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4-2. Driving procedures
NOTICE
■To prevent 12-volt battery discharge
●Do not leave the “POWER” switch in ACCESSORY or ON mode for long peri-
ods of time without the hybrid system on.
●If “POWER ON” is displayed on the multi-information display, the “POWER”
switch is not off. Exit the vehicle after turning the “POWER” switch off.
●Do not stop the hybrid system when the shift lever is in a position other than P. If
the hybrid system is stopped in another shift lever position, the “POWER” switch
will not be turned off but instead be turned to ACCESSORY mode. If the vehicle
is left in ACCESSORY mode, 12-volt battery discharge may occur.
■When starting the hybrid system
●Do not depress the accelerator pedal unnecessarily.
●If the hybrid system becomes difficult to start, have your vehicle checked by your
Lexus dealer immediately.
■Symptoms indicating a malfunction with the “POWER” switch
If the “POWER” switch seems to be operating somewhat differently than usual,
such as the switch sticking slightly, there may be a malfunction. Contact your Lexus
dealer immediately.
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4-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
EV drive mode (hybrid vehicles)
Turns EV drive mode on/off
When EV drive mode is turned on,
“EV MODE” will be displayed on the
multi-information display. Pressing the
switch when in EV drive mode will
return the vehicle to normal driving
(using the gasoline engine and electric
motor [traction motor]).
■Situations in which EV drive mode cannot be turned on
It may not be possible to turn EV drive mode on in the following situations. If it cannot
be turned on, a buzzer will sound and a message will be shown on the multi-informa-
tion display.
●The temperature of the hybrid system is high.
The vehicle has been left in the sun, driv en on a hill, driven at high speeds, etc.
●The temperature of the hybrid system is low.
The vehicle has been left in temperatures lower than about 68 F (20C) for a long
period of time etc.
●The gasoline engine is warming up.
●The hybrid battery (traction battery) is low.
The remaining battery level indicated in the “Energy Monitor” screen or the multi-
information display is low. ( P. 112)
●Vehicle speed is about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more.
●The accelerator pedal is depressed firmly.
●The windshield defogger is in use.
In EV drive mode the electric moto r (traction motor), powered by the
hybrid battery (traction battery), is used to drive the vehicle.
This mode allows you to drive in re sidential areas early in the morning
and late at night, or in indoor pa rking lots etc. without concern for
noises and gas emissions.
However, when the vehicle proximity notification system is active, the
vehicle may produce sound.
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4-2. Driving procedures
■Switching to EV drive mode when the gasoline engine is cold
If the hybrid system is started while the gasoline engine is cold, the gasoline engine
will start automatically in order to warm up. In this case, you will become unable to
switch to EV drive mode.
After the hybrid system has started and the “READY” indicator has illuminated,
press the EV drive mode switch before the gasoline engine starts to switch to EV
drive mode.
■Automatic cancelation of EV drive mode
When driving in EV drive mode, the gasoline engine may automatically restart in the
following situations. When EV drive mode is canceled, a buzzer will sound and the
EV indicator will flash 3 times and go off.
●The hybrid battery (traction battery) becomes low.
The remaining battery level indicated in the “Energy Monitor” screen or the multi-
information display is low. ( P. 112)
●Vehicle speed becomes more than about 25 mph (40 km/h).
●The accelerator pedal is depressed firmly.
When it is possible to inform the driver of automatic cancelation in advance, a prior
notice screen will appear on the multi-information display.
■Possible driving distance when driving in EV drive mode
EV drive mode’s possible driving distan ce ranges from a few hundred meters to
approximately 1.3 mile (2 km). Driving is possible at speeds of less than approxi-
mately 25 mph (40 km/h). However, depending on vehicle conditions, there are sit-
uations when EV drive mode cannot be used.
(The distance that is possible depends on the hybrid battery [traction battery] level
and driving conditions.)
■Fuel economy
Your Lexus is designed to achieve the best possible fuel economy during normal
driving (using the gasoline en gine and electric motor [traction motor]). Driving in EV
drive mode more than necessary may lower fuel economy.
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2194-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
When the shift lever is in S, the shift lever can be operated as follows:Upshifting
Downshifting
The selected shift range, from S1 to
S6, will be displayed in the meter.
The initial shift range in S mode is set
automatically to S5 or S4 according
to vehicle speed. However, the initial
shift range may be set to S3 if AI-
SHIFT has operated while the shift
lever was in D. ( P. 2 2 0 )
■Shift ranges and their functions
●Automatically selecting gears betw een 1 and 6 according to vehicle
speed and driving conditions. Howev er, the gear is limited according
to selected shift range.
●You can choose from 6 levels of engine braking force.
●A lower shift range will provide gr eater engine braking force than a
higher shift range, and the en gine speed will also increase.
Selecting gears in the S position
1
2
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4-2. Driving procedures
To enter S mode, shift the shift lever to S. Shift ranges can then be selected
by operating the shift lever, allowing you to drive in the shift range of your
choosing.
Upshifting
Downshifting
The selected shift range, from S1 to
S6, will be displayed in the meter.
The initial shift range in S mode is
automatically set to S4 or S5 accord-
ing to vehicle speed.
■Shift ranges and their functions
●You can choose from 6 levels of engine braking force.
●A lower shift range will provide gr eater engine braking force than a
higher shift range, and the engine revolutions will also increase.
●If you accelerate while in ranges S1 to S4, the shift range may auto-
matically range up in accordance with the vehicle’s speed.
Selecting shift ranges in the S position
1
2
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4-5. Using the driving support systems
Dynamic radar cruise control
Dynamic radar cruise control supplements conventional cruise control
with a vehicle-to-vehicle distance co ntrol. In vehicle-to-vehicle distance
control mode, the vehicle automatica lly accelerates or decelerates in
order to maintain a set following distance from vehicles ahead.
Vehicle-to-vehicle distance but-
ton
Display
Set speed
Indicators
Cruise control switch
: If equipped
Summary of functions
1
2
3
4
5
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4-5. Using the driving support systems
To change the set speed, operate the lever until the desired set speed is
displayed.
Increases the speed
Decreases the speed
Fine adjustment: Momentarily move
the lever in the desired direction.
Large adjustment: Hold the lever in
the desired direction.
In the vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode, the set speed will be increased or
decreased as follows: • When the set speed is shown in “MPH”
Fine adjustment: By approximately 1 mph (1.6 km/h) each time the lever is
operated
Large adjustment: By approximately 5 mph (8 km/h) for each 0.75 sec-
onds the lever is held
• When the set speed is shown in “km/h”
Fine adjustment: By approximately 0.6 mph (1 km/h) each time the lever is
operated
Large adjustment: By approximately 3. 1 mph (5 km/h) for each 0.75 sec-
onds the lever is held
In the constant speed control mode ( P. 259), the set speed will be increased or
decreased as follows:
Fine adjustment: By approximately 1 mp h (1.6 km/h) each time the lever is
operated
Large adjustment: The set speed can be increased or decreased continually
until the lever is released.
Adjusting the set speed
1
2
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2554-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
Pressing the button changes the
vehicle-to-vehicle distance as fol-
lows:Long
Medium
Short
The vehicle-to-vehicle distance is set
automatically to lo ng mode when the
“START STOP ENGINE”
<“POWER”> switch is turned to IGNI-
TION ON mode.
If a vehicle is running ahead of you, the
preceding vehicle mark will also be
displayed.
Select a distance from the table belo w. Note that the distances shown cor-
respond to a vehicle speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). Vehicle-to-vehicle dis-
tance increases/decreases in accordance with vehicle speed.
Changing the vehicle-to-vehicle distance
Preceding
vehicle mark
1
2
3
Vehicle-to-vehicle distance settings
Distance optionsVehicle-to-vehicle distance
LongApproximately 160 ft. (50 m)
MediumApproximately 130 ft. (40 m)
ShortApproximately 100 ft. (30 m)