- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 7 seats
- Engine
2.5i/134kW Hybrid, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
318kW (comb), 270Nm
- Fuel
Hybrid (95) 5.6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto (CVT)
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2024 Lexus LM350h Sports Luxury people mover review
Could a $170K luxury people mover be what big Australian families have been calling for to end the SUV craze? Or will Lexus's seven-seat scene stealer appeal to an entirely different buyer type? Glenn Butler goes for a chauffeur-driven ride to find out.
- Interior fit-out and spaciousness
- Seats are sublime
- Fuel efficiency is great for such a big car
- Second-row seats don't fully recline
- Ride quality falls short of luxury intentions
- Luggage space is tiny with all three rows in place
2024 Lexus LM350h Sports Luxury
Australians fall into two camps when it comes to people movers.
Some see people movers as little better than fridges on wheels – an emotionless and style-devoid surrender to the mobile realities of family life. These people wouldn't be seen dead in an MPV, and instead fill their driveway with tougher-looking SUVs fulfilling the exact-same role less efficiently and more expensively. Let's call these folk The Vast Majority.
The second group is much smaller and unusual because it is actually made up of two opposing subsets. The first is the aforementioned emotionally drained parents who just need to move their screaming brats (and bratty friends) from one sporting location to another all weekend and don't care what they look like.
They're easy to spot, firstly because they dressed in the dark, shrugging blindly into brightly coloured Target trakkies with a stained oversized t-shirt and mismatched socks. A hat or beanie hides hair they forgot to style, and they shuffle everywhere with the defeated slump of filial slavery.
The other subset is similar in some ways, yet totally opposite in others. Their vehicle choice is also driven by family needs, but this family is of the extended kind, often including uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents and some folk they just befriended. Their loud and lurid clothing is not the result of an oh-dark-thirty alarm, but is instead carefully chosen to express their own unique style, which is about three trends left of Paris.
These folk choose people movers over SUVs mainly because they're shunned by the masses. They're the reason modern people movers like the Alphard, Granvia, Velfire, and the Lexus LM we're driving here all have grilles bright enough to blind an A380 at cruising altitude and big enough to swallow every abhorrent SUV on the road.
Sadly, this Lexus LM people mover is not for either of those typical people-mover buyer types. It is simply too expensive. Nor is it intended to help SUV lemmings see the people-moving light. No, the Lexus LM is a people mover for hotels, limousine companies, and chauffeur-driven captains of industry who don't care if they're seen in a Japanese van instead of a European luxury saloon.
How much is a Lexus LM350h?
The Lexus LM people mover is the most expensive Lexus on sale in Australia today.
The Lexus LM range starts with the 'entry-level' LM350h Sports Luxury at $160,888 for front-wheel drive or $165,888 for the all-wheel-drive variant we're testing here. Both are seven-seaters and loaded to the hilt with luxury, which I'll get to.
For comparison purposes, the Kia Carnival – Australia's best-selling people mover – starts from $47,480 and tops out at $67,580, and nobody ever accused the top-spec Carnival of being short on luxury.
Clearly, Lexus begs to differ. The LM350h has a features list longer than its three-metre wheelbase and probably more luxurious than the Kia Marketing Director's lounge room. But even it can't hold a candle to the LM500h flagship hitting showrooms later this month.
The LM500h Ultra Luxury has a starting price of $220,888 plus on-road costs. That makes it more expensive than Lexus's luxury limousine, the LS500 sedan ($200,790), more expensive than Lexus's luxury two-door convertible the LC500 ($218,242), and more expensive than Lexus's luxury off-roader based on the Toyota LandCruiser, the LX600 Ultra Luxury ($213,561).
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So, if you're rich, like to show off, and you want the most expensive Lexus money can buy, time to get a people mover!
The irony is, if you opt for the most expensive Lexus LM500h, you barely get half the seat-count of the cheaper one. Still, those two seats in the back are unrivalled for automotive comfort and leg room and recline fully flat like a business-class airplane seat.
Even though the Lexus LM is a people mover, it's never going to be cross-shopped with the Kia Carnival. The Lexus is, instead, a chauffeur limousine rival for the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and other luxury sedans.
It's probably also an alternative to luxury SUVs from those same brands, and Range Rover, again on the assumption that the owner is not the driver, but instead has a driver in their employ.
READ MORE: 2024 Lexus LM price and specs
Key details | 2024 Lexus LM350h Sports Luxury AWD |
Price | $165,888 plus on-road costs |
Colour of test car | Titanium |
Options | Solis White interior – No cost option |
Price as tested | $165,888 plus on-road costs |
Drive-away price | $185,614 |
Rivals | Kia Carnival | BMW 7 Series | Lexus LX600 |
How big is a Lexus LM350h?
The Lexus LM350h is a long vehicle, measuring 5.13m from front to back, which is longer than the brand's biggest SUV, the LandCruiser-based LX600. It's also 10cm taller, all of which makes for loads of room inside its opulent cabin.
Entry is gained via electrically sliding doors on both sides, revealing two individual business class seats in the middle row, and a more compact three-seater bench in the rear between the wheel arches.
The two middle seats have built-in tables and touchscreens so occupants can work on the go and control all the cabin's comforts, including a monster TV screen that descends from the roof. They also have a massaging function and can recline to the point where third-row occupants will lose feeling in their legs.
White is the colour of choice on the seats and most interior surfaces – except the floor, which features a plush black carpet. The LM350h is also available with a more serviceable black interior for no additional cost.
On the go, the second row is bliss. The seats are soft and cosseting while also providing good body support. Thick window glass and clever Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) technology reduces unwanted sounds like tyre and engine noise, making it the quietest cabin of any vehicle with a sub-$200K price tag.
Conversely, the third row is far less accommodating. It's simply not wide enough for three adults, even though there are three seatbelts. Three kids would fit, but their resulting squabbles would ruin the ambience for everyone else.
That may not be a problem, because this vehicle is not going to be bought by families. Instead, it's for business types, which means an executive assistant or two squashing in back there.
The third row does offer some flexibility for human cargo placement, but it also robs the second row of the ability to recline fully. A First World problem, perhaps?
There's a slim boot behind the third row that can take a couple of carry-on suitcases standing up. The third row backrests can be folded down, allowing more luggage to be stacked on top. The rear seats can also be folded up to the sides, giving even more luggage space should the need arise. It's a slightly awkward arrangement, and not as neat as the fold-into-floor movement of a Carnval's third row.
Equipment levels are suitably generous. Multi-zone climate control, electric doors, windows and seats...
Now, what about the front row and the driver's seat? I'm not sure owners will care, given this is where the hired help sits. Let's just say it's in keeping with the rest of the cabin: loads of leather and woodgrain, and electric adjustability on everything.
The main talking points up front are Lexus's huge latest-generation infotainment touchscreen and digital driver's instrument display, which I'll get into in the section below.
2024 Lexus LM350h Sports Luxury AWD | |
Seats | Seven |
Boot volume | 110L seats up 1191L seats folded |
Length | 5130mm |
Width | 1890mm |
Height | 1940mm |
Wheelbase | 3000mm |
Does the Lexus LM350h have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
The Lexus LM has a 14-inch central infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. In addition to that, there's a second 14-inch entertainment system for second-row occupants, plus the driver's instrument cluster is a 12.3-inch digital information display too.
All the usual digital systems are here, including satellite navigation and DAB+ digital radio, and all can be controlled via the "Hey Lexus" natural language voice recognition system.
There are no less than seven USB-C ports dotted around the cabin, along with two HDMI ports for playing video on the screens, a 12V charging point and a 220V domestic power socket.
System playback is handled by a 21-speaker Mark Levinson audio system. There's also a Qi wireless charging pad up front.
Lexus offers the Lexus Connected smartphone app, which allows remote access to the vehicle's odometer reading, fuel levels and remaining range, recent trip data and the vehicle's last known location.
The app can also tell owners if the car's doors are locked and allow the owner to remotely start the engine, horn, lights and climate control.
Is the Lexus LM350h a safe car?
The Lexus LM has not been crash-tested by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), nor has the European equivalent Euro NCAP.
Lexus has furnished the LM's interior with six airbags, namely front and front-side airbags for the driver and front passenger, and curtain airbags covering all three rows.
What safety technology does the Lexus LM350h have?
Lexus equips the LM350h with its Lexus Safety Sense+ suite of active safety features. Sounds good, and it is, but making sense of Lexus's (and Toyota's) bespoke naming is not easy. We'll give it a go in the table below.
Commendably, Lexus does democratise active safety, fitting the same standards of safety to both the LM350h and the more expensive LM500h.
Lexus also includes the Teammate Advanced Park feature, which automates parallel and perpendicular parking.
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) | Yes | Includes cyclist, pedestrian and junction awareness |
Adaptive Cruise Control | Yes | Operates at all speeds |
Blind Spot Alert | Yes | Alert only |
Rear Cross-Traffic Alert | Yes | Alert and assist functions |
Lane Assistance | Yes | Lane-departure warning and lane-trace assist with centring function |
Road Sign Recognition | Yes | Includes partial 'speed limit assist' functionality |
Driver Attention Warning | Yes | Called a driver monitor camera |
Cameras & Sensors | Yes | Front and rear sensors and 360-degree cameras |
How much does the Lexus LM350h cost to run?
Lexus offers capped-price servicing for the LM350h starting at $695 per service for the first five years or 75,000km – service intervals are 15,000km or 12 months, whichever ticks over first.
Lexus upgraded its warranty to five years, unlimited kilometres in 2021, putting it on par with most major mainstream and premium brands.
Lexus also offers the Encore Platinum Program with the LM350h, which guarantees a loan car during servicing, 24-hour roadside assist, and a number of travel and fine dining opportunities. Platinum members can also temporarily swap their LM for another Lexus four times within the five-year program, and take advantage of eight valet parking opportunities.
Insuring a $160K vehicle is not cheap. Our sample quote for comprehensive insurance obtained from a major retailer came in at $5319 per year, almost three times what a Kia Carnival costs to insure. We're providing this as a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
At a glance | 2024 Lexus LM350h Sports Luxury AWD |
Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
Battery warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
Servicing costs | $2085 (3 years) $3475 (5 years) |
Is the Lexus LM350h fuel-efficient?
Our 500km week of freeway and urban commuting in the LM350h AWD returned a fuel economy average of exactly 7.0 litres per 100 kilometres, which is on the respectable side for a 2355kg box on wheels with the aerodynamics of a house brick.
Sure, it's not on par with Lexus's claim of 5.6L/100km on the city/highway combined cycle, nor is it anywhere near Lexus's city claim of 6.0L/100km or the highway claim of 5.4L/100km. But a vehicle of this size and carrying capacity doing 7s is more than acceptable in today's world.
For what it's worth, the LM350h should do 700–800km between premium unleaded refills.
Fuel efficiency | 2024 Lexus LM350h Sports Luxury AWD |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 5.6L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 7.0L/100km |
Fuel type | 95-octane unleaded |
Fuel tank size | 60L |
What is the Lexus LM350h like to drive?
The Lexus LM350h is powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired with an electric motor. It's the same basic hybrid system found in the Toyota Kluger, and in typical Toyota fashion it's hard to get total system outputs.
Lexus claims the petrol engine produces 140kW and 239Nm. Lexus says the front electric motor produces 134kW and 270Nm, and the rear motor produces 40kW and 121Nm. Lexus also offers a "Maximum combined output" of 184kW. Make of that what you will.
What we made of it during our week-long test drive is that the Lexus LM350h's powertrain handles everyday driving in a manner suited to a limousine – relaxed, smooth and not stressed.
If you're running late for a meeting and get aggressive with the throttle, you'll notice a harshness to the engine at higher revs, but if your time management skills are on point, the LM will get you there without ruffling your executive feathers.
The LM350h has a continuously variable transmission – just like the Kluger – and it's well suited to this application.
Steering the big Lexus is relatively easy and fuss-free, although the steering wheel's more reclined angle makes it feel more like a bus than a car or SUV. Front and rear parking sensors and a surround-view camera take some of the stress out of tight manoeuvres.
The LM's ride quality is possibly the weakest link in the performance chain. It is acceptable in everyday driving, but is not the equal of a luxury saloon or luxury SUV. It can also react harshly to rougher roads and tarmac joins.
Some other cars at this price have multi-mode or air suspension. Lexus makes do with a less versatile variable damping force set-up that attempts to cushion occupants from hard hits while maintaining body control over softer-amplitude bumps.
Lexus has also softened the rear suspension to increase comfort levels for second and third-row passengers. This is noticeable, but what's also noticeable is a wallowing quality to the ride.
Lexus has taken an innovative – and somewhat counterintuitive – approach to reducing vehicle pitch and roll, and therefore reducing occupant forces in corners. Whereas some other luxury vehicles employ air suspension or interlinked dampers to remain flat, the LM350h instead applies small amounts of braking force to the inside rear wheel, effective pulling the van into the corner but also pulling the body down onto the road.
I mention it here only because the Lexus LM350h does do a good job resisting cornering forces, but this system is not the equal of those others I mentioned.
Ultimately, though, it won't matter. If the Lexus is leaning too much in corners, or pitching too much under brakes, fire the chauffeur because they're clearly driving too aggressively for a pillar of society such as yourself.
Key details | 2024 Lexus LM350h AWD |
Engine | 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol hybrid |
Power | 140kW @ 6000rpm petrol 134kW electric front 40kW electric rear 184kW combined |
Torque | 239Nm @ 4300–4500rpm petrol 270Nm electric front 121Nm electric rear |
Drive type | All-wheel drive |
Transmission | Continuously variable transmission |
Power-to-weight ratio | 78.1kW/t |
Weight (kerb) | 2355kg |
Spare tyre type | Space-saver |
Payload | 525kg |
Tow rating | N/A |
Turning circle | 13.0m |
How much weight can a Lexus LM350h tow?
Before we answer that question, let's look at payload limitations. The Lexus LM350h AWD weighs 2355kg and is rated to run at a maximum weight of 2880kg. That leaves 525kg for occupants, luggage, fuel and any accessories.
Take a full tank of fuel out of that equation (minus the 10L that kerb weight accounts for) and there's 488kg left to divide between seven occupants, or 70kg each.
If we assume a maximum of six occupants (because the back seat is too squishy for three across) then it's an average weight of 81kg each.
Now, towing. Forget it. Lexus does not provide a towing capacity rating for the LM350h. Perhaps they'd prefer you buy a Toyota HiAce instead to follow you around with your luggage.
Should I buy a Lexus LM350h?
If you run a large hotel or casino, then adding a Lexus LM350h to the fleet – and an LM500 for high rollers – may be a canny move. But I can't imagine it will impress guests as much as a BMW 7 Series or Lexus LS luxury sedan.
The LM's unique selling proposition is a compromised one. If you need six or seven seats, then luggage space is severely compromised. If you only need three or four seats, then a luxury saloon would be classier and equally as comfortable a ride.
But if you want the ultimate in people movers, don't mind spending big to get it, but don't want to spend much at the petrol bowser, then the Lexus LM350h appears to answer all your prayers.
How do I buy a Lexus LM350h? The next steps.
Lexus is not expecting the LM to sell in significant volumes, so supply will be tightly controlled. If you order a car today, expect to wait at least 4–6 weeks while the order is fulfilled.
The next step on the purchase journey is to check the Lexus website for stock of your preferred LM variant. You can also find Lexuses for sale at Drive.com.au/cars-for-sale.
We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ. Find your nearest Lexus dealer via this link.
If you want to stay updated with everything that's happened to this car since our review, you'll find all the latest news here.