What's the difference?
Most people that are wealthy enough to be ferried around in a car or limo choose a long luxurious sedan like a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series or a Lexus LS. Of course, there are now also SUVs that are used for the same purpose.
But what about a plush people mover? There are very few of these available in Australia and they don’t sell in huge numbers. But Lexus believes there is a market for such a model and it has just launched the big and bold LM. The hybrid-only range is a unique proposition and the LM should hold appeal for limo and tourism operators, and larger cashed-up families.
This initial launch drive was a slightly different format to usual. Given the intended use of the lounge-like model, Lexus arranged for us to be collected in the LM by a chauffeur and ferried from Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula. From there we got behind the wheel for a brief drive, but many of my impressions will focus on the passenger cabin experience.
Note too that the LM500h does not land until early 2024, so we only sampled the LM350h AWD.
So jump aboard and let’s see if this Lexus can do everything the LS can do - and maybe even a little bit more.
People with camper-trailers are increasingly looking to push their travel boundaries and so they head off the bitumen, onto dirt roads and go bush.
But on-road camper-trailers are not suited to cope with the extra stresses that dirt-road or gravel-track driving bring, which is why campers better equipped for light-duty bush driving, such as Jayco’s Outback versions of its models, are finding favor with buyers.
We took an Eagle Outback into the bush to check it out.

The Lexus LM is going to be a niche model. This was not designed to appeal to people that may have bought a Toyota Tarago back in the day, or even a Kia Carnival now.
It has a specific purpose for ferrying people around in absolute comfort and at that, it succeeds in a big way.
It’s just a bonus that it’s great to drive.
Welcome to the automotive equivalent of a business class airline suite.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.
The Jayco Eagle Outback, for me, is an example of a camper-trailer getting closer to what I reckon a truly off-road-capable Jayco camper will be like.
There's nothing in Jayco's current line-up that offers comfort and full functionality and is also capable of tackling decent off-roading, so we're looking forward to testing Jayco's first line-up of dedicated off-road campers, including the JTrak Outback and Outback X.