What's that whistle?

Will your friend say when he hears the new Peugeot RCZ-R approaching. The whistle comes from the massively tuned 1.6 L turbo of the R.
The tuning has been done by Peugeot Sport, which means that the new hot version of the RCZ has 270 hp. And that is just what the doctor ordered. The sporty body of the RCZ has finally got the sporty power that it deserves. I'm not saying that the 200 hp version is slow, i'm saying that it wasn't enough to put my hair on end. But now the French two-seater has the power to compete with the Scirocco R.
The RCZ-R doesn't get four-wheel drive either, which appears to be the trend with these type of cars. But at least it doesn't follow the trend of paddle-shifters (like the Scirocco R) but has a proper manual.
To sum up. We had to wait four years for the RCZ to come into production after the concept. Then it took another four years for the car to get the power to match its looks. The whistle is real.

The R is 10 mm lower than the standard RCZ

Those exhaust pipes and the back wing are the biggest giveaways for the R.

Instead of a german GTI...?

The topic on hot hatches has been running hot (no pun intended) for the whole year so far. And it's going to get even hotter with a new hot hatch from France.

VW made the initials GTI famous with the Golf GTI in 1976. And eight years later the GTI badge got even more fame with the arrival of the Peugeot 205 GTi. Every car enthusiast with a budget had to have a go in a GTI because the biword for it was FUN. And now there are two new GTI's on the market. The VW Golf GTI mark VII and the Peugeot 208 GTi.

I'm more excited about the new 208 GTi because we know there's going to be a new GTI with a new Golf but it's always exciting when Peugeot makes a GTi even more so when the last one - the 207 - didn't have a GTi version. And since the one before that - the 206 GTi - didn't really stand up to the original 205 GTi. So what about the new one then? Firstly i have to say it looks great and kind of quirky. Which is just the right look for a hot french car. As for the engine. It has a 1.6 litre turbocharged engine developing 200 hp, which is just the right amount. It sure has gone a long way from the original 1.6 litre 105 hp naturally aspirated engine of the 205 GTi.

I sure hope this car has what it takes to take on the new hot VW Polo and it's other rivals, because I think it has the charm of an underdog.

I give you the Peugeot 208 GTi

Peugeot 208 GTi rear view

It looks like you're going to hit your left knee on the bottom of the steering wheel
every time you go for a gear change. I hope that's the case.

The GTi badge placed where it was on the original 205 GTi. Nice touch.

And the newest german GTI just for formalities