Lexus IS250C 2014 Owner's Manual

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2-1. Driving procedures
IS250C/350C_U
CAUTION
■When starting the engine
Always start the engine while sitting in the driver’s seat. Do not press the accelera-
tor 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, press and
hold the “ENGINE START STOP” switch for more than 2 seconds, or press it
briefly 3 times or more in succession. (→P. 5 5 0 )
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 battery discharge
Do not leave the “ENGINE START STOP” switch in ACCESSORY or IGNITION
ON mode for long periods without the engine running.
■When starting the engine
●Do not race a cold engine.
●If the engine becomes difficult to start or stalls frequently, have the engine
checked immediately.

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2-1. Driving procedures
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When driving
IS250C/350C_U
Automatic transmission
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.
■ Shift position uses
*1: Shifting to the D position allows the system to select a gear suitable for the
driving conditions. Setting the shift le ver to the D position is recommended
for normal driving.
*2: Selecting shift ranges using S mode restricts the upper limit of the possible gear ranges, controls engine brak ing forces, and prevents unnecessary
upshifting.
Shift positionFunction
PParking the vehicle or starting the engine
RReversing
NNeutral
DNormal driving*1
SS mode driving*2 ( → P. 1 5 5 )

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2-1. Driving procedures
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■Selecting a driving mode
The following patterns can be selected to suit current driving and
operating conditions.
Power mode
For powerful acceleration
and driving in mountainous
regions.
Normal mode
Snow mode
For accelerating and driving
on slippery road surfaces,
such as on snow.
Press “SNOW”
to return to nor-
mal mode.

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2-1. Driving procedures
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When driving
IS250C/350C_U
Selecting shift ranges in the D positionTo drive using temporary shift range selection, operate the “-” shift paddle
switch. The shift range can then be selected by operating the “-” and “+”
shift paddle switches. Changing the shift range allows restriction of the
upper limit of the gears to be used, 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
6, will be displayed in the meter
cluster.
To return to normal D position
driving, the “+” shift paddle switch
must be held down for a period of
time.

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2-1. Driving procedures
IS250C/350C_U■
Shift ranges and their functions
A lower shift range will provide greater engine braking forces than a higher shift
range.
Shift rangeFunction
6Automatically selecting gears between 1 and 6
according to vehicle speed and driving conditions.
5Automatically selecting gears between 1 and 5
according to vehicle speed and driving conditions.
4Automatically selecting gears between 1 and 4
according to vehicle speed and driving conditions.
3Automatically selecting gears between 1 and 3
according to vehicle speed and driving conditions.
2Automatically selecting gears between 1 and 2
according to vehicle speed and driving conditions.
1Setting the gear at 1.

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2-1. Driving procedures
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When driving
IS250C/350C_U
Changing shift ranges in S modeTo enter S mode, shift the shift lever to the S position. The shift range can
then be selected by operating the “-” and “+” shift paddle switches or the
shift lever. Changing the shift range allows restriction of the upper limit of
the gears to be used, 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
6, will be displayed in the meter
cluster.
The initial shift range in S mode is automatically set to 5 or 4 according to
vehicle speed. However, the initial shift range may be set to 3 or 2 if the
AI-SHIFT has operated while the shift lever was in the D position.
(→ P. 1 5 7 )
■ Shift ranges and their functions
→ P. 1 5 4

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2-1. Driving procedures
IS250C/350C_U
■When the “-” shift paddle switch is operated in the D position
When the “-” shift paddle switch is operated 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 deactivated 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
●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
■To protect automatic transmission
A function is adopted that automatically selects a higher shift range when the fluid
temperature is high.
■Gear position display when driving
The current gear is displayed on the multi-information display. ( →P. 1 74 )
■Downshifting restrict ions warning buzzer
To help ensure safety and driving performance, downshifting operation may some-
times be restricted. In some circumstances, downshifting may not be possible even
when the shift lever or shift paddle switch is operated. (The warning buzzer will
sound twice.)
■When driving with the cruise control system or dynamic radar cruise control sys-
tem
Engine braking will not occur during shift range selection in the D position or S
mode, even when downshifting to range 5 or 4. ( →P. 1 9 0 , 1 9 4 )
■Snow mode automatic deactivation
Snow mode is automatically deactivated if the “ENGINE START STOP” switch is
turned off after driving in snow mode.
■If the shift lever cannot be shifted from P
→P. 5 2 6

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When driving
IS250C/350C_U
■If does not come 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 vehicle will operate as if the shift lever is in D.)
■AI-SHIFT
The AI-SHIFT automatically shifts the gear to the suitable position according to the
driver performance and driving conditions.
The AI-SHIFT automatically operates when the shift lever is in the D position. How-
ever, operating the “-” shift paddle switch will restrict the function’s operation. (Shift-
ing the shift lever to the S position cancels the function.)
CAUTION
■When driving on slippery road surfaces
Be careful of downshifting and sudden acceleration, as this could result in the vehi-
cle skidding to the side or spinning.

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Turn signal lever
■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 turn signal lights has not burned out.
Right turn
Left turn
Move and hold the lever part-
way to signal a lane change
The right hand signal will flash
until you release the lever.
Move and hold the lever part-
way to signal a lane change
The left hand signal will flash
until you release the lever.

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When driving
IS250C/350C_U
Parking brake
■Usage in winter time
See “Winter driving tips” for parking brake usage in winter time. (→P. 233)
NOTICE
■Before driving
Fully release the parking brake.
Driving the vehicle with the parking brake set will lead to brake components over-
heating, which may affect braking performance and increase brake wear.
Sets the parking brake*
(Depressing the pedal again
releases the parking brake.)
*: Fully depress the parking
brake pedal with your left
foot while depressing the
brake pedal with your right
foot.
Canada
U.S .A .