ECO mode Lexus GS350 2011 User Guide

130
2-1. Driving procedures
GS_G_U (OM30C11U)
October 28, 2011 5:15 pm
CAUTION
■When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the engine off. Otherwise, you may accidentally move the shift lever or
depress the accelerator pedal, which could cause an accident or fire due to engine
overheating. 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 the vehicle
●When the brakes are wet, drive more cautiously.
Braking distance increases when the brakes are wet, and 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 brake actuator (GS460) or brake booster (GS350) does not operate, do
not follow other vehicles closely and avoid hills or sharp turns that require brak-
ing.
In this case, braking is still possible, but it will require more force on the pedal than
usual. Braking distance may also increase.
●Do not pump the brake pedal if turning the engine off.
Each push on the brake pedal uses up the reserve for the power-assisted brakes.
●The brake system consists of 3 (GS460) or 2 (GS350) individual hydraulic sys-
tems: 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 braking distance becomes
longer.
Do not drive your vehicle with only a single brake system. Have your brakes fixed
immediately.
■If the vehicle becomes stuck or bogged (4WD models)
Do not spin the wheels recklessly when any of the tires is up in the air, or stuck in
sand or mud, etc. This may damage the drive system components or propel the
vehicle forward (or in another direction) and cause an accident.

131
2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
GS_G_U (OM30C11U)
October 28, 2011 5:15 pm
NOTICE
■While driving the vehicle
●Do not depress the accelerator and brake pedals at the same time during driving.
If the brake pedal is depressed while driving with the accelerator pedal
depressed, driving torque may be restrained.
●Do not use the accelerator pedal or depress accelerator and brake pedals
together to hold the vehicle on a hill.
■When parking the vehicle
Always put the shift lever in “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 a long
time.
Doing so may damage the 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 hear a squealing or scraping noise (brake pad wear limit indicators)
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.
Front brake only: Moderate levels of the brake pad and disc wear allow enhanced
front 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
that of the brake discs are exceeded.

136
2-1. Driving procedures
GS_G_U (OM30C11U)
October 28, 2011 5:15 pm
CAUTION
■When starting the engine
Always start the engine while sitting in the driver’s seat. Do not press the accelera-
tor pedal while starting the engine under any circumstances.
Doing so may cause an accident resulting in death or serious injury.
■Stopping the engine in an emergency
If you want to stop the engine in an emergency while driving the vehicle, push and
hold the “ENGINE START STOP” switch for more than 3 seconds.
However, do not touch the “ENGINE START STOP” switch while driving except in
an emergency. 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.
NOTICE
■To prevent 12 volt battery discharge
Do not leave the “ENGINE START STOP” switch in ACCESSORY or IGNITION
ON mode for long periods if the engine is not running.
■When starting the engine
●Do not race the engine.
●If the engine becomes difficult to start or stalls frequently, have the engine
checked immediately.

147
2-2. Instrument cluster
2
When driving
GS_G_U (OM30C11U)
October 28, 2011 5:15 pm
Light sensitive optitron meterTo reduce glare or reflection of the instrument cluster, the cluster glass is
tinted automatically or manually. Y ou can select a setting from 7 modes.
Display the present setting, then
change the mode.
To change the mode, press the but-
ton once and then again within 6
seconds.
Each time you press the button, the
mode changes in the following
order:
1. “AUTO - Norm.”
2. “AUTO - Lo”
3. “AUTO - Hi”
4. “MANUAL - 1”
5. “MANUAL - 2”
6. “MANUAL - 3”
7. “ M A N U A L - 4 ”
Mode 1 to 3: The cluster glass tint
will be adjusted automatically
depending on the intensity of sun-
light in the surrounding.
Mode 4 to 7: The cluster glass tint
will be fixed when a certain level of
sunlight is reached in the surround-
ing.
(“Norm.” to “Hi”, “1” to “4” referring
to the level of cluster glass tint.)

151
2-2. Instrument cluster
2
When driving
GS_G_U (OM30C11U)
October 28, 2011 5:15 pm
CAUTION
■If a safety system warning light does not come on
Should a safety system light such as ABS and the SRS airbag warning light not
come on when you turn to IGNITION ON mode, this could mean that these sys-
tems are not available to help protect you in an accident, which could result in death
or serious injury. Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer immediately if
this occurs.
■Warning lights
Warning lights inform the driver of malfunctions in the indicated
vehicle’s systems. ( →P. 5 3 4 )
*: These lights turn on when the “ENGINE START STOP” switch is turned
to IGNITION ON mode to indicate that a system check is being per-
formed. They will turn off after the engine is on, or after a few seconds.
There may be a malfunction in a system if the lights do not come on, or
turn off. Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer.
(U.S.A.)(Canada)(U.S.A.)(Canada)(GS460)
(U.S.A.)(Canada)(if equipped)
*******
*****
**

157
2-3. Operating the lights and windshield wipers
2
When driving
GS_G_U (OM30C11U)
October 28, 2011 5:15 pm
■Headlight control sensor
■Automatic light off system
The headlights and tail lights turn off 30 seconds after all doors are closed if the
“ENGINE START STOP” switch has been switched to ACCESSORY mode or
turned OFF while the headlights are turned on. (The lights turn off immediately if
the button on the key is pressed after all doors are locked.)
To turn the lights on again, switch to IGNITION ON mode, or turn the light switch
off once and then back to the
or position.
■Automatic headlight leveling system
The level of the headlights is automatically adjusted according to the number of
passengers and the loading condition of the vehicle to ensure that the headlights do
not interfere with other road users.
■If the indicator flashes...
It may indicate a malfunction in the system. Contact your Lexus dealer.
■Customization that can be configured at Lexus dealer
Settings (e.g. light sensor sensitivity) can be changed.
(Customizable features →P. 6 1 9 )
NOTICE
■To prevent 12 volt battery discharge
Do not leave the lights on longer than necessary when the engine is off.
The sensor may not function properly if an
object is placed on the sensor, or anything
that blocks the sensor is affixed to the wind-
shield.
Doing so interferes with the sensor detecting
the level of ambient light and may cause the
automatic headlight system to malfunction.

163
2-3. Operating the lights and windshield wipers
2
When driving
GS_G_U (OM30C11U)
October 28, 2011 5:15 pm
■If no windshield washer fluid sprays
Check that the washer nozzles are not blocked if there is washer fluid in the wind-
shield washer fluid reservoir.
■Customization that can be configured at Lexus dealer
Settings (e.g. drip prevention function) can be changed.
(Customizable features →P. 6 2 0 )
CAUTION
■Caution regarding the use of windshield wipers in “AUTO” mode
The windshield wipers may operate unexpectedly if the sensor is touched or the
windshield is subject to vibration in “AUTO” mode. Take care that your fingers or
anything else do not become caught in the windshield wipers.
NOTICE
■When the windshield is dry
Do not use the wipers, as they may damage the windshield.
■When there is no washer fluid spray from the nozzle
Damage to the washer fluid pump may be caused if the lever is pulled toward you
and held continually.

171
2-4. Using other driving systems
2
When driving
GS_G_U (OM30C11U)
October 28, 2011 5:15 pm
■Selecting conventional cons tant speed control mode
Press the “ON-OFF” button
to activate the cruise control.
Press the button once more to
deactivate the cruise control.
Switch to constant speed
control mode.
(Push the lever away from
you and hold for approxi-
mately 1 second.)
Vehicle-to-vehicle distance con-
trol mode is always reset when
the “ENGINE START STOP”
switch is switched to IGNITION
ON mode.
■Adjusting the speed setting
Increase speed
Decrease speed
Hold the lever until the desired
speed setting is displayed.
In the constant speed control
mode, fine adjustment of the set
speed can be made by lightly
pressing the lever up or down
and releasing it.

175
2-4. Using other driving systems
2
When driving
GS_G_U (OM30C11U)
October 28, 2011 5:15 pm
■Dynamic radar cruise can be set when
●The shift lever is in D. (Recommended)
Dynamic radar cruise control can also be set when the shift lever is in the S posi-
tion and range “4”, “5”, “6”, “7” or “8” (GS460) or “4”, “5” or “6” (GS350) has
been selected.
●Vehicle speed is above approximately 30 mph (50 km/h).
■Accelerating
The vehicle can be accelerated normally. After acceleration, the set speed
resumes.
■Automatically canceling vehicle-to-vehicle distance control
Vehicle-to-vehicle distance control driving is automatically canceled in the follow-
ing situations.
●Actual vehicle speed falls below 25 mph (40 km/h)
●Enhanced VSC is activated
●The windshield wipers are operating at high speed
●The mode select switch is set to snow mode
●The sensor cannot operate correctly because it is covered in some way
Vehicle-to-vehicle distance control driving must be reset by turning the “ON-
OFF” button on again.
If vehicle-to-vehicle distance control driving is automatically canceled for any other
reason, there may be a malfunction in the system. Contact your Lexus dealer.
■Automatically canceling constant speed control
The set speed is automatically canceled in the following situations.
●Actual vehicle speed is more than 10 mph (16 km/h) below the preset vehicle
speed
●Actual vehicle speed falls below 25 mph (40 km/h)
●Enhanced VSC is activated

190
2-4. Using other driving systems
GS_G_U (OM30C11U)
October 28, 2011 5:15 pm
■The intuitive parking assist can be operated when
The “ENGINE START STOP” switch is in the IGNITION ON mode.
■When the system malfunctions
●If a malfunction occurs and no obstacles have been detected, a warning is dis-
played, and a malfunction beep sounds for 7 seconds.
If an obstacle has been detected, or another malfunction occurs in a different
sensor, the malfunction beeps will not sound.
●In the following circumstances the displayed warning will disappear:
• If you switch the screen to a different mode.
• If you turn off the intuitive parking assist main switch.
• If the vehicle speed exceeds 6 mph (10 km/h). Once the vehicle speed dropsbelow 6 mph (10 km/h), the warning will be displayed again.
●If the malfunction screen is displayed, the detection range of the dual sensors is
shortened. In this case, the necessity for obstacle evasion (whether the obstacle
will come within 0.8 ft. [25 cm] of the vehicle or not) will not be calculated.
■When using the intuitive parking assist
●The sensors’ detection areas and reaction times are limited. When moving for-
ward or reversing, check the areas surrounding the vehicle (especially the sides
of the vehicle) for safety, and drive slowly, using the brake to control the vehicle’s
speed.
• The sensors’ detection areas are limited to the areas around the vehicle’s frontand rear bumpers.
• Depending on the shape of the obstacle and other factors, the detection dis-
tance may shorten, or detection may be impossible.
• There will be a short delay between obstacle detection and display. Even at slow speeds, there is a possibility that the obstacle will come within 0.8 ft. (25
cm) of the vehicle before the display is shown and the warning beep sounds.
• Braking distance may differ according to the road conditions (rain, gravel etc.).
• It might be difficult to hear beeps due to the volume of audio system or air flow noise of air conditioning system.
• For long obstacles such as walls, the obstacle warning may change as the obstacle gets closer.