There’s little point wading into the coupe market against competition as strong as the Audi TT or VW Scirocco unless you’ve got a strong product… writes Peter Carroll.

And luckily for Peugeot, the RCZ coupe is one of the best cars it has produced in recent years.

The French firm may still not be regarded as a premium brand by some, but the RCZ certainly looks and feels like a quality car.

• See more pictures of the RCZ in our gallery to your right

From a distance its curvy outline resembles that of the TT, of course, but the more you study the RCZ’s lines, the more distinctive it appears.

Unusually for a sports car, the front is perhaps its least impressive aspect: the RCZ sports a typical Peugeot ‘face’, with the familiar lion motif on the bonnet. The rest, however, is stunning – from the beautifully-executed ‘double bubble’ roof to the pushed-forward cabin, unusual kinked window line and classy rear end styling.

Those who go the whole hog and specify the satin black carbon roof to set off those glitzy aluminium roof rails will end up with a really eye-catching car that looks twice its price.

So it’s a looker, then. But what’s it like to live with? For a start interior quality is high – not to Audi levels, perhaps – but impressive nonetheless with a nice, leather-clad dashboard and very comfortable seats.

There’s a cockpit feel to the cabin, with plenty of buttons to play with, and the basic driving position is good.

When it comes to practicality, the RCZ is fine for couples but cannot cut the mustard as a family car.

I tried to shoehorn four into the coupe but such was the level of griping and protesting from the back seats that I wished I hadn’t bothered.

A look at the boot explains why. Legroom has been sacrificed to create a boot space that is massive for this type of car.

It will accommodate any number of bags from the largest of shopping sprees to luggage for a weekend away.

The RCZ range starts at just over £20,000 for a 156hp petrol model and there’s also a powerful 163hp diesel.

But those in search of the sportiest mode, however, should go for the 200hp version of the 1.6 litre petrol engine. It features bracing to the front underbody to help sharpen up the handling, along with bigger brakes and a slimmer steering wheel.

Its 1.6 turbocharged engine, a cousin of the Mini Cooper S’s power plant, is happy to rev and sounds good – even if the noise in the cabin is acoustically ‘enhanced’.

The RCZ is not the fastest off the mark but there’s more than enough mid-range punch to compensate and the car in its most powerful incarnation can hit 60mph in around seven and a half seconds. On paper, this does not appear terrifically fast but in reality the RCZ never feels underpowered.

The chassis has been tuned to provide a sporting drive. There’s commendably little roll through corners, at the cost of a firm, though never harsh, ride.

The car has sharp steering and handles well, though there’s a slight tendency for the 19-inch alloy wheels to tramline.

Nor is it outrageously bad on fuel either, with up to 40.9mpg possible on the combined cycle. Expect around 30mpg round town, though a reasonably lengthy commute should increase this figure to around 35mpg.

There’s further good news on the servicing front too: the RCZ can go 20,000 miles before it needs fettling.

The RCZ is a fine effort from Peugeot and those seeking a dramatically-styled coupe with decent performance and a proper boot – and all at a reasonable price – will find it here.