
197
Driving4
LS600hL_U(OM50E41U)4-1. Before driving
Driving the vehicle ......................198
Cargo and luggage .................. 209
Vehicle load limits ....................... 213
Trailer towing ................................. 214
Dinghy towing............................... 215
4-2. Driving procedures Power (ignition) switch.............. 216
EV drive mode ............................. 221
Hybrid transmission ..................223
Turn signal lever .......................... 227
Parking brake ...............................228
Brake Hold ..................................... 231
Horn.................................................233
4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Headlight switch .........................234
Automatic High Beam ............ 238
Fog light switch............................ 243
Windshield wipers and washer.......................................... 244
Headlight cleaner switch ........248 4-4. Refueling
Opening the fuel tank cap....................................... 249
4-5. Using the driving support systems
Cruise control ............................. 253
Dynamic radar cruise control with full-speed
range ............................................ 257
LKA (Lane-Keeping Assist) ...........273
Driving mode select switch ........................................... 283
Electronically modulated air suspension ........................... 287
Driving assist systems............... 289
PCS (Pre-Collision System).......... 296
BSM (Blind Spot Moni tor)............. 308
• The Blind Spot Monitor function ..................................... 312
• The Rear Cross Traffic Alert function.......................... 315
Lexus night view .......................... 318
4-6. Driving tips Hybrid vehicle driving tips ................................................. 323
Winter driving tips ..................... 325

198
LS600hL_U(OM50E41U)
4-1. Before driving
P. 216
With the brake pedal depressed, shift the shift lever to D. ( P. 2 2 3 )
If the parking brake is in manual mode, release the parking brake.
( P. 2 2 8 )
Gradually release the brake pedal an d gently depress the accelerator
pedal to accelerate the vehicle.
With the shift lever in D, depress the brake pedal.
If necessary, set the parking brake.
If the vehicle is to be stopped for an exte nded period of time, shift the shift lever to
P. ( P. 2 2 3 )
With the shift lever in D, depress the brake pedal.
If the parking brake is in manual mode, set the parking brake.
( P. 2 2 8 )
Shift the shift lever to P. ( P. 2 2 3 )
Press the power switch to stop the hybrid system.
Lock the door, making sure that y ou have the electronic key on your
person.
If parking on a hill, block the wheels as needed.
Driving the vehicle
The following procedures should be observed to ensure safe driving:
Starting the hybrid system
Driving
Stopping
Pa r k i n g t h e ve h i c l e
1
2
3
1
2
1
2
3
4
5

1994-1. Before driving
4
Driving
LS600hL_U(OM50E41U)
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
Hill-start assist control will operate. (P. 2 8 9 )
■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

2004-1. Before driving
LS600hL_U(OM50E41U)
■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 peri odically or whenever the parking brake
shoes and/or drum are replaced. Have your Lexus dealer 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
correct fuel. ( P. 5 5 0 )
■For efficient use
●Shift the shift lever to D when driving.
In the N position, the gasoline engine oper ates but electricity cannot be generated.
The hybrid battery (traction battery) will discharge, requiring unnecessary engine
power to recharge.
●Drive your vehicle smoothly.
Avoid abrupt acceleration and decelerati on. Gradual acceleration and decelera-
tion will make more effective use of the electric motor (traction motor) without hav-
ing to use gasoline engine power.
●Avoid repeated acceleration.
Repeated acceleration consumes hybrid ba ttery (traction battery) power, resulting
in poor acceleration. Battery power can be restored by driving with the accelerator
pedal slightly released.
●Shift the shift lever to P when parking.
In the N position, the hybrid battery (traction battery) does not recharge.
Leaving the shift lever in the N position for an extended period of time may dis-
charge the hybrid battery (traction batter y). The vehicle cannot run if the hybrid
battery (traction battery) is discharged.

2044-1. Before driving
LS600hL_U(OM50E41U)
CAUTION
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■If a brake pad wear warning message is displayed
Have your Lexus dealer check and replace the brake pads as soon as possible.
The rotor damage can result if the pads are not replaced when needed.
Moderate levels of the 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 thick-
ness 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.
■When the vehicle is stopped
●Do not depress the accelerator pedal unnecessarily.
If the vehicle is in any gear other than P or N, the vehicle may accelerate suddenly
and unexpectedly, causing an accident.
●In order to prevent accidents due to the vehicle rolling away, always keep
depressing the brake pedal while the “R EADY” indicator is on, and apply the
parking brake as necessary.
●If the vehicle is stopped on an incline, in order to prevent accidents caused by the
vehicle rolling forward or backward, always depress the brake pedal and securely
apply the parking brake as needed.
●Avoid revving or racing the engine.
Running the engine at high speed whil e the vehicle is stopped may cause the
exhaust system to overheat, which could result in a fire if combustible material is
nearby.

2054-1. Before driving
4
Driving
LS600hL_U(OM50E41U)
CAUTION
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When the vehicle is parked
●Do not leave glasses, cigarette lighters, sp ray cans, or soft drink cans in the vehi-
cle when it is in the sun.
Doing so may result in the following:
• Gas may leak from a cigarette lighter or spray can, and may lead to a fire.
• The temperature inside the vehicle may cause the plastic lenses and plastic material of glasses to deform or crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture, causing the contents to spray over the interior of the vehicle, and may also cause a short circuit in the vehicle’s electrical com-
ponents.
●Do not leave cigarette lighters in the vehicle. If a cigarette lighter is in a place such
as the glove box or on the floor, it may be lit accidentally when luggage is loaded
or the seat is adjusted, causing a fire.
●Do not attach adhesive discs to the windshield or windows. Do not place contain-
ers such as air fresheners on the instru ment panel or dashboard. Adhesive discs
or containers may act as lenses, causing a fire in the vehicle.
●Do not leave a door or window open if the curved glass is coated with a metal-
lized film such as a silver-colored one. Reflected sunlight may cause the glass to
act as a lens, causing a fire.
●Always apply the parking brake, shift the shift lever to P, stop the hybrid system
and lock the vehicle.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended while the hybrid system is operating.
●Do not touch the exhaust pipes while the hybrid system is operating or immedi-
ately after turning the hybrid system off.
Doing so may cause burns.

2064-1. Before driving
LS600hL_U(OM50E41U)
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 hybrid system off. Otherwise, if you accidentally move the shift
lever or depress the accelerator pedal, this could cause an accident or fire due to
hybrid system overheating. Additionally, if the vehicle is parked in a poorly venti-
lated 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 electronically controlled brake system 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.
●The brake system consists of 2 or more individual hydraulic systems; if one of the
systems fails, the other(s) will still operate. In this case, the brake pedal should be
depressed more firmly than usual and th e 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 vehi-
cle is stuck in sand, mud, etc. This may damage the driveline components or propel
the vehicle forward or backward, causing an accident.

2074-1. Before driving
4
Driving
LS600hL_U(OM50E41U)
NOTICE
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not depress the accelerator and brake pedals at the same time during driving,
as this may restrain driving torque.
●Do not use the accelerator pedal or depress the accelerator and brake pedals at
the same time to hold the vehicle on a hill.
■When parking the vehicle
Always shift the shift lever to P. Failure to do so may cause the vehicle to move or
the vehicle may accelerate suddenly if the accelerator pedal is accidentally
depressed.
■Avoiding damage to vehicle parts
●Do not turn the steering wheel fully in either direction and hold it there for an
extended period of time.
Doing so may damage th e power steering motor.
●When driving over bumps in the road, drive as slowly as possible to avoid damag-
ing the wheels, underside of the vehicle, etc.
■If you get a flat tire while driving
A flat or damaged tire may cause the following situations. Hold the steering wheel
firmly and gradually depress the brake pedal to slow down the vehicle.
●It may be difficult to control your vehicle.
●The vehicle will make abnormal sounds or vibrations.
●The vehicle will lean abnormally.
Information on what to do in case of a flat tire ( P. 506, 515)