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Well, having a IRS makes no difference in handling as the first gen Seq was just as good on the skidpad as the current.
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I think you're missing the simple fact that manufacturers do very expensive handling tests for passenger comfort. And clearly IRS costs alot more to design and build. Given these 2 simple facts its relatively easy to conclude that manufacturers would not have evolved their SUVs to independent rear suspensions unless there was a significant benefit to the passengers and owners of SUVs. Every SUV on the planet, including every luxury brand has redesigned their SUVs to incorporate an IRS. The only exception being the GM Suburban and Tahoe platforms and the Toyota LC/LX & 4runner platforms.
Both of these SUVs platforms are based on multi-decade old rear suspension designs. There is no good reason for these vehicles to have solid axle rears given their typical duty .....other than the manufacturer's of these designs "milking" the platform before a redesign or dropping it.
The only platform that may warrant the continuation of a solid rear axle and leaf spring suspension is the 2500 series Surburban where heavy payloads may be worth the trade-off of passenger comfort for a handful of customers. There is no way this trade-off can be justified in a $70K LC or a $75K LX since the buyer's of these vehicles are rarely loading the relatively small interior of these vehicles anywhere near their payload limits in general luxury duty.
An IRS is not just a better design because its my opinion, but because almost every manufacturer of SUVs on earth has improved their suspensions designs with IRS. Its my opinion that GM will redesign their platforms soon (or risk huge sales volume loss in the future on this one feature alone) and that Toyota will find no need for redesigning the LC as it is destined for a non-American marketplace where the benefits of IRS are less valued by overseas LC consumers. The 4runner will likely see an IRS design in the not too distant future just to stay competitive with the Pathfinder. The LX will simply fade away to be replaced with a higher end version of the IRS-based Sequoia platform.