Lexus ES300h 2016 Owner's Manual (OM33B71U)

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ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)4-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
EV drive mode
Turns EV drive mode on/off
When EV drive mode is turned on, the
EV drive mode indicator will come on.
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-information dis-
play.
●The temperature of the hybrid system is high.
The vehicle has been left in the sun, driven 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 (20 C) 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 is low. (P. 9 7 )
●Vehicle speed is high.
●The accelerator pedal is depressed firm ly or the vehicle is on a hill etc.
●The windshield defogger is in use.
In EV drive mode, electric power is su pplied by the hybrid battery (traction
battery), and only the electric motor (tra ction motor) is used to drive the vehi-
cle.
This mode allows you to drive in residential areas early in the morning and late
at night, or in indoor parking lots etc. without concern for noises and gas emis-
sions.
However, when the vehicle proximity noti fication system is active, the vehicle
may produce sound.

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ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)4-2. Driving procedures
■Switching to EV drive mode when the gasoline engine is cold
If the hybrid system is starte
d while the gasoline engine is cold, the gasoline engine will
start automatically in order to warm up. In th is 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 en gine 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 fol-
lowing situations. When EV drive mode is canceled, a buzzer will sound and the EV indi-
cator will flash 3 times and go off.
●The hybrid battery (traction battery) becomes low.
The remaining battery level indicated in the “Energy Monitor” screen is low. (P. 9 7 )
●Vehicle speed is high.
●The accelerator pedal is depressed firm ly or the vehicle is on a hill etc.
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 distance ra nges from a few hundred meters to approxi-
mately 1.3 mile (2 km). However, dependin g on vehicle conditions, there are situations
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
The hybrid system is designed to achieve the best possible fuel economy during normal
driving (using the gasoline engine and electr ic motor [traction motor]). Driving in EV
drive mode more than necessary may lower fuel economy.
WA R N I N G
■Caution while driving
When driving in EV drive mode no engine noise is made. As such, pedestrians, people
riding bicycles or other people and vehicles in the surrounding area may not be aware
of the vehicle starting off or approaching them. Therefore, take extra care while driving
even if the vehicle proximity notification system is active.

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ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)4-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
Hybrid transmission
While the power switch is in ON mode, move the shift lever with the brake
pedal depressed.
When shifting the shift lever between P and D, make sure that the vehicle is com-
pletely stopped.
*1: To improve fuel efficiency and reduce noises, set the shift lever in D for normal driving.
*2: By selecting shift ranges using S mode, you can control engine braking forces.
Shifting the shift lever
Shift position purpose
Shift positionObjective or function
PParking the vehicle/starting the hybrid system
RReversing
NNeutral
DNormal driving*1
SS mode driving*2 (
 P. 1 74 )

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ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)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 1 to 6, will
be displayed in the meter.
The initial shift range in S mode is auto-
matically set to 4 to 5 according to vehi-
cle speed.
■Shift ranges and their functions
●You can choose from 6 levels of engine braking force.
●A lower shift range will provide greate r engine braking force than a higher
shift range, and the engine revolutions will also increase.
●If you accelerate while in ranges 1 to 4, the shift range may automatically
range up in accordance with the vehicle’s speed.
Selecting shift ranges in the S position
1
2

ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)
1754-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
■S mode
●When the shift range is 4 or lower, holding the shift lever toward “+” sets the shift range
to 6.
●To prevent excessive engine speed, a function was adopted that automatically selects a
higher shift range before the engine speed becomes too high.
■When driving with cruise control or dynamic radar cruise control activated
Even when performing the following actions with the intent of enabling engine braking,
the engine brake will not operate in the S mo de, even when downshifting to 5 or 4.
(  P. 2 3 4 )
■Downshifting restrictions warning buzzer
To help ensure safety and driving performa nce, downshifting operation may sometimes
be restricted. In some circumstances, downshifting may not be possible even when the
shift lever is operated. (A buzzer will sound twice.)
■If the S indicator does not come on ev en after shifting the shift lever to S
This may indicate a malfunct ion in the hybrid transmission system. Have the vehicle
inspected by your Lexus dealer immediately.
(In this situation, the transmission will operat e in the same manner as when the shift lever
is in D.)
■If the shift lever cannot be shifted from P
 P. 5 2 0
■AI-SHIFT
AI-SHIFT automatically select s the suitable gear according to driver performance and
driving conditions.
AI-SHIFT automatically operates when the shift lever is in D. (Shifting the shift lever to S
cancels the function.)
WA R N I N G
■When driving on slippery road surfaces
Do not accelerate or shift gears suddenly.
Sudden changes in engine braking may cause th e vehicle to spin or skid, resulting in an
accident.
NOTICE
■Hybrid battery (traction battery) charge
If the shift lever is in N, the hybrid batter y (traction battery) will not be charged even
when the engine is running. Therefore, if the ve hicle is left with the shift lever in N for a
long period of time, the hybrid battery (tr action battery) will discharge, and this may
result in the vehicle not being able to start.

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ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)4-2. Driving procedures
Turn signal lever
Right turn
Lane change to the right (move the
lever partway and then release it)
The right hand signals will flash 3 times.
Lane change to the left (move the
lever partway and then release it)
The left hand signals will flash 3 times.
Left turn
■Turn signals can be operated when
The power switch is in ON mode.
■If the indicator flashes faster than usual
Check that a light bulb in the front or rear turn signal lights has not burned out.
■If the turn signals stop flashing befo
re a lane change has been performed
Operate the lever again.
■To discontinue flashing of the turn 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.
(  P. 5 5 5 )
Operating instructions
1
2
3
4

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ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)4-2. Driving procedures
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Driving
Parking brake
To set the parking brake, fully depress
the parking brake pedal with your left
foot while depressing the brake pedal
with your right foot.
(Depressing the pedal again releases
the parking brake.)
■Parking brake engaged warning buzzer
A buzzer will sound if the vehicle is driven
with the parking brake engaged. “Release
Parking Brake” is displayed on the multi-information display.
■Usage in winter time
 P. 2 8 1
U.S.A. Canada
NOTICE
■Before driving
Fully release the parking brake.
Driving the vehicle with the parking brake set will lead to brake components overheat-
ing, which may affect braking perf ormance and increase brake wear.

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ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
Headlight switch
Turning the end of the lever turns on the lights as follows:
The headlights can be operated manually or automatically.
Operating instructions
U.S.A. Canada
The side marker, parking, day-
time running (
P. 179), tail,
license plate and instrument
panel lights turn on.
The headlights, parking and all
lights listed above (except
daytime running lights) turn
on.
The headlights, daytime run-
ning lights ( P. 1 7 9 ) a n d a l l
the lights listed above turn on
and off automatically.
(When the power switch is in
ON mode.)
Off
The daytime running lights
turn on. ( P. 1 7 9 )1
2
3
4
(U.S.A.)
(Canada)

ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)
1794-3. Operating the lights and wipers
4
Driving
With the headlights on, push the
lever away from you to turn on the
high beams.
Pull the lever toward you to the center
position to turn the high beams off.
Pull the lever toward you and release
it to flash the high beams once.
You can flash the high beams with the
headlights on or off.
AFS (Adaptive Front-lighting System) improves visibility at intersections and on
curves by automatically adjusting the lateral angle of the headlights according to
vehicle speed and the degree of the tire angle that are controlled by steering
input.
Operates at speed of 6 mph (10 km/h) or higher.
■Deactivating AFS
Select “AFS” on the (settings display) of the multi-information dis-
play. ( P. 9 2 )
Press the meter control switch.
■Daytime running light system
●To make your vehicle more visible to other drivers during daytime driving, the daytime
running lights turn on automatically whenever the hybrid system is started and the park-
ing brake is released. (Illum inate brighter than the parking lights.) Daytime running
lights are not designed for use at night.
For the U.S.A.: Daytime running lights can be turned off by operating the switch.
●Compared to turning on the headlights, the daytime running light system offers greater
durability and consumes less electricity, so it can help improve fuel economy.
■Headlight control sensor
Turning on the high beam headlights
1
2
AFS (Adaptive Front-lighting System) (if equipped)
The sensor may not function properly if an
object is placed on the sensor, or anything that
blocks the sensor is affixed to the windshield.
Doing so interferes with the sensor detecting
the level of ambient light and may cause the
automatic headlight system to malfunction.
1
2

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ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
■Automatic light off system
When the light switch is in , or :
The headlights and tail lights turn off 30
seconds after the power switch is turned to ACCESSORY mode or turned off and a
door is opened and all of the doors and trunk are closed. (The lights turn off immediately
if on the key is pressed twice after all the doors are closed.)
To turn the lights on again, turn the power switch to ON mode, or turn the light switch off
once and then back to or .
If any of the doors or trunk lid is kept open , the lights automatically turn off after 20 min-
utes.
■Light reminder buzzer
A buzzer sounds when the power switch is turned off or turned to ACCESSORY mode
and the driver’s door is opened while the lights are turned on.
■Automatic headlight leveling system (if equipped)
The level of the headlights is automatically ad justed according to the number of passen-
gers and the loading condition of the vehicle to ensure that the headlights do not inter-
fere with other road users.
■If “Headlight System Malfunction Visit Your Dealer” is displayed on the multi-informa-
tion display
The system may be malfunctioning. Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer.
■Customization
Settings (e.g. light sensor se nsitivity) can be changed.
(Customizable features: P. 5 5 5 )
NOTICE
■To prevent 12-volt battery discharge
Do not leave the lights on longer than necessary when the hybrid system is not operat-
ing.