After the public got an early preview of the Lexus LM at the Melbourne Cup the luxury people mover is now on sale.
The name-tag stands for Luxury Mover and it certainly lives up to that description.
While it’s technically a people mover, its price range of $160,888 to $222,000, means that its far more likely to be used for chauffeur-driven executive transport than on the family school run.
There are two models, the seven-seat LM 350h Sports Luxury, available in either two- or all-wheel drive, priced from $160,888 and $165,888 respectively, and the four-seat LM 500h Ultra Luxury AWD selling from $220,888.
The LM 350h is available now while the LM 500h is due soon.
The tall, van-like, design of the body and sliding doors makes for easy entry and exit for adults.
The centre row has two captain’s seats with the third row in the LM 350h adding three extra seats.
There’s not much scope for stylists when it comes to people movers so most of the effort goes into the front and the Lexus people have come up with a huge version of the company’s signature body-coloured Spindle grille.
LM comes with the choice of two hybrid powertrains in keeping with the Lexus Electrified strategy.
The drivetrain in the LM 350h combines a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine with either one or two hybrid transaxles depending on the variant to produce 184kW and 270Nm.
The LM 500h Ultra Luxury has a 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with outputs of 202kW and 460Nm.
A high-output rear motor generator producing 76kW/169Nm joins the 64kW/292Nm front motor to provide a powerful combined peak output of 273kW, while also facilitating DIRECT4 all-wheel drive.
Centrepiece of the LM 500h is its rear compartment which is isolated from the front seats apart from a glass screen that can be lowered, raised or dimmed for complete rear occupant privacy.
The standout attraction in the rear – and there are many – is a 48-inch widescreen monitor that can be tilted up to 15 degrees.
Below the screen is an inbuilt mini refrigerator.
Each of the rear occupants gets a detachable smartphone-sized tablet which gives them control over a variety of features the seats including climate control, the 23-speaker Mark Levinson 3D surround system, electronic roof and window blinds, and ambient lighting.
Lexus Australia Chief Executive John Pappas said: “There is no Lexus like it, and almost certainly no other vehicle like it. It is the ultimate expression of Lexus ‘making luxury personal.
“It is a great Lexus to drive but an even better Lexus to be driven in. It will be hard to surpass the LM for the ultimate chauffeur-driven experience.”
Mr Pappas went on to say that Lexus dealers throughout Australia had been inundated with customer inquiries since the second-generation LM was revealed at 2023 Auto Shanghai in April, and subsequently confirmed for Australia as part of a global rollout to more than 60 countries.
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