Lexus LM 2023 Review – International

At the entry level, the 2023 Lexus LM 350h 2WD Sports Luxury seven-seater people-mover is priced from $160,888 plus on-road costs and is due to land in Australia in December.

It will be followed in early 2024 by the LM 350h AWD Sports Luxury (from $165,888) and the more potent turbocharged LM 500h AWD Ultra Luxury (from $220,888).

The range-topper dispenses with the third row (making it a four-seater only) and will be the most expensive model in the Lexus stable, positioned upstream of other large luxury models that might also attract potential LM buyers’ attention: the LS limo (up to $200,790 plus ORCs) and the Lexus LX SUV (up to $213,561 plus ORCs).

There are few direct rivals for the LM outside the traditional limousine and uber-luxury SUV segments, but the Mercedes-Benz V-Class is an option (from $112,816 plus ORCs) – there’s an all-electric Mercedes-Benz EQV available too (from $157,450) – and the electric LDV MIFA 9 goes as high as $129,000 plus ORCs.

The four-seat version of the 2023 Lexus LM is equipped with 19-inch alloy wheels, an industry-leading 48-inch HD ultra-widescreen monitor, Mark Levinson premium surround sound system with 23 speakers, refrigerator and multifunction smartphone-style controller to adjust the cabin environment.

Where the 48-inch screen in the four-seat version is housed in a partition panel that separates the rear cabin from the front, the seven-seater model substitutes this with a 14-inch screen that deploys from the ceiling console (as it’s not equipped with the partition).

The magnesium-framed partition has a window in the top section that can be lowered or made opaque at the touch of a button to turn the rear into a completely private compartment.

The second-row seats have seven different massage functions, with programs lasting up to 15 minutes. Each pew can recline to a full-flat position, although this should be done only when the vehicle is stationary due to safety reasons.

There’s also a Climate Concierge that – with a single button press – adjusts air-conditioning, rear cabin lighting, window shades and seat recline position to preset preferences chosen by each rear-seat occupant.

The driver’s seat offers eight-way electric adjustment, and the front passenger seat offers four-way adjustability.

Access to the rear compartment is via powered sliding doors on either side.

There’s no crash test data available yet for the 2023 Lexus LM but, as you’d expect in a flagship offering from the premium brand, it comes equipped with a raft of standard safety kit.

All models are fitted with front, knee, side and curtain airbags, as well as a barrage of active safety features such as lane tracking assist, dynamic radar cruise control, pre-collision system, adaptive high beam, digital rear-view mirror and panoramic view monitor.

Although we’re generally not fans of digitised rear-view mirrors, the unit fitted in the LM provides a pin-sharp image of the view behind the vehicle and it genuinely works well, so we didn’t lament the absence of the usual reflective mirror.

Customers (at least in Europe) can equip their LM with an optional extended safety package. This includes lane change assistance (LCA), which provides automatic lane change steering (when the turn indicators are used in highway driving).

The package also includes front cross traffic alert which uses radar monitoring to detect and warn the driver of traffic approaching from either side when emerging from a junction at low speed.

Unlike most other minivans that have commercial vehicle-derived underpinnings, the 2023 Lexus LM is built on Toyota’s GA-K platform that’s also used by the likes of the Toyota Kluger and Lexus NX and RX models.

Lexus execs say the payoff comes in the form of much greater refinement, agility and tactility than other high-sided people-movers, which is consistent with the upmarket positioning of the LM.

The AWD models we drove feature Lexus’s Direct4 all-wheel drive system, with the transversely mounted petrol engine and an electric motor powering the front axle and the rear eAxle (driven by an additional electric motor housed within the axle) kicking in not only to enhance acceleration, but also to stabilise the vehicle.

The nose tends to lift in a front-wheel drive car under hard acceleration, so the Direct4 system is designed to counteract this by distributing the drive force to all four wheels.

It’s the same principle, but in reverse, under heavy braking, with brake force distributed across all four wheels to counteract the vehicle’s nose diving.

The Direct4 is also said to make for better cornering characteristics by providing torque vectoring of sorts.

The 2023 Lexus LM 350h we drove on the international launch is propelled by a hybrid powertrain that pairs a transverse-mounted 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine with two electric motors – one that supplements the petrol engine in powering the front axle and another that drives the rear eAxle.

The petrol engine pushes out 140kW and 239Nm, while the front electric motor chips in with an additional 134kW and 270Nm.

The rear electric motor is good for 40kW and 121Nm.

The LM uses a nickel-metal hydride battery (rather than lithium-ion), as we’ve come to expect from Toyota/Lexus hybrid vehicles.

Total system output of the hybrid powertrain is quoted at 184kW, which yields a 0-100km/h split of 9.1sec and top speed of 190km/h for the 2.3-tonne people-mover.

As with the Toyota/Lexus norm for hybrids, drive is relayed to the wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Lexus quotes an overall consumption figure of 5.6L/100km for the Lexus LM, according to the NEDC cycle, which seems a tidy figure for a vehicle that stretches 5125mm long, 1890mm wide and 1930mm tall.

In other words, it’s a substantial box that needs to displace a lot of air at cruising speeds.

The 2023 Lexus LM is a pleasant (if unexciting) vehicle to drive. There’s a nice crispness and weight to the steering, and the driving position is excellent; you get a commanding view of the road ahead.

The hybrid powertrain provides respectable performance, but the fact it’s hooked up to a CVT (a transmission that we’re not huge fans of) results in a noisy drone under moderate to heavy throttle loads.

Lexus execs say they persist with the CVT as it’s durable and efficient but, in our view, the LM would be much more refined and pleasant to drive with one of the excellent automatics available today.

It doesn’t help that the four-cylinder engine sounds distinctly coarse, and our opinion is that the Toyota/Lexus 3.5-litre V6 would have been a much better choice for a vehicle that’s positioned at the top of the food chain.

But driving is not really what the LM is about as no one (and we mean no one) will buy this vehicle to drive it themselves.

Being in the back is what it’s all about, and we’ll get to that in the next section…

The real USP of the 2023 Lexus LM vis-a-vis the traditional limo and luxo-SUV opposition is that there’s acres of sprawling room in the rear compartment.

Regardless of whether you opt for the four-seat VIP configuration or the seven-seater, the second-row seats are superbly comfortable.

You won’t find better in any competitor, so there’s some credence to Lexus’ claim that the LM offers a ‘First Class’ travel experience.

With the seat reclined, Ottoman deployed and glass screen in the partition raised, it’s as though you’re ensconced in a deluxe train compartment.

If there’s the prospect of several hours on the road ahead, you can simply stretch out and have a superb siesta. Or, for busy execs on the go, there’s a fold-out tray table on which you can place your laptop or tablet and crack on with business.

The other mod-cons – such as the 48-inch HD screen, Climate Concierge and refrigerator – all help to take the sting out of long hours on the road.

That said, the user interface for all the gadgetry (via a pair of handheld mobile phone-like devices) is certainly not intuitive, and you’re unlikely to get anywhere unless you read the user manual.

Another area where we feel Lexus has dropped the ball is in not using real wood or metal as trim elements in the cabin. What you get instead is hard plastic that does a poor job of imitating these materials.

Refinement levels in the back are reasonable, but there’s quite a bit of wind noise at speeds above 110km/h and the suspension is unable to iron out sharp corrugations in the road.

There’s 752 litres of luggage space in the four-seat LM, but only 110 litres with all pews up in the seven-seat model; folding down the rear bench boosts capacity to 1191 litres.

The argument in favour of buying a 2023 Lexus LM is that it makes sense for busy executives who spend a lot of time on the road.

Instead of the journey being dead time, passengers can rest and arrive refreshed or crack on with whatever work is pending.

The LM also seems well suited as a shuttle for top-tier hotels and chauffeur fleets that regularly transport VIPs.

In our view, it makes slightly less sense for retail buyers, as a conventional limo – the Lexus LS, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, et al – seemingly offers more bang for your buck.

Apart from being nicer to drive, these vehicles are also likely to earn you more carpark kudos at your exclusive private golf club.

2023 Lexus LM 350h AWD Sports Luxury at a glance:
Price: $165,888 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Early 2024 (2WD: December 2023)
Powertrain: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric
Output: 140kW/239Nm (electric motors: 134kW/270Nm front; 40kW/121Nm rear)
Combined output: 184kW
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 5.6L/100km (NEDC Combined)
CO2: 128g/km (NEDC Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested