Some people say they wouldn’t be caught dead in a minivan, but we think they’re cool. The new Toyota Sienna, the Chrysler Pacifica, and the Honda Odyssey are among the best. However, they have even cooler minivans in Japan, such as… a Lexus?
Well, not quite. You see, Lexus does indeed make a minivan, the LM 250, which is sold exclusively in China from what we understand. It’s an ultra-luxury model that reportedly costs around $200,000, partly due to high taxes there. But this is different.
We’re probably looking at a Toyota Alphard, which is quite popular with tuners in Japan. The boldly styled yet boxy minivan often receives lowered suspension and wild body kits, including ones that resemble supercars.
The Alphard and Toyota Vellfire probably share underpinnings with the Lexus LM which allowed for this custom body makeover. We mention this because those look like real Lexus parts, especially the headlights.
The front end is a bit of a mystery since the complicated spindle grille has been shortened to make room for a metal bumper. This minivan has been kitted out like one of those expensive overlanders. It’s got lifted suspension with larger off-road tires and fender flares. Extra LED lights are also fitted to the front.
And once this vehicle gets to where it wants to go, the driver can easily camp out thanks to a pop-out tent mounted to the roof. It’s an unusual combination for the Toyota Alphard, which is normally a city-dwelling minivan with low ride height. Japanese buyers usually go for the Mitsubishi Delica since it’s a natural off-road minivan. But most JDM cars have AWD as an option due to the snowy weather.
The package was put together for the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon by Outclass Cars Japan, a company that normally makes lift kits for the smallest and cheapest of Suzuki models that fall into the kei car class. You can see one of them to the left of the “Lexus” minivan, along with the new Toyota Land Cruiser.
