.6 litre unit.

How the R differs from the other RCZs

The RCZ was shown at the 2009 Frankfurt show, entered production in late 2009 and was built by Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria. According to Wikipedia the last car was assembled in September 2015, so the R's production window sits entirely inside the final two years of the model.

• 1.6 THP 156 PS: the entry petrol. Wikipedia lists 240 Nm, 8.4 seconds to 100 km/h and 212 km/h, and lists it with an automatic gearbox, although PistonHeads says a manual was the vast majority of UK cars.
• 1.6 THP 200: Peugeot's launch material calls it 200 hp, PistonHeads' buying guide gives 197 hp and 200 hp in different places, and Wikipedia lists 204 PS, 275 Nm, 7.5 seconds and 235 km/h. Autoblog says the R is 1.6 seconds quicker to 62 mph than this car and 17 kg lighter.
• 2.0 HDi: 163 PS and 320 Nm, with 8.2 seconds and 220 km/h on Wikipedia's table. A later 165 PS version is listed as well.
• RCZ R: 270 PS, 330 Nm, 5.9 seconds and 250 km/h, six-speed manual only.

Because the R adds about 70 PS over the 200 car and, as far as the sources we read say, is the version fitted with the Torsen differential and larger brakes, the problems reported for the ordinary petrol cars are a guide to what to ask about, not proof that the R has them.

Chassis, brakes and wheels

Peugeot Sport lowered the car by 10 mm, fitted stiffer springs and dampers, a larger anti-roll bar and a wider track, and added the Torsen differential on the front axle. Autoblog lists 19 inch two-tone wheels with 235/40 R19 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric tyres, four-piston front calipers with 380 mm discs that are 32 mm thick, and red calipers marked Peugeot Sport. Peugeot's brochure shows the same red calipers and describes a large fixed rear wing. Other publications credit the brake hardware to Alcon, and PistonHeads' 2022 piece says the Alcon brakes can be enormously expensive to renew.

The quoted standard equipment includes xenon headlamps with washers, the WIP Nav Plus multimedia system, Nappa leather and Alcantara seats with red stitching, and a sound system that feeds intake noise into the cabin. Autoblog gives four colours: Moroccan Red, Nera Black, Mercury Grey and Opal White.

What the press said about driving it

We have no first-hand impression, so this section is only what PistonHeads wrote in March 2014. It called the car terrific and a great return to form for engaging fast Peugeots. It found the ride firm but not punishing, praised the short precise gearshift and the seats, and said the differential is not infallible, giving way to some understeer if the driver is greedy out of a damp bend. It also said the tail can become mobile when the driver lifts off or brakes, and that the traction control is easy to disable. For an owner that points to tyre condition and alignment as things worth checking.

Running costs and used values

The 2014 launch price in the UK was 31,995 pounds, and PistonHeads said brokers were soon offering discounts that took it under 30,000 pounds. PistonHeads' 2019 buying guide says RCZ Rs usually cost more than 14,000 pounds, while its January 2022 piece lists a 2015 car with 39,044 miles at 19,000 pounds and says similar cars were about 12,000 pounds before the pandemic. Those are asking prices on a given day, not valuations, and they will have moved. The 2019 guide also appears to say that the R may need servicing twice as often as the ordinary car, which we could not verify against a Peugeot schedule, so ask for the service plan that applies to the car you are viewing.

The fuel figure of 44.8 mpg combined is a test number. A turbocharged 270 PS front-wheel drive coupe on 19 inch wheels will use more when driven hard, and tyres and brakes will be the main wear costs.

Known problems and what to check

PistonHeads' Shed guide, which covers the whole RCZ range and not only the R, reports the following, and we repeat it as a list of questions.

• Early petrol cars had camshaft chain and tensioner problems that were fixed on later cars, and a PistonHeads forum thread, which we saw only through a search summary, says the 200 and 270 versions of the engine still show chain trouble even with the updated tensioner. That is a forum opinion, so ask for evidence of inspection or replacement.
• Temperature sensor faults, oil and coolant leaks, and power loss from a faulty turbo bypass solenoid on the 197 hp car.
• Gearbox oil and water leaks, notchy shifts and clutches that are not especially strong, which matters on a car with 330 Nm.
• A front-end knock, usually from the upper shock mount area. Do not accept it as normal.
• Squealing brakes, especially the 380 mm discs on the R, a sticking hill-start brake, and an ABS warning light that may be a wheel speed sensor wire.
• The 19 inch alloys kerb easily, and jacking points are poorly designed and bend, so look at the sills.
• Water entering the boot lock, flimsy door handles, oxidised aluminium roof rails, failing satnav screens and dashboard clocks, and worn seat bolsters.

Also confirm that the rear wing matches the fixed wing described in Peugeot's own material, and check whether the car has been modified, since the R's engine and differential are the whole point of buying one.

How many were built

The count is the weakest number here. Wikipedia says 3,054 RCZ Rs were manufactured, 305 of them for the UK, and PistonHeads' 2019 guide mentions about 300 UK registrations in 2014 and 2015. PistonHeads' 2022 piece says Peugeot had expected to sell around 300 a year in the UK and that buyer reticence when new made the car rare. We found no Peugeot document for the worldwide figure, so the catalogue keeps its production count empty.

Recalls and the DVSA check

We did not run the government checker because it needs a registration number or the manufacturer, model and year, and we are not looking at a specific car. The page says the MOT checking service shows safety recalls that have not been checked or fixed for a registered car, that the manufacturer will write to the owner for a serious safety defect, and that non-safety recalls come from the manufacturer directly. PistonHeads' guide mentions diesel recalls on 2012 to 2014 cars, which would not apply to a petrol R. We did not find a published recall for the R itself, and that is not proof there has never been one, so run the check for the car in front of you.

About the photograph

The picture at the top of this page is a white 2015 RCZ R with the RCZ-R side decal, photographed in July 2025 by a Flickr photographer and released under CC0 on Wikimedia Commons. We cropped it to the car and blurred the number plate. The location is not named on the Commons page.

Verdict

The RCZ R in this guide is 266 bhp, 330 Nm, 5.9 seconds to 100 km/h and a limited 250 km/h, front-wheel drive with a Torsen differential and a six-speed manual. It is the RCZ that Peugeot Sport tuned, with a Torsen differential and 380 mm brakes to use that power, and a small run of cars means condition and paperwork matter more than mileage. Before buying, confirm it is an R and not an RCZ with an R-style kit, ask about the engine chain and the clutch, look at the brakes and front end, check the sills and boot, and run the recall check.