2023 Lexus LM revealed

On sale Autumn 2023 | Price from £100,000 (est)

The Lexus LM will go on sale later this autumn in both four and seven-seat MPV forms, powered by a hybrid engine and billed as a new take on luxury travel.

LM stands for Luxury Mover; Lexus uses the L designation for all of its halo models (the Lexus LS saloon, the Lexus LC 500 coupé and convertible and the LX SUV) underlining the LM’s top-end billing. 

Lexus is open about the fact that the LM is most likely to be popular among chauffeurs, or for high-profile buyers to be driven around in; the four-seat model features two large, airline-style seats in the rear that can even lie horizontally to make sleeping easier. Lexus consulted with private jet manufacturers and hyper-affluent customers while developing the LM’s interior.

As such, further highlights to ensure comfort include a 48in entertainment screen, a refrigerator, a Mark Levinson 3D surround sound audio system and the facility for the climate and other settings to be controlled from a smartphone.

Rear-seat passengers can also use the car’s voice control function – something Lexus says is a world first – and are treated to a climate system that can inject microscopic water particles into the air in a technique claimed to inhibit the spread of viruses, bacteria and allergens.

Furthermore, Lexus says it has designed all seats in the LM to counter any unwelcome swaying encountered while driving, with the seats side-wired for to dissuade hunching, promoting a better posture, plus pillow-like headrests that are designed to keep the occupant’s core stable.

Noise-deadening technology, ultra-tight door and window seals and noise-reducing tyres have also been employed to reduce interference from the outside world, helping passengers to relax. Meanwhile, the LM’s driver will benefit from a full suite of the latest road safety and driver assistance technology. 

The MPV, named LM 350h in full, is powered by a 2.5-litre petrol engine coupled to a hybrid system. Befitting the LM’s size (it’s more than five metres long and only fractionally shorter than a Mercedes S-Class), it produces 247bhp and 176lb ft of torque.

While MPVs have fallen out of fashion in recent years as buyers look to SUVs, rivals for the off-beat LM include the Mercedes V-Class and the electric Mercedes EQV – both of which are based on commercial vehicles, and the VW ID Buzz – our reigning Car of the Year. However, Lexus is at pains to stress that the LM is not a repurposed van, but rather “a dedicated passenger vehicle, in its own right”.

Such a luxury kit list means that prices are expected to be high. Indeed, with an estimated starting price of around £100,000, the LM will cost substantially more than most rivals.

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