IN MANY ways, the IS is eponymous to the Lexus brand. It’s the first of its cars to sell more than a million units in the company’s history, and arguably the most recognisable Lexus of all time.

It’s also, unfortunately, one of the many victims of the rise of the SUV, with sales in Australia sliding more than 20 per cent year on year in the face of rising sales of prestige high-riding wagons.

Adding to the IS’s woes, it has been hamstrung by a lack of modern safety tech and a look that aged quickly in the face of renewed competition from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Finally, though, the mid-life facelift has ridden into the rescue, and it appears to answer most of Lexus’ fondest wishes.

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