With its limo-style partition, this global luxury minivan (would) bring flavor to our vanilla segment.
The 2024 Lexus LM “Luxury Mover” minivan debuted at 2023 Auto Shanghai, and it’s so full of luxurious badassery that we’ll forgive it for being, well, a minivan with sliding side doors and all that jazz.
Lexus expands the second-gen LM’s reach (the first-gen was launched in 2020 in China and other parts of Asia) to include 60 countries worldwide, including Europe and Japan. And no, one of those countries is not, as far as we know, the United States, so don’t get all pumped up about shopping for an upscale Lexus minivan if a regular ol’ Toyota Sienna just isn’t cutting it for ya.
The new Lexus LM—slightly larger than the outgoing model—has a pleasant profile, boxy but not brick-like and containing various contoured body lines that create depth and a premium look. The taillights appear connected via a bar spanning the hatch, the whole setup forming a smile. As for the front—it’s all “Spindle Body” grille. Blunt. Massive. If some grille is good, the LM thinks all-grille is best. Notice that the grille is body-color and that the grille and body seem to seamlessly morph into one, a theme common to the grilles adorning Lexus’s latest models such as the new RX crossover.
Above and beyond that front-end statement, the real fun happens inside those sliding side doors. (And we’re actually not talking about the excessive snacks, crayon markings, fast food trash, and window smears of the quintessential family minivan.) Although the Lexus LM comes in a cool three-row layout that seats six or seven, it’s the completely baller rear cabin of the two-row four-seater configuration that steals all the attention.
True, the four-seater is intended to be a luxurious chauffeur-driven MVP that transports two on-the-go executives to and fro, but let’s not rule out the possibility of family use—the chauffeurs being mom and dad, and the VIPs being the whiny, needy princesses and princes who need to be perfectly comfortable 100 percent of the time…which they would be in back of this Lexus LM.
There is a full partition (like in a limo) with two-level dimming retractable privacy glass separating the front cabin from the back. Bye-bye, kiddos, if ya know what we mean. Enjoy the 48-inch display built into the partition and the 23-speaker Mark Levinson 3D Surround sound system.
The rear-seat opulence starts with the massive captain chairs, into which Lexus put a lot of thought and design work in order to make the traveling experience as wonderful as possible. The “throne-style seat” recliners (with foot rests) fold-flat for on-the-go rest. (Who needs a rooftop tent when you’ve got these seats?) They allegedly combat head sway to create a stable line of sight while reducing low-frequency vibrations, and they contain two types of shock-absorbing materials to help cushion occupants. There are retractable leather-wrapped tables stored inside the heated armrests. For passenger too small to experience the magic of the private-airplane-style captain chairs, there’s the LATCH system for car seats.
There’s also a refrigerated space (champagne, anyone?), umbrella storage, side shades, center console and glove box storage space, and tons of legroom. Fancy 64-color ambient mood lighting with 14 themed colors and 50 custom colors keep the proper mood, and Lexus Rear Climate Concierge saves preferences for climate control, sunshades, interior lighting, and seat position. The air conditioning automatically adjusts thanks to a Warmth-Sensing IR (infrared) Matrix Sensor on the portion that detects the temperatures of occupants and the surrounding windows, trim, and ceiling. Functions including seat position, climate, and audio can be manipulated via controllers on the console arm rests. Lexus has designed the interior to stay quiet (but not unnaturally quiet).
The 2024 Lexus LM has standard AWD and will be powered by a 2.4-liter hybridized turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid or a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid.
Is the Lexus LM minivan a next-level luxury transporter, the alpha of all minivans? We’d love the chance to find out, but for now, we’ll have to drool over this royally unobtainable people mover from afar.
Source: motortrend
