Road tests don't come much easier than this one.
Behind me is the Peugeot RCZ R - it's a hardcore version of the brand's flagship coupe and
the most powerful production car Peugeot has ever built.
The sun's out, as you can see, and we're driving it on some of the most beautiful alpine roads
in southern France to find out what all the fuss is about.
Even after 3 years on sale, nothing else on the road looks much like the RCZ.
This R version looks really striking too, with forged 19-inch alloy wheels, a fixed
rear spoiler at the back to increase downforce and a smattering or R badges inside and out.
The pretty coupe body has spouted some serious kit, though with huge new brakes and calipers
poking out of the wheels and the matt black roof rails either side of the cabin.
Inside here the Peugeot is starting to show its age a little bit.
Some of these knobs and dials are looking old fashioned, particualrly when you compare
them to the ultra-modern, minimalist design that you get in the brand-new 308 hatchback.
Having said that, though, the R model does get some really nice touches - this aluminium
gear lever is straight from the 208 GTi, these bucket seats are brand new, and really supportive
and comfortable - but not too hardcore like a track car and all this leather covering
the dash and the door panels is picked out with a sporty red stitching.
You can forget about the interior, though, because this car was developed by Peugeotsport
- the same team behind the 908 Le Mans car and the WRC team before it packed in - and
they know a thing or two about building a proper hardcore road car.
I'll tell you more about the mechanicals once we're on the move.
When most manufacturers make a hotter version of an existing model they tend to just turn
the wick up on everything, put some big alloys on and then raise the price.
No so with this one, though - this car might use the same block from the 1.6 in the GT
but this time they've managed to squeeze 270bhp out of it.
That's nearly the same specific output of the Mercedes A45 AMG and as you can imagine
it's had a dramatic impact on the performance.
0-62mph now takes 5.9 seconds, torque is up to 330Nm and is available from just 1,900rpm
and we've been driving up these really demanding roads for a coupe of hours now - driving the
RCZ R is a really physical experience.
It's not too harsh - in fact it feels more like a road car thank a track car or anything
like that, it's still really supple and it floats over bumps - protecting you from the
worst the road surface has to offer.
The manic way that the turbo delivers the performance - once you get it above 3,000rpm
like this it just goes ballistic and suddenly becomes a lot noisier in here and you have
to keep grabbing through the short throw six-speed gearbox looking for that extra ratio.
It constantly demands your attention - the wheels shift around as it puts the power down
and the limited slip diff pulls you around corners.
You just have to be very aware all the time and make sure that you're governing that power
as it goes through the wheels and it's not hunting around for cambers.
However Peugeot hasn't just stopped with the engine - the RCZR also gets a wider track,
stickier GoodYear tyres and stiffer springs all round.
All of this means that it turns in really sharply and has a massive amount of lateral
grip, which is handy when racing up mountain roads.
It drives more like a bezerk hot hatch than a coupe.
The other thing, and this is going to sound like a strange criticism, is that it almost
has too much grip - because of the coupe style and the wide stance and low centre of gravity
you have to drive it really hard to get the chassis to move around.
It's an odd thing to say but in a taller car you get a bit more lateral movement which
makes it more fun.
When you do get everything hooked up it's really exciting but a lot of the time you're
left feeling like it's a little too neutral because it has too much grip.
Having said that there are some advantages to sticking to that small engine.
Peugeot reckons that it emits just 145g/km and will return over 40mpg, which is not to
be sniffed at.
The boot's decent too, it's over 300 litres - but for a hardcore version like this they
should have thrown out the rear seats, as you couldn't fit anyone in there, and you'd
struggle getting a child seat in to be honest.
But other than that, I have to say I really quite like the RCZ R - it feels like a good
first effort from Peugeot.
The shop window for the Peugeot Sport team given a little time and money, the RCZ R is
a cracking first effort.
The interior might feel a little dated now, but they've spent the money where it counts
- underneath.
As a result it feels like a seriously sorted bit of kit.
However it's priced like one and at £31,995 it costs about the same as a seriously well
specced Audi TT, probably a better all-rounder.
As striking as this coupe body is, the car that's probably really worth waiting for is
the 308 R which will use this drivetrain with a modern interior and high quality materials.