The 500bhp Peugeot Quartz Is A Hybrid Crossover You Might Actually Want To Drive

This is the Peugeot Quartz Concept, the four-wheel drive hybrid crossover that you would happily drive. Why? Because despite the fact it’s a ‘hybrid’ and a ‘crossover,’ two words petrolheads typically hate, this car boasts 493bhp. That’s thanks to the combination of a petrol-powered internal combustion engine and a couple of electric motors.

Under the angular bonnet and behind those frankly humungous intakes in the front bumper sits the 1.6-litre Peugeot Sport-developed four-pot seen in the RCZ R. On its own it puts a hefty 270bhp and 243lb ft of torque through the front wheels, but when in ‘Race’ mode, both electric motors are called into action for a little extra oomph. One motor is mounted to the front axle, the other mounted to the rear.

For those moments when you don’t need sports car-shaming performance, there are two other modes: a full EV mode and efficiency-orientated ‘Road’ mode, which uses the front-mounted electric motor to recharge the Quartz’s battery on deceleration.

The styling of the Quartz is rather imposing. Sharp angles feed into the narrow LED headlamps, accentuated by a high waistline that gives the crossover a butch stance. The ridiculous 23-inch alloy wheels are covered in ‘composite flaps’ which aid aerodynamics and cool the brakes. It also has scissor doors, because concept car.

All this sits on the new 308 platform, with the exterior and interior featuring composite materials and bonded panels to save weight while adding stiffness, much like the stunning Exalt concept. The Quartz holds four passengers, each with their own bucket seat. The centre console features basalt, the material formed when magma cools quickly. So the dash comes from a volcano. Awesome.

With its funky styling and monumental shove under the bonnet, is this the coolest hybrid crossover the world has ever seen?