When the curtains lift at next week’s Geneva Motor Show, two of the sexiest cars on display will be on the Peugeot stand.
Granted one of these — the stunningly gorgeous SR1 — is only a concept design and will never make it into production.
But the RCZ will — and it’s almost as dramatic looking.
It gets here this summer and is aimed squarely at Audi TT buyers, though it will cost thousands less than its German rival.
Both models are shining proof of Peugeot’s new design direction — and makes you wonder what treats are in store for us when successors to, say, the 207 or the 308 are eventually unveiled.
Meanwhile it is great to see that alongside all this glitter in the Peugeot range there is just as much substance — especially with new models like the 3008 and 5008.
Both of these have been exceptionally well received — the 3008 was named Continental Irish Car of the Year 2010, while the 5008 was voted What Car? magazine’s MPV of the Year.
I’ve driven the 5-seater 3008 extensively and was well impressed with both its design and build quality.
Last week I got my first chance to put the 7-seater 5008 through its paces and was just as impressed
It fits into the same class as the Grand Scenic, Opel’s Zafira or the Ford S-Max in that it’s not a full height MPV, so the third row seats are more for children than adults.
But it beats all of these for loadspace — with the rear seats up or down — and also feels a far more rounded design than most of its rivals.
It drives very well, is quiet at motorway speeds — though not as silent as the 3008 — and is well up to handling B-roads even when fully loaded.
And it’s here that you really appreciate the grunt delivered by the 110bhp 1.6-litre diesel engine which, though no V8, never feels overwhelmed even with seven on board.
As with the 3008, the 5008 is exceptionally well finished. There are no nasty rattles from tatty plastic panels and the whole interior feels well sorted and luxurious.
Changing it from a 7-seater to a load-eater meanwhile needs just a gentle tug on each of the rear five seats to get them quickly out of the way.
A B-tax rating helps give the new 7-seater a starting price of €26,870 for the well-endowed SE unit, but I’d prefer the SX option at €28,860.
This version is so well equipped and so keenly priced it makes the 5008 by far the best offering in its segment — and that makes it much more important to Peugeot’s future than the bling offered by the RCZ and SR1 at Geneva this week.