Lexus LM: Nice but what about the price?

by Chris Riley What is it? Back in the old days people thought the world was flat. They thought that if you sailed far enough you would e...

by Chris Riley

What is it?

Back in the old days people thought the world was flat.

They thought that if you sailed far enough you would eventually fall off the edge.

Lexus engineers seem to think the same thing, because the front doors of its new LM people mover won't stay open on a slope.

Then there’s the heavy, power-operated, second-row seats which won't move forward and stay forward to access to the third row when the vehicle is also parked on a slope.

For a luxury vehicle with a price tag to match, it’s a bit rich.

What’s it cost?

Prices start from an astonishing $160K, making it one of the world's most expensive vans.

For a van it is, the Lexus equivalent of the Toyota Granvia which in turn is based on the HiAce commercial van.

That's more than the Mercedes-Benz EQV people mover, which is essentially a fully electric version of the V-Class.

Launched in 2019, the first generation LM was not offered here. 

The version currently for sale in Australia, the second generation, was launched in 2023.

With its prominent cascading front grille and a fashionable LED strip that spans the width of the rear, it’s hard to miss.

LM is offered with a choice of two powertrains, both of them petrol-electric hybrids, and a choice of four or seven seats (we don't take the six).

There's three grades from which to choose: LM 350h 2WD Sports Luxury ($160,888), LM 350h AWD Sports Luxury ($165,888) and LM 500h AWD Ultra Luxury ($220,888).

LM is offered in a choice of four exterior colours: Sonic Quartz, Titanium, Graphite Black, and the newly introduced Scarlet Crimson - all available with either Black or Solis White upholstery.

Riding on 19-inch aluminium wheels, it’s equipped with LED headlights with adaptive high-beam, lots of other LEDs, auto-folding and dimming exterior mirrors with heating and memory function, automatic retractable side steps, UV/acoustic glass for the front and sliding doors, rear quarter and back door privacy glass and a pair of fixed moon roofs with independent left/right sunshade control.

It’s the tip of the iceberg because the main attraction is the plush fit out where no expense appears to have been spared, from deep pile carpet to semi-aniline leather.

Driver and front seat passenger sit on leather-accented, heated and ventilated seats, with Takumi-inspired 'Yabane' woodgrain trim.

But the piece-de-resistance can be found in the back, specifically the second row, where one lucky pair get to recline in individual armchairs.

Trimmed in perforated "L-aniline leather" (still trying to find out what this actually is) the fully reclinable chairs feature extendable footrests, with massage, heating and ventilation as well as heated armrests and ottoman -- all controlled via separate remote control screens.

An extended overhead console, also finished in Yabane woodgrain, houses a 14.0-inch rear-seat entertainment system on LM 350h grades.

The LM 500h dispenses with the third row and slots in a 48cm flat screen TV.

Thick anti-UV glass and active noise control shut out the road noise.

A 14.0-inch touchscreen dominates the dashboard, with DAB+ digital radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto -- not to mention a 21-speaker Mark Levinson audio.

The centre console features a wireless smartphone charger and two USB-C ports, with an additional USB-C port, 12V socket and HDMI port in the console box which cleverly opens from either side.

You’ll find more charge ports in the back plus another drop-down 14.0-inch screen and entertainment system.

LM comes standard with a comprehensive suite of safety features, starting with the Pre Collision System which offers vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle and daytime motorcycle detection.

Highlights include intersection assistance which is designed to help the driver avoid collisions when turning at intersections, providing braking in some circumstances.

Acceleration suppression is designed to avoid collisions when the accelerator is pressed strongly during low-speed driving.

Curve speed reduction helps navigate tighter corners by suppressing vehicle speed if the system deems it necessary.

Head-up display projects relevant information in the lower part of the windscreen, while an emergency driving stop system checks to make sure you keep your eyes on the road at all times.

Beware because in extreme situations it can bring the vehicle to a complete stop without intervention from the driver.

LM comes with a complimentary three-year subscription to Lexus Encore Platinum, providing a range of benefits including Lexus On Demand which lets customers borrow a Lexus of their choice up to four times over the subscription period -- for up to eight days each time.

Valet Parking is also available at participating Westfield shopping centres which allows owners to enjoy eight complimentary valet parking visits over three years.

Platinum features are in addition to standard Encore benefits which include capped price servicing, complimentary loan cars when a vehicle is serviced and a comprehensive roadside assistance program.

A three-year subscription to Lexus Connected Services is also part of the deal, while automatic collision notification, SOS emergency call and app functionality are included for the lifetime of the vehicle.

What’s it go like?

In the words of my wife, it's nice to drive.

And the LM is, it really is. It's quiet, it’s luxurious and comfortable, and driving it is an easy and relaxing experience.

The driving position is elevated and forward vision is expansive.

But the view through the rear window is obscured by the drop down rear entertainment screen and a large centre third-row headrest.

Over the shoulder is not terrific either, especially with the privacy blinds deployed.

The kids loved it too. There's so many gadgets to play with, it is like an amusement park back there.

But we can't help feeling the big Lexus is a little too clever for its own good.

The infotainment system is not intuitive, not by a long shot.

During our week with the car many features seemed to work sometimes, but not at others.

We found ourselves really having to work to make a lot of the tech work -- and that's not good.

In the end it becomes frustrating.

Seven-seat 350h actually sits on the same platform as many other Lexus and Toyota models, including Camry and RAV4.

The hybrid-only powertrain line-up starts with the 2.5-litre normally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine with a permanent magnet synchronous motor on the front axle, that produces a combined 184kW with claimed fuel consumption of 5.5L/100km (FWD) or 5.6L/100km (AWD).

AWD grades add a second electric motor for the rear axle to facilitate e-Four all-wheel drive.

Both are paired with a CVT-style continuously variable transmission.

The flagship LM 500h combines a 202kW/460Nm 2.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine, hybrid front transaxle and rear electric motor to produce a combined 273kW with DIRECT4 all-wheel-drive.

It is teamed with a conventional six-speed automatic and uses 6.6L/100km on the combined cycle.

Performance is a bit lack-lustre and it starts to get noisy when you put the boot in, for instance on long hills.

Despite its size, we found it easy to park.

But the automatic braking system is a bit gun-shy and will brake hard and suddenly if it senses danger nearby, such as a hedge.

Teammate advanced park registers familiar parking spaces such as home or work and can park the van fully automatically.

With a 60-litre tank and 95 premium unleaderequired, we were getting 8.0L/100km in the 350h AWD after 530km of mixed driving.

It’s a long way from the claimed figure but still not bad for a vehicle of this size – but it's no Camry Hybrid.

As mentioned earlier, we had problems with access to the doors and access to the third row of seats when parked on an incline.

The front doors swing shut easily, while the power-operated sliding rear doors take a while to get going, and it is easy to upset the sequence if you become impatient and push the button a second time.

For some reason the driver's side door refused to fully open at one stage, making access to the rear even harder than it already was.

Tilt the second row seats forward, then move the seat forward and it bounces back when it reaches the end of its run behind the front seats.

They would not lock and they didn't just rumble back, they slid quickly in an uncontrolled manner.

Second row seats by the way are the only positions with top tethers that can take a child seat, so you may want to hide the remote controls.

The front touchscreen is woefully slow to respond and you really need to pause between entering letters of street names in the satnav or you will end up with only half the name.

Even then the system seemed to have trouble finding its location and offered little in the way of approaching street names and a countdown to turns.

We sailed straight past one freeway exit because it failed to alert us in time.

Many features cannot be adjusted while the vehicle is in motion and this apparently applies to the height of the head-up display which refused to budge.

Then there’s cruise control and the control buttons on the steering wheel.

There's no labels, just arrows  -- you have to work it out for yourself.

Seriously?

What we like?

• Comfortable
• Luxurious
• Easy to drive
• Relatively economical

What we don’t like?

• Costs too much
• Infotainment controls not intuitive
• Second row seats movement 
• Satnav needs work

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The bottom line?

As much as we found the Lexus LM enjoyable to drive, we were glad to hand it back at the end of our week behind the wheel.

Trying to get everything to work as it should the first time takes the shine off the experience.

$160K? Pull the other one!

 

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