New Lexus LM 2023 review

Verdict

The Lexus LM is a brand new kind of automotive for us Europeans, but regardless of its relative oddness does a superb job of channelling superior luxurious. More a movable lounge than a automotive, the LM pampers its occupants like nothing else this aspect of a Lear Jet. The solely factor lacking is the in-cabin crew.

This is the Lexus LM, a brand new kind of flagship boasting unparalleled luxurious and unimaginable options. Easily breaking a six-figure value level it enters a brand new style for the Japanese model, and similar to Lexus did 30 years in the past with the LS, modifications the luxurious automotive recreation. Available in base – however nonetheless fantastically outfitted – seven seat kind and this top-spec four-seater Takumi mannequin, the LM is Lexus’s new-age thought of a contemporary luxurious automotive, and makes a really compelling case for itself. 

A square-sided individuals provider won’t naturally assume a luxurious standing, however these types of high-end vans have been discovering an viewers amongst chauffeur and transport corporations in Asian markets for years. More lately, personal consumers have additionally been getting in on the motion, and after a lot success with the first-generation LM, this all-new second iteration will now be constructed and offered as a world mannequin, with gross sales beginning within the UK at a value above the normal LS saloon. 

Don’t let these armoire-like proportions idiot you, although, as whereas it’d seem like a glitzed up industrial automobile, the LM350h is as an alternative based mostly on the extra subtle GA-Ok highway automotive platform as utilized by the NX and RX SUVs. Featuring a 247bhp hybrid powertrain with both entrance or all-wheel drive, it pairs a conventional Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder petrol engine and Toyota’s self-charging hybrid system.

From behind the wheel the LM drives with a outstanding degree of smoothness. Ride high quality is phenomenal, isolating bumps with finesse but remaining managed even over complicated undulations. This is totally because of the subtle car-based suspension, and whereas the centre of gravity is excessive, a part of this distinctive journey high quality comes right down to the Lexus’s capability to regulate that mass, even on twistier nation roads. Aside from the lofty driving place and seemingly endless windscreen, there’s no indication that that is something aside from an ultra-luxurious Lexus.

It’s not a quick automotive, although, reaching 62mph in 8.7 seconds in all-wheel drive fashions. In truth the hassle required of the powertrain to get the LM’s bulk shifting is probably the one black mark towards its luxurious ambiance, with the drone of its CVT-driven petrol engine being the one supply of undesirable noise contained in the cabin. Drive it in a extra stately method, nevertheless, and it’s a tremendous powertrain for the job. It’s additionally comparatively frugal, being able to round 39mpg, and when pootling by means of cities and cities – which might be its extra widespread setting – retains a capability to rely largely on its electrical motor, lowering powertrain-associated noise and vibrations to nearly nil. 

There are differing drive modes, with a hilarious Sports setting, plus Eco and Comfort modes. But distinctive to the LM is an extra Comfort Rear mode, which creates a selected set of calibrations to the steering, throttle, and adaptive suspension centered on benefiting the rear-seat passengers. In truth, the LM’s unwavering give attention to this core deliverable is what leaves the most important impression, and one which’s completely distinctive within the UK market. 

Wait for the sliding rear door to effortlessly glide open and also you’re greeted to a cabin that’s opulent to the intense, with a sea of soft-touch plastics and high-grade leather-based. All fashions have glazed sections within the roof, with a ceiling-mounted console that includes book-matched timber veneer and bodily controls for all of your air flow and lighting. But it’s the Takumi mannequin with simply the 2 captain’s chairs and a central divider housing a large 48-inch display screen which creates the massive preliminary impression. But sink into the unbelievably comfy rear chairs, recline again (to nearly flat, if you want), choose one in all 5 therapeutic massage capabilities and also you’d be laborious pressed to discover a extra luxurious expertise on 4 wheels.  

We might go on concerning the toys and devices, however its greatest draw is that in contrast to a Mercedes S-Class or BMW 7 Series, the LM350h doesn’t actually really feel like a luxurious automotive, moderately a Lear Jet that simply so occurs to by no means go away the bottom. 

Lexus is assured that there might be a marketplace for such a automotive right here in Europe, and it’s a confidence that’s been ratified by the very fact it’s already over-subscribed. As it stands, Lexus UK has over 170 models already on pre-order, which is sort of 9 occasions the standard annual quantity of its LS flagship. 

So whereas the luxurious saloon market may be shrinking, luxurious automotive consumers now have another van-shaped cause to not trouble going again.