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GS450h_U (OM30D01U)
1734-1. Before driving
4
Driving
Make sure that the parking brake is set and shift the shift lever to D.
Gently depress the accelerator pedal.
Release the parking brake.
■When starting off on a uphill
The brake hold is available. (→P. 2 1 0 )
■Driving in the rain
●Drive carefully when it is raining, because visibility will be reduced, the windows
may become fogged-up, and the road will be slippery.
●Drive carefully when it starts to rain, because the road surface will be especially
slippery.
●Refrain from high speeds when driving on an expressway in the rain, because there
may be a layer of water between the tires and the road surface, preventing the
steering and brakes from operating properly.
■Breaking in your new Lexus
To extend the life of the vehicle, observing the following precautions is recom-
mended:
●For the first 186 miles (300 km):
Avoid sudden stops.
●For the first 621 miles (1000 km):
• Do not drive at extremely high speeds.
• Avoid sudden acceleration.
• Do not drive continuously in low gears.
• Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods.
Starting off on a steep uphill
1
2
3
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GS450h_U (OM30D01U)
1754-1. Before driving
4
Driving
CAUTION
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When starting the vehicle
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped with the hybrid system
operating. This prevents the vehicle from creeping.
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with the location of the brake and accelerator
pedals to avoid depressing the wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal willresult in sudden acceleration that may lead to an accident.
• When backing up, you may twist your body around, leading to a difficulty in operating the pedals. Make sure to operate the pedals properly.
• Make sure to keep a correct driving posture even when moving the vehicle only slightly. This allows you to depress the brake and accelerator pedals prop-
erly.
• Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the brake pedal using your left foot may delay response in an emergency, resulting in an acci-
dent.
●The driver should pay extra attention to pedestrians when the vehicle is powered
only by the electric motor (traction motor). Because there is no engine noise, the
pedestrians may misjudge the vehicle’s movement.
●Do not drive the vehicle over or stop the vehicle near flammable materials.
The exhaust system and exhaust gases can be extremely hot. These hot parts may
cause a fire if there is any flammable material nearby.
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4-2. Driving procedures
CAUTION
■When starting the hybrid system
Always start the hybrid system while sitting in the driver’s seat. Do not depress the
accelerator pedal while starting the hybrid system under any circumstances.
Doing so may cause an accident resulting in death or serious injury.
■Caution while driving
If hybrid system failure occurs while the vehicle is moving, do not lock or open the
doors until the vehicle reaches a safe and complete stop. Activation of the steering
lock in this circumstance may lead to an accident, resulting in death or serious
injury.
■Stopping the hybrid system in an emergency
If you want to stop the hybrid system in an emergency while driving the vehicle,
press and hold the power switch for more than 2 seconds, or press it briefly 3 times
or more in succession. (→P. 7 0 3 )
However, do not touch the power switch while driving except in an emergency.
Turning the hybrid system off while driving will not cause loss of steering or braking
control, but the power assist to these systems will be lost. This will make it more dif-
ficult to steer and brake, so you should pull over and stop the vehicle as soon as it is
safe to do so.
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199
GS450h_U (OM30D01U)4-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
Hybrid transmission
While the power switch is in ON mode, move the shift lever with the
brake pedal depressed.
When shifting the shift lever between P and D, make sure that the vehicle is
completely stopped.
*1: To improve fuel efficiency and reduce noises, set the shift lever in D for normal driving.
*2: By selecting shift ranges using S mode, you can control accelerating forces andengine braking forces.
Shifting the shift lever
Shift position purpose
Shift positionObjective or function
PParking the vehicle/starting the hybrid system
RReversing
NNeutral
DNormal driving*1
SS mode driving*2 ( → P. 2 0 2 )
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210
GS450h_U (OM30D01U)
4-2. Driving procedures
Brake Hold
Turns the brake hold system on
The brake hold standby indicator
(green) comes on. While the system is
holding the brake, the brake hold
operated indicator (yellow) comes on.
■Brake hold system operating conditions
The brake hold system cannot be turned on in the following conditions:
●The trunk or hood is not closed.
●The driver’s door is not closed.
●The driver is not wearing the seat belt.
If any of the conditions above are detected when the brake hold system is enabled,
the system will turn off and the brake hold standby indicator light will go off. In addi-
tion, if any of the conditions are detected while the system is holding the brake, a
warning buzzer will sound and a message will be shown on the multi-information dis-
play. The parking brake will then be set automatically.
■Brake hold function
●If the brake pedal is left released for a period of about 3 minutes after the system
has started holding the brake, the parking brake will be set automatically. In this
case, a warning buzzer sounds and a message is shown on the multi-information
display.
●To turn the system off while the system is holding the brake, firmly depress the
brake pedal and press the button again.
●The brake hold function may not hold the vehicle when the vehicle is on a steep
incline. In this situation, it may be necessary for the driver to apply the brakes. The
multi-information display will inform the driver of this situation.
The brake hold system keeps the brak e applied when the shift lever is in
D, S or N with the system on and the brake pedal has been depressed to
stop the vehicle. The system releases the brake when the accelerator
pedal is depressed with the shift lever in D or S to allow smooth start off.
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289
GS450h_U (OM30D01U)4-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
Driving assist systems
◆ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
Helps to prevent wheel lock when th e brakes are applied suddenly, or if
the brakes are applied while driving on a slippery road surface
◆Brake assist
Generates an increased level of braking force after the brake pedal is
depressed when the system detects a panic stop situation
◆VSC (Vehicle Stability Control)
Helps the driver to control skidding when swerving suddenly or turning
on slippery road surfaces
◆TRAC (Traction Control)
Helps to maintain drive power and prevent the drive wheels from spin-
ning when starting the vehicle or accelerating on slippery roads
◆EPS (Electric Power Steering)
Employs an electric motor to reduce the amount of effort needed to
turn the steering wheel
To help enhance driving safety and performance, the following systems
operate automatically in response to various driving situations. Be
aware, however, that these systems are supplementary and should not
be relied upon too heavily when operating the vehicle.
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GS450h_U (OM30D01U)
2934-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
■When the message is displayed on the multi-information display showing that
TRAC has been disabled even if the VSC OFF switch has not been pressed
TRAC cannot be operated. Contact your Lexus dealer.
■Sounds and vibrations caused by the ABS, brake assist, VSC and TRAC systems
●A sound may be heard from the engine compartment when the brake pedal is
depressed repeatedly, when the hybrid system is started or just after the vehicle
begins to move. This sound does not indicate that a malfunction has occurred in
any of these systems.
●Any of the following conditions may occur when the above systems are operating.
None of these indicates that a malfunction has occurred.
• Vibrations may be felt through the vehicle body and steering.
• A motor sound may be heard after the vehicle comes to a stop.
■EPS operation sound
When the steering wheel is operated, a motor sound (whirring sound) may be heard.
This does not indicate a malfunction.
■Reactivation of the TRAC/VSC systems
Even after the TRAC/VSC systems have been turned off, turning the hybrid system
off and then on again will automatically reactivate the TRAC/VSC systems.
■Reactivation of the TRAC system linked to vehicle speed
When only the TRAC system is turned off, the TRAC system will turn on when vehi-
cle speed increases. However, when both TRAC/VSC systems are turned off, the
systems will not turn on even when vehicle speed increases.
■Reduced effectiveness of the EPS system
The effectiveness of the EPS system is reduced to prevent the system from overheat-
ing when there is frequent steering input over an extended period of time. The steer-
ing wheel may feel heavy as a result.
* Should this occur, refrain from excessive
steering input or stop the vehicle and turn the hybrid system off. The effectiveness
will improve after a short while.
*: If the LKA (Lane-Keeping Assist) system cannot operate in this case, a warning
message will be shown on the multi-information display.
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GS450h_U (OM30D01U)
4435-3. Using the audio system
5
Interior features
Select “Options” on “DVD” screen, the following screen appears.Returns to the full screen (only when the vehicle is completely stopped
and the parking brake is applied)
Search by title/group number
Change audio language
Change angle
Display the predetermined scene and start playing from there
Change subtitle language
Change screen size
Display the image quality adjustment screen
Change initial setting
If appears on the screen when a control is selected the operation rele-
vant to the control is not permitted.
Select and hold or on the control icon screen.
DVD options screen
XVehicles without a navigation
system XVehicles with a navigation sys-
tem
Fast forwarding/rewinding a disc
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
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