MOM'S TAXI TEST: PEUGEOT RCZ
I'm such a sucker for beautiful cars. No matter how often my burly male motoring colleagues might diss a car because of its high speed handling on a race track, or its over-understeer on S-bends, or perceived problems with suspension and so on; if it's a gorgeous and drool-worthy machine, it's already on my hot list.
Fortunately I don't have to defend my current passion for Peugeot's RCZ. People are loving it, and even the hyper-critical and sometimes unfathomable Top Gear team in Britain have handed it their 2010 Coupe of the Year title.
They said: "A beautifully balanced car, easy to drive quickly. The RCZ devours roads with a fluency and ease that most small hot cars simply can't manage."
Aptly put. The RCZ is not only glorious to look at, turning heads wherever you go, but it's brilliant to drive too.
Has it replaced the Audi TT as my dream car? I certainly think so.
A passer-by said that it was infinitely nicer-looking than the TT. A car guard, who took numerous photos of it with his cell phone, said it was the most beautiful car he'd ever seen and my housekeeper, despite loving it, stated that it reminded her of a crouching frog!
As far as my daughter and I are concerned, it's heaven on wheels. Agile, luxurious, magnificently finished, it's also superb on tar surfaces, be they long fast straights or challenging sharp S-bends and snaking turns.
It grips the blacktop as firmly as any tenderpreneur would hang on to his government contract, and if the firm suspension jolts you a bit on our dodgy roads, remember that it was designed with far smoother surfaces in mind.
The 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine is mated to a snappy six-speed gearbox that's wonderfully responsive: a friend suggested a tiptronic gearbox might have been a good option, but it wasn't something I lost sleep thinking about. And the braking was immediate and immaculate.
The unusual shape, the unique and quirky dimple in the roof and the muscular crouching stance of the RCZ all add to the allure of this little French beauty.
You'll find no lack of active and passive safety features, and female drivers will appreciate the pleasing array of standard features such as headlight washers, heated leather seats, refrigerated cubbyhole, follow-me-home lights and a luggage net in the surprisingly ample boot.
The rear seats, according to my daughter, aren't ideal for passengers, and prompted her to observe that it was like being squashed into the back of her dad's Porsche: not comfortable!
Nevertheless, "it's better than no seat at all," was my retort. In her own little review, she wrote: "The RCZ is a lovely car, and very smooth, especially when you're driving fast and furiously..."
Out of the mouths of babes!
Peugeot says the car is "a triumph of style and technical prowess," and you can't argue with that.
This stylish, chic, mouth-watering, incredibly desirable car carries a price tag of just under R400 000. It also comes with a five-year/100 000km maintenance plan.
Every girl should have one.