The 2025 Lexus LM is the $300k luxury minivan we can't have | Reviews

In North America, we like our expensive cars to look like they’re expensive. The most popular luxury models sold here are mostly SUVs with gleaming chrome grills, large luxury badges, and massive black wheels. To all who see them, these rolling palaces advertise that the person inside is one of means. But in other parts of the world, namely Japan, there is a somewhat different style of luxury transport — one where the luxury is strictly on the inside.

From the outside, the Lexus LM doesn’t really give too much away. To our North American eyes, it resembles a luxury version of the Toyota Sienna minivan. It has a very tall, almost vertical chrome grill and some tasteful stainless accents around the interior. The wheels are pleasing to the eye, but not outwardly ostentatious like the massive rims with floating centre caps you’d find on a Rolls-Royce.

And yet, this unassuming van carries a list price equivalent to over $250,000 Canadian (US$180,000). You may be asking “Why in the world this minivan is so expensive?” You’ll have to open the doors to find out.?

What is the Lexus LM minivan?

• The Lexus LM is a luxury minivan not sold in Canada

This is the Lexus LM, and for once those two letters do not stand for “Le Mans”; instead, they denote that this Lexus is a Luxury Mover. Yes, really. It’s based on the Toyota Alphard van, which is actually completely different from the Toyota Sienna minivan we get here in Canada. Compared to the Sienna, the LM is five centimetres (two inches) shorter in length, 10.4 cm (four inches) narrower, and a full 17.9 cm (seven inches) taller! Within that space, you can specify the LM with a seven-, six-, or four-seat layout. And let me tell you, the four-seat version is where it’s at.?

Interior features in the Lexus LM

• Fully-reclining seats in the rear, widescreen TV, electrochromic glass window to separate front and rear cabins, and more

Up front, you have a nicely trimmed cockpit for two with all the usual fixings, like heated seats and power adjustments for seat and steering wheel. But the big news lies beyond the limo-style partition. In the back, you’ll find two fully-reclining seats — more similar to what you might find in a private jet rather than a luxury minivan.

Basically, these two seats occupy what would have been the van’s third row; and as for that second row of seats, they’re nowhere to be found in this setup. There’s a comfy and broad padded armrest between the two chairs that houses various cubbies and seat controls. The seats are heated, cooled, massaging, and fully recline-able. Not only does the backrest lie nearly flat, a padded ottoman style footrest folds out in front to support and relax your weary legs.

This, my friends, is living.?

You can control the climate, seat, music, and more through a small cell-phone-sized “tablet” found in the centre armrest. There are two wireless tablets, one for each passenger, so you won’t be encumbered by any cords. For your own phone, there is a discreet wireless charging pad (with additional USB-C ports) located behind a soft-close panel next to your outside elbow.?

Once you’ve set your (dual-zone) climate just so, and arranged your seat to your liking, you can turn your attention to the large partition wall between the front seats and the rear passenger cabin. There is an electrochromic glass window that can be raised or lowered; it can also turn from clear to opaque with the touch of a button.

Below that is a very wide screen on which you can watch live TV, or media from your phone. Truth be told, I never quite figured out how to display different media on the screen, but I was able to watch some of the product experts set it up, so I know it’s possible.

Admittedly, in this entire experience, the only component that doesn’t feel consummately premium is the aged and basic Toyota-Lexus digital interface for the screen and tablets. It’s basically the same as you’d find in any other Lexus product, which is to say it’s a bit fussy and hardly sleek in its design. It?isn’t what I’d want to find in a car that’s so very expensive.

Can Canadians buy the Lexus LM?

• If it was sold in Canada, the Lexus LM would cost nearly $300,000

The Lexus LM is primarily intended for the Japanese market, but it is currently sold in 60 countries globally. Notably, Canada and the U.S. are not included in the countries where you can buy it. Canada’s minivan market isn’t as great as it once was, but even if numbers picked up in the segment, there likely wouldn’t be a market for a luxury minivan of this sort.

If the LM were to be sold in U.S., the price would be in the scope of some US$180,000. Mind you, that’s for the fully-kitted-out, luxury four-seat version. In Canadian dollars, a quick currency conversion puts that price in the ballpark of $259,000 (before taxes).?

That price would put it squarely in the territory of a well-o