1774-1. Before driving
4
Driving
IS250_EE(OM53C51E)
■When starting off on an uphill
The hill-start assist control will activate. (→P. 2 6 5 )
■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 slip-
pery.
●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.
■Engine speed while driving
In the following conditions, the engine speed may become high while driving. This is due
to automatic up-shifting control or down-shifting implementation to meet driving condi-
tions. It does not indicate sudden acceleration.
●The vehicle is judged to be driving uphill or downhill
●When the accelerator pedal is released
●When the brake pedal is depressed while sport mode is selected
■Breaking in your new Lexus
To extend the life of the vehicle, observing the following precautions is recommended:
●For the first 300 km (186 miles):
Avoid sudden stops.
●For the first 800 km (500 miles):
Do not tow a trailer.
●For the first 1000 km (621 miles):
• 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.
■Drum-in-disc type parking brake system
Your vehicle has a drum-in-disc type parking brake system. This type of brake system
needs bedding-down of the brake shoes periodically or whenever the parking brake
shoes and/or drum are replaced. Have any authorized Lexus dealer or repairer, or
another duly qualified and equipped professional, perform the bedding down operation.
■Operating your vehicle in a foreign country
Comply with the relevant vehicle registration laws and confirm the availability of the cor-
rect fuel. (→P. 5 4 0 )
1784-1. Before driving
IS250_EE(OM53C51E)
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 engine running. 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 ped-
als to avoid depressing the wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal will
result in sudden acceleration that may lead to an accident.
• When backing up, you may twist your body around, leading to a difficulty in oper-
ating 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 properly.
• 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 accident.
●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.
●During normal driving, do not turn off the engine. Turning the engine 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 difficult to steer and brake, so you should pull over
and stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
However, in the event of an emergency, such as if it becomes impossible to stop the
vehicle in the normal way: →P. 4 6 7
●Use engine braking (downshift) to maintain a safe speed when driving down a steep
hill.
Using the brakes continuously may cause the brakes to overheat and lose effective-
ness. (→P. 1 9 7 )
●Do not adjust the positions of the steering wheel, the seat, or the inside or outside rear
view mirrors while driving.
Doing so may result in a loss of vehicle control.
●Always check that all passengers’ arms, heads or other parts of their body are not
outside the vehicle.
1794-1. Before driving
4
Driving
IS250_EE(OM53C51E)
CAUTION
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When driving on slippery road surfaces
●Sudden braking, acceleration and steering may cause tire slippage and reduce your
ability to control the vehicle.
●Sudden acceleration, engine braking due to shifting, or changes in engine speed
could cause the vehicle to skid.
●After driving through a puddle, lightly depress the brake pedal to make sure that the
brakes are functioning properly. Wet brake pads may prevent the brakes from func-
tioning properly. If the brakes on only one side are wet and not functioning properly,
steering control may be affected.
■When shifting the shift lever
●Do not let the vehicle roll backward while the shift lever is in a driving position, or roll
forward while the shift lever is in R.
Doing so may cause the engine to stall or lead to poor brake and steering perfor-
mance, resulting in an accident or damage to the vehicle.
●Do not shift the shift lever to P while the vehicle is moving.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.
●Do not shift the shift lever to R while the vehicle is moving forward.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.
●Do not shift the shift lever to D while the vehicle is moving backward.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.
●Moving the shift lever to N while the vehicle is moving will disengage the engine from
the transmission. Engine braking is not available when N is selected.
●Be careful not to shift the shift lever with the accelerator pedal depressed. Shifting the
shift lever to a gear other than P or N may lead to unexpected rapid acceleration of
the vehicle that may cause an accident and result in death or serious injury.
■If you hear a squealing or scraping noise (brake pad wear indicators)
Have the brake pads checked and replaced by any authorized Lexus dealer or
repairer, or another duly qualified and equipped professional as soon as possible.
Rotor damage may result if the pads are not replaced when needed.
Moderate levels of brake pad and disc wear allow enhanced braking power. As a
result, the discs may wear more quickly than conventional brake discs. Therefore, when
replacing the brake pads, Lexus recommends that you also have the thickness of the
discs measured.
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle when the wear limits of the brake pads and/or those
of the brake discs are exceeded.
1814-1. Before driving
4
Driving
IS250_EE(OM53C51E)
CAUTION
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the engine off. Otherwise, if you accidentally move the shift lever or
depress the accelerator pedal, this could cause an accident or fire due to engine over-
heating. Additionally, if the vehicle is parked in a poorly ventilated area, exhaust gases
may collect and enter the vehicle, leading to death or a serious health hazard.
■When braking
●When the brakes are wet, drive more cautiously.
Braking distance increases when the brakes are wet, and this may cause one side of
the vehicle to brake differently than the other side. Also, the parking brake may not
securely hold the vehicle.
●If the power brake assist function does not operate, do not follow other vehicles
closely and avoid hills or sharp turns that require braking.
In this case, braking is still possible, but the brake pedal should be depressed more
firmly than usual. Also, the braking distance will increase. Have your brakes fixed
immediately.
●Do not pump the brake pedal if the engine stalls.
Each push on the brake pedal uses up the reserve for the power-assisted brakes.
●The brake system consists of 2 individual hydraulic systems; if one of the systems fails,
the other will still operate. In this case, the brake pedal should be depressed more
firmly than usual and the braking distance will increase.
Have your brakes fixed immediately.
■If the vehicle becomes stuck
Do not spin the wheels excessively when any of the tires is up in the air, or the vehicle is
stuck in sand, mud, etc. This may damage the driveline components or propel the vehi-
cle forward or backward, causing an accident.
1904-1. Before driving
IS250_EE(OM53C51E)
■Important points regarding stability
Vehicle movement resulting from uneven road surfaces and strong cross-
winds will affect handling. The vehicle may also be rocked by passing buses or
large trucks. Frequently check behind when moving alongside such vehicles.
As soon as such vehicle movement occurs, immediately start to decelerate
smoothly by slowly applying the brakes. Always steer the vehicle straight
ahead while braking.
■Passing other vehicles
Consider the total combined length of your vehicle and trailer and ensure that
the vehicle-to-vehicle distance is sufficient before executing lane changes.
■Transmission information
To maintain engine braking efficiency, when using engine braking when driv-
ing on a long steep downward grade, do not use the transmission in D. The
vehicle must be driven in gear shift position “4” in M mode. (→P. 2 0 0 )
■If the engine overheats
Towing a loaded trailer up a long, steep incline in temperatures exceeding
30°C (85°F) may result in the engine overheating. If the engine coolant tem-
perature gauge indicates that the engine is overheating, turn the air condition-
ing off immediately, leave the road and stop the vehicle in a safe place.
(→P. 5 3 1 )
■When parking the vehicle
Always place wheel chocks under the wheels of both the vehicle and trailer.
Firmly set the parking brake and shift the shift lever to P.
2264-5. Using the driving support systems
IS250_EE(OM53C51E)
To change the set speed, operate the lever until the desired set speed is obtained.
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.
The set speed will be increased or decreased as follows:
Fine adjustment: By approximately 1.6 km/h (1 mph) each time the lever is operated.
Large adjustment: The set speed can be increased or decreased continually until the
lever is released.
Pulling the lever toward you cancels
the constant speed control.
The speed setting is also canceled when
the brakes are applied.
Pushing the lever up resumes the
constant speed control.
Resuming is available when the vehicle
speed is more than approximately 40
km/h (25 mph).
Adjusting the set speed
1
2
Canceling and resuming the constant speed control
1
2
2324-5. Using the driving support systems
IS250_EE(OM53C51E)
Pressing the button changes the vehi-
cle-to-vehicle distance as follows:
Long
Medium
Short
The vehicle-to-vehicle distance is set
automatically to long mode when the
engine switch is turned to IGNITION
ON mode.
If a vehicle is running ahead of you, the preceding vehicle mark will also be displayed.
Select a distance from the table below. Note that the distances shown corre-
spond to a vehicle speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). Vehicle-to-vehicle distance
increases/decreases in accordance with vehicle speed.
Pulling the lever toward you cancels
the cruise control.
The speed setting is also canceled when
the brakes are applied.
Pushing the lever up resumes the
cruise control and returns vehicle
speed to the set speed.
Resuming is available when the vehicle
speed is more than approximately 40
km/h (25 mph).
Changing the vehicle-to-vehicle distance
Preceding
vehicle mark
1
2
3
Vehicle-to-vehicle distance settings
Distance optionsVehicle-to-vehicle distance
LongApproximately 50 m (160 ft.)
MediumApproximately 40 m (130 f t.)
ShortApproximately 30 m (100 ft.)
Canceling and resuming the speed control
1
2
2334-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
IS250_EE(OM53C51E)
This mode employs a radar sensor to detect the presence of vehicles up to
approximately 120 m (400 ft.) ahead, determines the current vehicle-to-vehicle
following distance, and operates to maintain a suitable following distance from
the vehicle ahead.
Note that vehicle-to-vehicle distance will close in when traveling on long downhill
slopes.
Example of constant speed cruising
When there are no vehicles ahead
The vehicle travels at the speed set by the driver. The desired vehicle-to-vehicle dis-
tance can also be set by operating the vehicle-to-vehicle distance control.
Example of deceleration cruising
When the vehicle ahead is driving slower than the set speed
When a vehicle is detected running ahead of you, the system automatically deceler-
ates your vehicle. When a greater reduction in vehicle speed is necessary, the system
applies the brakes. A warning tone warns you when the system cannot decelerate suf-
ficiently to prevent your vehicle from closing in on the vehicle ahead.
Example of follow-up cruising
When following a vehicle driving slower than the set speed
The system continues follow-up cruising while adjusting for changes in the speed of
the vehicle ahead in order to maintain the vehicle-to-vehicle distance set by the driver.
Example of acceleration
When there are no longer any vehicles ahead driving slower than the set
speed
The system accelerates until the set speed is reached. The system then returns to con-
stant speed cruising.
Driving in vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode
1
2
3
4