NO car-maker wants to tread water, but Lexus seems more keen than most to shake up its image and buyer demographic.

The Japanese company is skewing younger, and no vehicle is more important to this aim than the new IS, its re-energised BMW 3 Series rival.

That new styling treatment won’t appeal to everyone, but that’s precisely the point, while the more modern and roomy cabin and sharper handling make this an even more genuine Euro rival.

Lexus has also added, for the first time here, a petrol-electric hybrid IS300h version designed to tackle the Euro diesels. Unfortunately, for the company, this addition also highlights the relative inefficiency of the carried-over V6 petrols.

Still, though, the new IS proves itself a worthy rival to the Teutonic establishment.

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