2018 Lexus RC300 vs 2023 Renault Captur

What's the difference?

By God, but hasn't Lexus come an awfully long way from what was undeniably a drab and dull past? The Japanese premium brand now routinely pumps out cars that are not just fun to drive, but are even *gasp* fun to look at, too.

And should you trace the genesis of all this new-found excitement, you'll find it was the Lexus RC that started it all. That car, unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Show in 2013, was an early sign that Lexus was going to start pushing the envelope with its passenger cars.

The two-door, four-seat RC has just been updated for 2018, with added technology, safety kit and even a particularly un-Lexus launch-control system in the most powerful models.

High time we took a closer look then, no?

One of Renault’s most successful models globally with over 1.5 million sales of the original, the Captur has nevertheless struggled in Australia since its 2015 launch.

Last year, it was Europe’s 11th bestseller outright, outselling stalwarts like the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Tucson and Volkswagen Tiguan. Only the Peugeot 2008 and VW T-Roc were more popular amongst SUVs. In contrast, only 533 found homes over here in 2011.

However, with the largely all-new second-generation Captur launched locally last year now gaining market traction with a 200 per cent-plus sales spike, the 123-year-old brand’s VW T-Cross rival may yet finally fly Down Under.

We take a look at the recently-released RS Line range-topper, to see just how well the Captur shapes up in urban Australia.