
201
4Driving
IS300h_EE(OM53D89E)
4-1. Before driving
Driving the vehicle .....................202
Cargo and luggage ...................209
Trailer towing (vehicles
without a towing
package) ...................................... 210
Trailer towing (vehicles with
a towing package) ..................... 211
4-2. Driving procedures
Power (ignition) switch ............. 219
EV drive mode ............................ 224
Hybrid transmission .................. 226
Turn signal lever .........................233
Parking brake ..............................235
ASC
(Active Sound Control)........ 236
4-3. Operating the lights
and wipers
Headlight switch ......................... 237
Automatic High Beam .............240
Fog light switch ........................... 244
Windshield wipers and
washer .........................................245
4-4. Refueling
Opening the fuel tank cap......253
4-5. Using the driving support
systems
Lexus Safety System+ .............. 257
PCS (Pre-Collision
System) ....................................... 265
LDA (Lane Departure Alert
with steering control) ............ 279
RSA (Road Sign Assist) ..........288
Dynamic radar cruise
control ......................................... 293
Cruise control .............................305
Lexus parking
assist-sensor..............................309
Lexus parking assist
monitor ......................................... 318
BSM
(Blind Spot Moni tor) ............. 334
• BSM function.........................340
• RCTA function...................... 343
Driving mode select
switch ...........................................348
Driving assist systems .............. 352
4-6. Driving tips
Hybrid vehicle
driving tips..................................358
Winter driving tips ...................... 361

2054-1. Before driving
4
Driving
IS300h_EE(OM53D89E)
WARNING
Observe the following precautions. Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When starting the vehicle
●Do not adjust the positions of the steering wheel, the seat, or the inside or outside rearview mirrors while driving.
Doing so may result in a loss of vehicle control.
●Always check that all passeng ers’ arms, heads or other parts of their body are not outside the vehicle.
■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, depress the brake pedal to make sure that the brakes
are functioning properly. Wet brake pads may prevent the brakes from functioning
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 result in an acci dent 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.
●Shifting the shift lever to N while the vehicle is moving will disengage the hybrid sys- tem. Engine braking is not av ailable when N is selected.
●Be careful not to shift the shift lever with the accelerator pedal depressed. Shifting the
shift lever to any position other than P or N may lead to unexpected rapid accelera- tion of the vehicle that may cause an accide nt 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 retailer or Lexus authorized repairer, or any reliable repairer 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.

2274-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
IS300h_EE(OM53D89E)
*1: To improve fuel efficiency and reduce noise, shift the shift lever to D for normal driv-
ing.
*2: By selecting shift ranges using S mode, yo u can control accelerating force and engine
braking force.
■Sport mode/Eco drive mode
P. 348
■Snow mode
Snow mode can be selected to suit th e conditions when driving on slippery
road surfaces, such as snow.
Press the switch.
Press the switch again to return to
normal mode.
Shift position purpose
Shift positionObjective or function
PParking the vehicle/starting the hybrid system
RReversing
NNeutral
(Condition in which the power is not transmitted)
DNormal driving*1
SS mode driving*2 ( P. 229)
Selecting the driving mode

2294-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
IS300h_EE(OM53D89E)
To enter S mode, shift the shift lever to S. Shift ranges can be selected by operat-
ing the shift lever or paddle shift switches , allowing you to drive in the shift range
of your choice. The shift range can be sele cted by operating the shift lever or the
“-” and “+” paddle shift switches.
Upshifting
Downshifting
The selected shift range, from S1 to S6, will be displayed in the meter.
The initial shift range in S mode is auto-
matically set to S2, S3, S4 or S5 according to the vehicle speed.
■Shift ranges and their functions
●You can choose from 6 levels of acce lerating force and engine braking
force.
●A lower shift range will provide gr eater accelerating force and engine
braking force than a higher shift rang e, and the engine revolutions will also
increase.
●If you accelerate while in ranges 1 to 4, the shift range may automatically
increase in accordance with the vehicle speed.
Selecting shift ranges in the S position
1
2

2304-2. Driving procedures
IS300h_EE(OM53D89E)
■When the “-” paddle shift switch is operated with the shift lever in the D position
The shift range is downshifted to a range that enables engine braking force that is suit-
able to driving conditions.
■Automatic deactivation of shift range selection in the D position
Shift range selection in the D position will be deactivated in the following situations:
●When the vehicle comes to a stop
●If the accelerator pedal is depressed for more than a certain period of time
●When the shift lever is shifted to a position other than D
■Downshifting restriction warning buzzer
To help ensure safety and driving performance, downshifting operation may sometimes
be restricted. In some circum stances, downshifting may not be possible even when the
shift lever or paddle shif t switch is operated. (A buzzer will sound twice.)
■Snow mode automatic deactivation
Snow mode is automatically deactivated if th e power switch is turned off after driving in
snow mode.
■When driving with cruise control or dynamic radar cruise control activated
Even when performing the following actions with the intent of enabling engine braking,
engine braking will not activate because crui se control or dynamic radar cruise control will not be canceled.
●While driving in D or S mode, downshifting to 5 or 4. ( P. 293, 305)
●When switching the driving mode to sport mode while driving in D position. (P. 348)
■Restraining sudden start (Drive-Start Control)
When the following unusual operation is performed, the hybrid system output may be
restrained.
●When the shift lever is shifted from R to D, D to R, N to R, P to D, or P to R (D includes S)
with the accelerator pedal depressed, a wa rning message appears on the multi-infor-
mation display. If a warning message is shown on the multi-information display, read the message and follow the instructions.
●When the accelerator pedal is depressed too while the vehicle is in reverse.
■Shift lock system
The shift lock system is a system to prevent ac cidental operation of the shift lever in start-
ing.
The shift lever can be shifted from P only wh en the power switch is in ON mode and the brake pedal is being depressed.

2364-2. Driving procedures
IS300h_EE(OM53D89E)
Louder
Lower
When the dial is turned to the lowest
volume, driving sound will be turned off
and the indicator will go off.
■ASC is enabled when
The vehicle is being driven in normal mode or sport mode. ( P. 348)
■Situations that may disable the ASC system
The ASC system may be disabled depending on the driving conditions, such as when the
tires slip due to sudden acceleration.
ASC (Active Sound Control)
: If equipped
The ASC system is an electronic soun d system that generates driving sound,
conveying the kinetic situations of the vehicle’s acceleration and deceleration
to the driver through the speakers behi nd the instrument panel. The vehicle’s
response to the driver’s acceleration behavior and shift operations are also
conveyed in sound. When sport mode is selected, the sound conveyed to the
driver will be louder.
Controlling volume
1
2

2474-3. Operating the lights and wipers
4
Driving
IS300h_EE(OM53D89E)
Rain-sensing windshield wipers
Move the lever up by 2 levels
Move the lever up by 1 level
Move the lever down by 1 level
Move the lever down by 2 lev-
els
AUTO mode on/off switch
With AUTO mode selected, the wipers
will operate automatically when the sen- sor detects falling rain . The system auto-
matically adjusts wiper timing in
accordance with rain volume and vehi- cle speed.
The AUTO mode indicator will turn on when AUTO mode is selected.
*1: After temporary operation, the mode will return to AUTO mode.
*2: AUTO mode will be canceled.
AUTO mode
indicator
1
2
3
4
5
OffTemporary
operation
Temporary
operation
Low speed
operation
High speed
operation
Low speed
operationOffOffHigh speed
operation
High speed
operation
High speed operationOffLow speedoperationNo changeNo change
AUTO
mode
Intermittent
operationOff
Temporary
operation*1Low speed
operation*2High speed
operation*2
ContinuouslyNo change
Operation
Status before operation

2514-3. Operating the lights and wipers
4
Driving
IS300h_EE(OM53D89E)
■The windshield wiper and washer can be operated when
The power switch is in ON mode.
■Dripping prevention wiper sweep
After performing a washing and wiping operat ion several times, the wipers operate one
more time after a short delay to prevent dripping.
However, this final wiper operation will not be performed while driving.
■Effects of vehicle speed on wiper operation (vehicles with rain-sensing windshield wip-
ers)
Vehicle speed affects the following even when the wipers are not in AUTO mode.
●Intermittent wiper interval
●Wiper operation when the washer is being used (delay until drip prevention wiper
sweep occurs)
With low speed windshield wiper operation selected, wiper operation will be switched
from low speed to intermitte nt wiper operation only when the vehicle is stationary.
■Raindrop sensor (vehicles with rain-sensing windshield wipers)
●If the wiper is turned to AUTO mode while the power switch is in ON mode, the wipers
will operate once to show th at AUTO mode is activated.
●If the temperature of the raindrop sensor is 85°C (185°F) or higher, or -30°C (-22°F)
or lower, automatic operation may not occur. In this case, operate the wipers in any
mode other than AUTO mode.
■When the windshield wipers are in tempor ary operation (vehicles with rain-sensing
windshield wipers)
AUTO mode cannot be activated even if is pressed.
■If no windshield washer fluid sprays
Check that the washer nozzles are not blocked if there is washer fluid in the windshield
washer fluid reservoir.
●The raindrop sensor judges the amount of
raindrops.
An optical sensor is ad opted. It may not oper-
ate properly when sunlight from the rising or
setting of the sun inte rmittently strikes the windshield, or if bugs etc. are present on the
windshield.