The luxury MPV is a curiosity at first glance but, the longer you spend examining it, the more sense it makes. The taller form factor liberates oodles of headroom while making ingress/egress much easier than sedans in which one has to crouch, or SUVs in which one has to climb into. There’s a lot more flexibility to the interior from the factory, let alone the larger space for customisation. The Lexus LM is the ultimate exponent of the genre of luxury MPVs, based on the Toyota Vellfire, which is the Toyota’s version of this interesting vehicle. The Lexus LM starts at Rs 2 crore (ex-showroom) in India for the seven-seater VIP trim and Rs 2.5 crore (ex-showroom) for the extra-premium four-seater Ultra Luxury trim.
When Lexus make a luxury version of an already luxurious Toyota, they leave no stone unturned and the new LM is no exception. The main features one sees upon stepping in, which are not present in any car in the world (at least according to Lexus), certify the position of the Lexus LM as a technological tour-de-force.
These features include a 48-inch ultra-wide screen with single-dual-screen viewing options which is operated by a removable rear multi-function panel. There is an Infrared matrix sensor A-C capable of sensing warmth of rear seat occupants with integrated control of air-conditioners and heaters targeted at the face, chest, upper legs, and lower leg areas. It even has three preset modes: Focus, Relax, and Energise—we assume they do what it says on the label. There’s also a ridiculously long power seat slide rail, measuring 480 mm to be exact, with power slide and manual slide settings. The rear seat can be folded to neutral for luggage space, even when the second row is reclined. Finally, there are frequency-sensitive piston valves inside the shock-absorbers that control the damping force to keep the road surface irregularities where they belong—outside the car.
The features and technologies that Lexus are debuting on the LM, but which are not world-firsts, are a removable remote panel at the rear, heated arm-rests and ottomans, separate front/rear audio output system that allows occupants to each listen to separate audio sources, a “Rear Climate Concierge” which provides integrated control of the comfort equipment, door easy closer (e-Latch Closer), a see-saw handle power-sliding door switch, vehicle braking posture control (Roll Control), satin-effect hot stamping grille and finally a hollow, clamshell-type front suspension lower arm.
There really isn’t another car quite like the Lexus LM so comparing it to non-existent rivals is sort of pointless. If you want one, go and get one, as exclusivity is guaranteed.
