LEXUS RX350 2015 Owners Manual

1712-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving Automatic transmission (6-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.

1722-1. Driving procedures
■ Shift position purpose
* 1
: Shifting to the D position allows the sy stem 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 re stricts the upper limit of the possible
gear ranges, controls engine brakin g forces, and prevents unnecessary
upshifting. Shift position Function
P Parking the vehicle/starting the engine
R Reversing
N Neutral
D Normal driving
* 1
S S mode driving
* 2
(  P. 1 74 )

1732-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving ■ Selecting snow mode
Use snow mode for accele rating and driving on slippery road sur-
faces such as snow.
Press the menu switch. The multi-information display
will change modes to electronic
features control mode.
Press the “  ” or “  ” switch
until “ECT SNOW” appears.
Press the “ENTER” switch to
change to “ON”.
The “ECT SNOW” indicator will
be displayed. Each pressing of the switch
turns snow mode on and off.
Press the menu switch to
change to the normal display.STEP 1
STEP 2

1742-1. Driving procedures
Changing shift ranges in S mode
To enter S mode, shift the shift lever to the S position. The shift range can
then be selected by operating the “- ” and “+” paddle shift switches (if
equipped) or the shift lever. Changing the shift range allows restriction of
the upper limit of the ge ars to be used, preventing unnecessary upshifting
and enabling the level of engine braking force to be selected.
Upshifting
Downshifting
The initial shift range in S mode is set automatically to “5” or “4” accord-
ing to vehicle speed. However, the init ial shift range may be set to “3” if
AI-SHIFT has operated while the shift lever was in the D position.
(  P. 1 76 )
■ Shift ranges and their functions
● Automatically selecting gears betw een 1 and 6 according to vehicle
speed and driving conditions. But the gear is limi ted according to
selected shift range.
● You can choose from 6 levels of engine braking force.
● A lower shift range will provide gr eater engine braking force than a
higher shift range, and the engi ne speed will also increase.

1752-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving Selecting shift ranges in the D position (vehicles with paddle shift switches)
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
upper limit of the gears to be used, preventing unnecessary upshifting
and enabling the level of engine braking force to be selected.
Upshifting
Downshifting
To return to normal D position
driving, the “+” paddle shift switch
must be held down for a period of
time.
■ Shift ranges and their functions
 P. 1 74

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

1802-1. Driving procedures
■ Selecting snow mode
Use snow mode for accele rating and driving on slippery road sur-
faces such as snow.
Press the menu switch. The multi-information display
will change modes to electronic
features control mode.
Press the “  ” or “  ” switch
until “ECT SNOW” appears.
Press the “ENTER” switch to
change to “ON”.
The “ECT SNOW” indicator will
be displayed. Each pressing of the switch
turns snow mode on and off.
Press the menu switch to
change to the normal display.STEP 1
STEP 2