Four years after its debut, Lexus has now revealed the next generation of its LM minivan with the Japanese brand promising to up the ante on automotive luxury. Making its debut at the Shanghai Auto Show, the LM is set to launch in over 60 countries, including in Europe and Japan for the very first time. Unfortunately, if you’re in America, you’ll have to satisfy your minivan cravings with something else, because this ride won’t be hitting the US market anytime soon.
The luxurious people-mover benefits from a number of enhancements for the 2024 model year. A lot of work was done on improving the core strength of the LM, including torsional rigidity that has been increased by 50% with this new generation. The improvements were achieved by fitting new braces on the radiator support and rear underfloor, creating a straight rocker structure, and enhancing the quarter pillars.
Lexus has also equipped the new LM with its advanced ‘AVS Suspension with Frequency-Sensitive Piston Valve.’ This system combines an Adaptive Variable Suspension actuator with a frequency-sensitive piston valve in the shock absorber resulting in a smoother ride quality with reduced vibrations. Overall, these enhancements should ensure a more comfortable ride for passengers, making the LM an even more appealing choice for discerning minivan buyers.
Given that the LM is all about transporting passengers in comfort, it comes as no surprise that Lexus invested a lot of time and resources into making it feel even more premium. For example, it analyzed passenger body movements in developing the new seats, even going as far as to ensure that they reduce head movement and stabilize an occupant’s line of sight. The LM’s front seats are also designed to better hold the body, while the second-row seats feature two types of shock-absorbing materials that reduce vibrations when stationary and during movement
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Lexus will offer the new LM in 4-, 6-, and 7-seat configurations. The 4-seat model is the most luxurious of all and comes with a partition between the front and rear seats, a 48-inch widescreen display, a refrigerator, distinctive storage compartments, and even heated armrests and ottomans. There is even an advanced heating and cooling system that detects the temperature of a passenger in their face, chest, thighs, and lower legs and controls the HVAC to ensure your whole body is at the perfect temperature.
A raft of safety features also come standard as part of the Lexus Safety System+. This setup includes a Pre-crash safety system encompassing Pre-Collision Warning, Pre-Collision Brake Assist, and Pre-Collision Braking. It also has Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert, and even an Abnormal Driver Response System that monitors the driver’s posture when the lane tracing assist system is enabled and if it determines the driver cannot continue driving, it will flash the hazards and gently decelerate.
Lexus has not yet released full powertrain specifications for the new LM, other than confirming that it will be available in two hybrid configurations: a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid and a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid.
