Written by Tom Wiltshire Published: 4 October 2023 Updated: 31 January 2024

Overview

The Lexus LM is a surprise swerve from the premium manufacturer. While European carmakers are approaching the market for the best luxury cars with saloons and, more recently, luxury SUVs. The LM is neither of those things.

With a name that Lexus says stands for ‘luxury mover’, the closest analogy we can come up with is ‘limousine minivan’. While it’s based on the same platform as Lexus’ SUVs, such as the Lexus RX, it has a boxy body and up to seven seats. In this way, it’s similar to the Volkswagen Multivan, but with a starting price of nearly £90,000 it’s aimed at a different echelon of society.

The base model LM – which has seven seats – is a rival for the most luxurious van-based MPVs on sale. In the UK, this mostly means top-level variants of the Mercedes-Benz V-Class and to a lesser extent the very poshest Multivan. The highest-spec LM is set up like a private jet – with just two rear seats and a divider between driver and passengers – and is pretty much in a class of one. Only custom-modified vans or stretch limousines have this level of space.

What’s it like inside?

We’ll start in the rear, because that’s what the LM is all about. The cheaper seven-seater is still incredibly plush back here. The middle row of seats are individual captain’s chairs that slide and recline electrically, heat and cool their occupants, and even have footrests for the full business class experience. 

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The third row is less luxurious but there’s still plenty of room. And if you don’t want them, they split 50/50 and fold up against the sides of the boot to leave more luggage space. It’s not the most elegant solution, but it’s functional. 

There’s a 15.0-inch screen in the ceiling for rear occupants, and a 230V plug socket and HDMI port mean you can connect up whatever you like.

It’s all about the £113,000 Takumi model, though. This has an interior inspired by private jets and the ‘hyper-affluent’. To that end you get just two rear seats – but they’re heated, cooled, massaging, and fully reclining into almost a full lie-flat experience. 

There’s a divider between the rear compartment and the driver, which contains – working up from the floor – a champagne fridge, a 48-inch display, and a glass divider which can be raised or lowered and made clear or opaque at the touch of a button.

That display can be split into two separate screens – each with its own HDMI input and (slightly outdated) Miracast wireless connection, so both occupants can work on their own business. Or, you can use the full ultra-wide display to watch a movie or collaborate.

There are electric blinds on all the windows, built-in Lexus umbrellas by the electric sliding doors, and an aircraft-style roof panel with lights, air vents, controls, and houndstooth-style real wood panelling. 

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Everything in the LM feels beautifully screwed-together, is made of top-quality materials and packed with premium touches. But the most luxurious part is the feeling of space. The LM’s high roofline and van proportions mean that it’s more palatial in here than any luxury limousine – it makes a Mercedes S-Class feel cramped.

The pointy end of the LM is rather less exciting than the rear, but it’s still a lovely place to sit. You have a very car-like driving position, unlike van-based rivals, and a 14.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system that’s slick and high-resolution, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The feeling of quality continues up here, and the whole LM is very refined with wind and road noise very well-contained.

Lexus LM engines

Lexus makes choosing an engine easy – there’s just one. It’s the company’s 2.5-litre self-charging hybrid system, here with a total power output of 250hp. There are two-wheel and four-wheel drive options, with the latter standard for Takumi trim.

Faced with the LM’s bulk, it is not a particularly quick setup. 0-62mph takes nine seconds in all-wheel drive models. What it excels with is smoothness – Lexus’ continuously variable transmission and the ability to run on electric power a lot of the time at lower speeds makes for a very refined experience.

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That impression is spoiled a bit if you (or your chauffeur) decides to press on, as the transmission tends to send the revs spiralling high if you put your foot down. This does permeate through to the cabin somewhat, though in truth it’s no worse than a high-revving diesel engine as you’d find on the equivalent V-Class. And Lexus claims this engine will return almost 40mpg on the WLTP cycle, with competitive CO2 emissions – which is impressive for something this size.

What the LM is missing is a fully electric or plug-in hybrid variant. The latter would be very possible, as it’s offered on the mechanically similar NX and RX, and it would open the LM up to luxury private hire fleets in London, which require zero-emissions capability. Lexus may introduce a plug-in LM at a later date.

What’s it like to drive?

The LM may be more geared around the rear occupants, but that doesn’t mean the driver has been totally forgotten. Cocooned up front in a posh-feeling cockpit, you get plenty of toys – including a digital dashboard, 14.0-inch infotainment screen, and all the driver assistance tech you could shake a stick at.

As we’ve said, the LM’s engine never feels fast but it is smooth and responsive. It responds best to gentle inputs, where the revs stay low and the hybrid system gets an opportunity to use its electric mode more often.

The LM handles tidily, especially for such a big vehicle. There isn’t too much body lean and the steering is quick and accurate, particularly compared to the vans this model rivals.

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Lexus has elected to put the LM on conventional suspension with adaptive dampers, where most rivals would use air suspension. Air has its advantages – it irons out bigger bumps very well and can adjust the vehicle ride height to suit the purpose – but it can also be very floaty on faster roads and patter over smaller imperfections.

The LM’s conventional setup is beautifully considered, being just firm enough that passengers aren’t flung about in the corners but soft enough to take the edge off almost any road imperfection.

Driving modes include the hilarious (and bound to gather dust) ‘Sport’, but also a new mode named ‘Rear Comfort’. This softens the springs over the rear but has been carefully tuned so that it’s not nauseatingly wallowy. 

What models and trims are available?

Just two – the seven-seater and the four-seat Takumi. The former is available as a front-wheel drive or an all-wheel drive model, though orders so far have overwhelmingly been for the AWD car.

Equipment levels are suitably opulent even on the so-called ‘base’ car, though with a starting price of nearly £90,000 you’d hope they would be. A full suite of safety aids under the ‘Lexus Safety System+’ banner are all standard, as are some extra goodies such as assisted motorway driving features and matrix LED headlights.

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The rear seats are heated, cooled and massaging, swathed in leather and come with smartphone-sized controllers built into the armrest for multimedia and climate control. You also get a 21-speaker Mark Levinson sound system.

The Takumi ups this to 23 speakers and removes the third row of seats but adds even more opulence with that central divider, screen and fridge combo.

Lexus offers just four exterior colours and a choice of black or cream leather inside.

What else should I know?

The LM has seen remarkable levels of interest so far. Of around 600 European orders, almost a third come from the UK. Of that, half are for the most opulent Takumi model. We suspect many have been purchased as VIP transfer vehicles or posh hotel shuttles, but a surprising number are private buyers too. Perhaps more CEOs than we thought have a hankering for a luxury van.