The new sedan - the IS 250 shown here - adopts the Lexus spindle grille design.

It wasn’t all that long ago when Lexus dominated the U.S. luxury market, but despite its continuing strength in quality and customer service surveys, the Toyota luxury brand has been losing momentum to European makers BMW and Mercedes-Benz, never mind upstarts such as Audi.

It doesn’t help that the buzz around its vehicles has shrunk to something like a very faint hum, its sales more and more dependent on its primary crossover vehicle, the RX.  While that may be propping up the numbers, it also might trigger a sense of déjà vu for the sepia-tinged era when station wagons ruled the road.

Company officials, notably including Toyota President Akio Toyoda are clearly worried and looking for ways to kick-start the brand. Among other things, they’ve been talking a lot about passion, these days, something that Lexus translates as the more sporty design language that one finds on the newly restyled Lexus IS.  The good news is that with this entry-level sedan beauty is more than skin deep, the 2014 IS reminding us why Lexus soared to the top of the U.S. luxury market in the first place.

The Lexus IS 350 features a 306 hp 3.5-l V-6.

For starters, the ride and handling are superb. The IS manages to do the neat trick of delivering a sporty ride that is also smooth and comfortable. When you push the car, the suspension reacts with precisely feel the situation demands. When driven on country roads with uneven pavement the IS delivers a surprisingly smooth and comfortable ride. On smooth highways, the ride is more precise, firm and predictable.

The IS250 and IS350 – we actually drove both – are equipped with electric power steering but the system is accurate and manages to deliver plenty of feedback to the driver. Clearly Toyota’s engineers studied the competition on the ride and handling course and set out to best them, creating a car that is poised, polished and nimble without some of the harshness found in competing sporty models.

One piece of news, Lexus representatives delivered while presenting the car to the media was that no hybrid is planned. A hybrid version of the IS will be sold in Europe but the American version will stick with the gasoline engines. That’s an unexpected reversal of the long-stated Lexus position that it would eventually offer hybrid options for virtually all of its models.

The interior of the new Lexus IS 350.

The IS 250 is powered by a 2.5-liter V6 that delivers 204 hp and 185 lb-ft torque. It is matched to a six-speed electronically controlled transmission.

The IS 350 is equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 with the unusual direct and port fuel injection combination Lexus has used on several models.  It produces 306 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque, and is matched with an eight-speed transmission, which features paddle shifters and the G-force Artificial Intelligence (G-AI) system that automatically selects the optimum gear and downshift pattern in response to G forces – which means you won’t be changing gears unexpectedly when skating through a tight turn.

Both IS models are available with an electronically controlled all-weather drive system designed to help improve traction under all driving conditions by automatically varying front-to-rear torque balance from front to rear.

The transmission on the Lexus IS 350 can read G-forces and adapt its shift pattern.

The exterior of the Lexus IS manages to overcome the brand’s reputation for bland designs. There is nothing generic about the new sedan – though how you’ll react to the brand’s new “spindle grille” face is a personal matter.

To our eyes, the 2014 Lexus IS is sleek, low-slung and boasts an aggressive looking front end that commands a second and third look. Even if you’re put off at first, we find the spindle grille tends to grow on you. From front to back, the overall design emphasizes the intrinsic sportiness of a sedan that, in past iterations was best known for its plain vanilla features. The new IS leaves behind the appliance sensibility that Lexus cultivated for a fair part of its history.

The new IS does maintain the Lexus reputation for quiet, comfortable interiors that deliver a sense of luxury as well as convenience features such as dual-zone climate control. It also has a standard high-resolution display with the distinctive, Lexus trackball-like controller and an optional navigation system. The second-generation multi-function control device allows relatively simple operation of the Navi, climate, audio, phone controls and more. A Mark Levinson premium surround sound system employs new loudspeaker technology with 15 speakers.

The safety features on the Lexus IS include 10 airbags, as well as a new system to manage the vehicle dynamics, integrate anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution traction control and vehicle stability control with the electronic power steering.

The 2014 Lexus IS F Sport gets cosmetic enhancements but no unique powertrain.

A pre-collision system with adaptive cruise control also is available with other active safety features, including an automatic high beam headlamp system, a lane departure alert system and blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert.

Lexus is also making available a new IS F-Sport package, which includes unique 18-inch wheels and special suspension tuning.  It is available for IS 250 and IS 350 RWD and AWD models.  If there’s any disappointment here it’s the decision to make the F-Sport a cosmetic option rather than a true performer as with the intimidating, 416-hp V-8 offered on the last generation Lexus IS.

That said, for the typical near-luxury buyer looking for a solid, reliable and attractive sedan, I suspect the Lexus IS250 or IS350 are both bound to impress. The new sedan makes it very clear that Lexus is serious about competing for the affections and money of sporty sedan buyers who want more than just plain vanilla.