Around the twist
REPORT 5 1598cc, 4cyl petrol, FWD, 266bhp, 225lb ft 44.8mpg, 145g/km CO2
0–62mph in 5.9secs, 155mph 1355kg £ £31,995/£34,535 Total mileage 6103 Driver Dan Read Why it’s here Has Pug Sport worked enough magic on the RCZ?
Afew weeks ago, I was driving the R – somewhere in Somerset, mostly moist – and doing my best to upset the authors of the Big Cornering Textbook. My method went something like this: pile into bend, mash brakes, aim vaguely at the apex, apply maximum throttle, straighten up and bugger of. You might think that with the thick end of 270bhp to deal with, this would send the traction control into a neurotic fap.
But no. The orange skiddy-car light remained unlit, and the tyres remained calm. A fairly big deal has been made of the fact you can turn of the R’s traction control, but I don’t see why you would. Because in the 6,000-or-so miles since the car frst arrived, it hasn’t once interfered, even when subjected to childish provocation.
I suspect there are two reasons for this. Firstly, the electronic policeman between your right foot and the front tyres is either a) having a quick break or b) fast asleep. Secondly – and more importantly – the diferential between the wheels hates to waste a single drop of power. It’s a Torsen limited-slip mechanical jobbie, and it takes care of any trouble before the policeman is roused.
Take the picture above. I’m entering the corner, which is helpfully marked by the black and white bollard. What you can’t tell is that, due to idiocy and impatience, I’m already heavily on the gas while also asking the car to steer and grip. Inside, I’ve dialled up 30-ish degrees of steering angle while pushing frmly on the throttle pedal. And you know what? It just holds that line and grips and goes, and I’m not wrenching the wheel or taking a second stab at the corner. In many cars – especially front-drivers with this much power – this approach would lead to some terrifying understeer and a quick swim through a boggy ditch. Especially when the road is as narrow as this one. But the R never threatens such a thing, and that dif just pulls you around the bend, time after time. It’s very fattering and faintly addictive.
Of course, this is a smooth road with a fat camber. In some situations, the Peugeot fghts back a bit – a little torque steer is inevitable when a proper limited-slip dif is involved – but that often has more to do with the stif suspension and its habit of snifng out gutters, especially on heavily crowned roads. Having said that, it never feels frantic. Just nice and alive. Much like the driver.