LM customers can choose between a cabin layout of seven seats, without a central, chauffeuring-style cabin divider, or four seats, with a divider (as tested).
In the case of the cheaper seven-seater, second-row occupant space has been prioritised over that behind (the flip-up third-row chairs are meant for occasional use), and there is more cargo space than the four-seater model offers.
For back-seat passengers in the four-seater, however, every stop has been pulled out to make the travelling experience special. Large sliding side doors and a high roof allow you to step aboard as if into a black cab, and there you find two airline-style reclining lounge chairs.
Having pride of place, they are both heated and ventilated, with no fewer than seven massage programs, and can be adjusted from upright to fully flat if the occupant so chooses.
Lexus doesn’t recommend laying them fully flat while the car is in motion, for safety reasons. To our testers, they felt more comfortable a little way short of horizontal in any case. But they are widely adjustable, thanks to extending footrests, large, supportive headrests, and cushions and squabs that adjust for angle.
Visibility is very good for those in the back thanks to large side windows and glazed skylights (both of which have electric blinds), although our testers did report some sensations of motion sickness with the central glass partition screen in place and made opaque (it is electrochromatic).
The cinematic 48in multimedia display mounted in the central bulkhead will no doubt be the LM’s digital calling card (see Multimedia system, right), but for our money it is the cabin’s lesser features that really delight you. Each rear seat has its own phone-sized touchscreen remote for media control and seat adjustment, plus a wireless charging pad for your own phone, hidden in an armrest cubby.
An airline-style writing table folds out from each seat’s outer armrest, a good-sized drinks chiller is mounted adjacent to the infotainment screen and there are cubbies elsewhere suitable for storing your shoes (or in which you could alternatively keep blankets, or simply the contents of your pockets). The net result really does feel, in principle, like an enveloping, luxurious, first-class travel experience.
Up front – for a driver, who shouldn’t be considered the primary consumer of this car – space is tighter (the driving position is a little perched and van-like, though still comfy), while the luxury trappings and techy titbits are much thinner on the ground. But the LM’s convincing cabin quality and its lavish material richness are both consistent with what is in the back.
