engine LEXUS RX350 2015 Workshop Manual

1762-1. Driving procedures
■
When the “-” paddle shift switch is operated in the D position (vehicles with pad-
dle shift switches)
When the “-” paddle shift switch is operat ed in the D position, a shift range will be
automatically selected. The highest gear of the first shift range will be one gear
lower than the gear in use during normal D position driving.■
Automatic deactivation of shift range selection in the D position (vehicles with
paddle shift switches)
Shift range selection in the D position will be deactivated in the following situations: ●
When the vehicle comes to a stop●
When range 6 is selected and the accelerator pedal is depressed●
If the accelerator pedal is depressed for more than a certain period of time■
Snow mode automatic deactivation
Snow mode is automatically deactivated if the “ENGINE START STOP” switch is
turned off after driving in snow mode. ■
S mode ●
When the shift range is “5” or lower, holding the shift lever toward “+” sets the
shift range to “6”.●
To prevent the engine from over-revving, upshifting may automatically occur.●
To protect the automatic transmission, a function is adopted that automatically
selects a higher shift range when the fluid temperature is high.■
AI-SHIFT
AI-SHIFT automatically selects the suitable gear according to driver performance
and driving conditions.
The AI-SHIFT automatically operates when th e shift lever is in the D position. (Shift-
ing the shift lever to the S position cancels the function.)

1772-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving ■
When driving with cruise control or radar cruise control activated
Even when performing the following acti ons with the intent of enabling engine
braking, engine braking will not activate while driving in S mode and downshifting
to 5 or 4 because cruise control or radar cruise control will not be canceled.
(  P. 227, 232)■
If the shift lever cannot be shifted from P
 P. 7 9 1■
If S does not come on or D comes on even after shifting the shift lever to S
This may indicate a malfunction in the automatic transmission system. Have the
vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer immediately.
(In this situation, the transmission will operate in the same as manner as when the
shift lever is in D.)■
Downshift restriction warning buzzer (S mode)
To help ensure safety and driving perfor mance, downshifting operation may some-
times be restricted. In some circumstances, downshifting may not be possible even
when the shift lever or paddle shift switch is operated. (The warning buzzer will
sound twice.)
CAUTION■
When driving on slippery road surfaces
Be careful of downshifting and sudden accele ration, as this could result in the vehi-
cle skidding to the side or spinning.

1782-1. Driving procedures
Automatic transmission (8-speed models) Select a shift position appropriate for the driving conditions.
■ Shifting the shift lever
While the “ENGINE START STOP” switch is in IGNITION
ON mode, depress the brake pedal and move the shift lever. When shifting the shift lever between P and D, make sure that the
vehicle is completely stopped.
■ Shift position purpose
* : To improve fuel efficiency and reduce noises, set the shift lever in the D
position for normal driving. Shift position Function
P Parking the vehicle/starting the engine
R Reversing
N Neutral
D Normal driving
*M M mode driving (  P. 1 8 3 )

1792-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving ■ Shift position uses Shift position Display Function Purpose
Normal D
position driv-
ing Gears
between 1 and
8 are auto-
matically
selected
according to
driving condi-
tions
(paddle shift
switches activated) Shift range
selection
(  P. 1 8 1 ) Allows opti-
mum use of
engine brak-
ing
Individual gear
selection
(  P. 1 8 3 ) Allows the
driver to select
gears for
sporty driving

1812-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving Selecting shift ranges in the D position
To drive using temporary shift range sele ction, operate the “-” paddle shift
switch. The shift range can then be selected by operating the “-” and “+”
paddle shift switches. Changing the sh ift range allows restriction of the
highest gear, preventing unnecessary upshifting and enabling the level of
engine braking force to be selected.
Higher shift range
Lower shift range
The selected shift range, from 1 to
8, will be displayed in the meter
cluster.
To return to normal D position
driving, the “+” paddle shift switch
must be held down for a period of
time.

1822-1. Driving procedures
■ Shift ranges and their functions
* : “D” is also displayed to indicate the shift position.
A lower shift range will provide greater engine braking force than a higher shift
range. Meter cluster dis-
play
* Function
8 Gears between 1 and 8 are automatically selected
according to vehicle speed and driving conditions
7 Gears between 1 and 7 are automatically selected
according to vehicle speed and driving conditions
6 Gears between 1 and 6 are automatically selected
according to vehicle speed and driving conditions
5 Gears between 1 and 5 are automatically selected
according to vehicle speed and driving conditions
4 Gears between 1 and 4 are automatically selected
according to vehicle speed and driving conditions
3 Gears between 1 and 3 are automatically selected
according to vehicle speed and driving conditions
2 Gears between 1 and 2 are automatically selected
according to vehicle speed and driving conditions
1 The gear is set at 1

1832-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving Selecting gears in the M position
To enter M mode, shift the shift lever to the M position. Gears can then be
selected by operating the shift lever or paddle shift switches, allowing you
to drive in the gear of your choosing.
Upshifting
Downshifting
The gear changes once every time
the shift lever or paddle shift switch
is operated.
When in the M position, the gear will not change unless the shift lever or
paddle shift switches are operated.
However, even when in the M positio n, the gears will be automatically
changed in the following situations:
● When vehicle speed drops (downshift only).
● When the automatic transmission flu id or engine coolant temperature
is low.
● When engine speed is higher than necessary. (upshift only)

1852-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving ■
Downshift restrictions warning buzzer
To help ensure safety and driving perfor mance, downshifting operation may some-
times be restricted. In some circumstances, downshifting may not be possible even
when the shift lever or paddle shift switch is operated. (A buzzer will sound twice.)■
When driving with cruise control activated
Even when performing the following acti ons with the intent of enabling engine
braking, engine braking will not activate while driving in M mode and downshifting
to 7, 6, 5 or 4 because cruise control will not be canceled. (  P. 2 2 7 )■
Automatic deactivation of snow mode
If the “ENGINE START STOP” switch is turn ed off after driving in snow mode, the
mode is automatically deactivated.■
If the shift lever cannot be shifted from P
 P. 7 9 1■
Automatic gear selection when the vehicle is stopped
When the vehicle comes to a stop, the tran smission will automatically downshift to
allow you to start off in 1 st
gear.■
If the automatic transmissi on fluid temperature warn ing message is displayed
If the automatic transmission fluid tempera-
ture warning message is displayed while
driving, make sure you return to normal D
position driving and reduce speed by eas-
ing off the accelerator pedal. Stop the vehi-
cle in a safe place, shift the shift lever to the
P position and let the engine idle until the
warning message goes out.
When the warning message goes out, the
vehicle can be driven again.
If the warning message does not go out
after waiting a while, have your vehicle
inspected by your Lexus dealer.

1882-1. Driving procedures
■
Turn signals can be operated when
The “ENGINE START STOP” switch is in IGNITION ON mode.■
If the indicators flash faster than usual
Check that a light bulb in the front or re ar turn signal lights has not burned out.■
If the turn signals stop flashing before a lane change has been performed
Operate the lever again.
■
To discontinue flashing of the tu rn signals during a lane change
Operate the lever in the opposite direction.
■
Customization
The number of times the turn signals flash during a lane change can be changed.
(Customizable features  P. 8 3 4 )Type B
Right turn
Left turn
Lane change to the right
(move the lever partway and
release it) The right hand signals will flash
3 times.
Lane change to the left (move
the lever partway and release
it) The left hand signals will flash 3
times.

1912
When driving 2-2. Instrument cluster
Gauges and meters
Tachometer Displays the engine speed in revolutions per minute
Multi-information display Presents the driver with a variety of driving-related data (  P. 200)
Speedometer Displays the vehicle speed
Fuel gauge Displays the quantity of fuel remaining in the tank
Odometer and trip meter Odometer: Displays the total distance the vehicle has been driven
Trip meter: Displays the distance the vehicle has been driven since the
meter was last reset. Trip meters “A” and “B” can be used to
record and display different distances independently.
Shift position and shift range display
Displays the selected shift position or selected shift range (  P. 171, 178)
Engine coolant temperature gauge
Displays the engine coolant temperature