LEXUS RX450h 2015 Owners Manual

1812-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving CAUTION■
When starting the hybrid system
Always start the hybrid system while sitting in the driver’s seat. Do not depress the
accelerator pedal while starting the hybrid system under any circumstances.
Doing so may cause an accident resu lting in death or serious injury.■
Caution while driving
If a hybrid system failure occurs while the vehicle is moving, do not lock or open the
doors until the vehicle reaches a safe and complete stop. Activation of the steering
lock in this circumstance may lead to an accident, resulting in death or serious
injury.■
Stopping the hybrid system in an emergency
If you want to stop the hybrid system in an emergency while driving the vehicle,
press and hold the “POWER” switch for more than 2 seconds, or press it briefly 3
times or more in succession. (  P. 795)
However, do not touch the “POWER” switch while driving except in an emergency.
Turning the hybrid system off while driving wi ll not cause loss of steering or braking
control, however, power assist to the steering will be lost. This will make it more diffi-
cult to steer smoothly, so you should pull over and stop the vehicle as soon as it is
safe to do so.

1822-1. Driving procedures
NOTICE■
To prevent 12-volt battery discharge ●
Do not leave the “POWER” switch in ACCESSORY or ON mode for long peri-
ods of time without the hybrid system on.●
If the indicator on the “POWER” switch is illuminated, the “POWER” switch is not
off. When exiting the vehicle, always check that the “POWER” switch is off.●
Do not stop the hybrid system when the shif t lever is in a position other than P. If
the hybrid system is stopped in anothe r shift lever position, the “POWER” switch
will not be turned off but instead be tu rned to ACCESSORY mode. If the vehicle
is left in ACCESSORY mode, 12-volt battery discharge may occur.■
When starting the hybrid system ●
Do not depress the accelerator pedal unnecessarily.●
If the hybrid system becomes difficult to start, have your vehicle checked by your
Lexus dealer immediately.■
Symptoms indicating a malfunction with the “POWER” switch
If the “POWER” switch seems to be operating somewhat differently than usual,
such as the switch sticking slightly, there may be a malfunction. Contact your Lexus
dealer immediately.

1832-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving EV drive mode
■
Switching to EV drive mode when the gasoline engine is cold
If the hybrid system is started while the gasoline engine is cold, the gasoline engine
will start automatically after a short period of time in order to warm up. In this 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 engine starts to switch to EV
drive mode.In EV drive mode, the electric motor (traction motor), powered by the
hybrid battery (traction battery) , is used to drive the vehicle.
This mode allows you to drive in residential areas early in the morning and
late at night, or in indoor parking lo ts etc. without concern for noises and
exhaust gas emissions.
However, when the Vehicle Proximity Notification System is active, the
vehicle may produce sound.
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 [trac-
tion motor]).

1842-1. Driving procedures
■
Situations in which EV driv e mode cannot be turned on
It may not be possible to turn EV drive mode on in the following situations. If it can-
not be turned on, a buzzer will sound and a message will be shown on the multi-
information display. ●
The temperature of the hybrid system is high.
The vehicle has been left in the sun, driv en on a hill, driven at high speeds, etc.●
The temperature of the hybrid system is low.
The vehicle has been left in extremely low temperatures for a long period of
time etc.●
The gasoline engine is warming up.●
The hybrid battery (traction battery) is low.●
Vehicle speed is about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more.●
The accelerator pedal is depressed firmly or the vehicle is on a hill etc.●
The windshield defogger is in use.■
Automatic cancelation of EV drive mode
When driving in EV drive mode, the gasoline engine may automatically restart in
the following situations. When EV drive mo de is canceled, a buzzer will sound and
the EV drive mode indicator will flash and go off. ●
The hybrid battery (traction battery) becomes low.●
Vehicle speed becomes more than about 25 mph (40 km/h).
If engine coolant temperature is low, EV drive mode may be canceled when
vehicle speed is below 25 mph (40 km/h).●
The accelerator pedal is depressed firmly 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
In EV drive mode, it is possible to drive up about 1 /2 mile (1 km) if driving at a speed
of about 25 mph (40 km/h) or less.
(The distance that is possible depends on the hybrid battery [traction battery] level
and driving conditions.)
■
Fuel economy
RX450h is designed to achieve the best po ssible fuel economy during normal driv-
ing (using the gasoline engine and electric motor [traction motor]). Driving in EV
drive mode more than necessary may lower fuel economy.

1852-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving CAUTION■
Caution while driving
When driving in EV drive mode no engi ne noise is made. As such, pedestrians,
people riding bicycles or other people an d 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.

1862-1. Driving procedures
Hybrid transmission Select a shift position appropriate for the driving conditions.
■ Shifting the shift lever
While the “POWER” switch is in 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
* 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 controls engine braking forces. Shift position Function
P Parking the vehicle/starting the hybrid system
R Reversing
N Neutral
D Normal driving
* 1
S S mode driving
* 2
(  P. 1 9 0 )

1872-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving ■ Selecting Eco drive mode
When the vehicle is driven in Eco drive mode, vehicle driving force
and operation of the air condit ioning system (heating/cooling) is
controlled to improve fuel efficiency.
Press the menu switch. The multi-information display
will change modes to electronic
features control mode.
Press the “  ” or “  ” switch
until “ECO MODE” appears.
Press the “ENTER” switch to
change to “ON”.
The “ECO MODE” indicator
will be displayed. Each pressing of the switch
turns Eco drive mode on and off.
Press the menu switch to
change to the normal display.STEP 1
STEP 2

1882-1. 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 “HYBRID SNOW”
appears.
Press the “ENTER” switch to
change to “ON”.
The “Hybrid 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

1892-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving ■ Selecting sport mode
Use when high levels of response and feeling are desirable, such as
when driving in moun tainous regions or when overtaking.
Press the menu switch. The multi-information display
will change modes to electronic
features control mode.
Press the “  ” or “  ” switch
until “SPORT MODE”
appears.
Press the “ENTER” switch to
change to “ON”.
The “SPORT MODE” indicator
will be displayed. Each pressing of the switch
turns sport mode on and off.
Press the menu switch to
change to the normal display.STEP 1
STEP 2

1902-1. Driving procedures
Changing shift ranges in S mode
When the shift lever is in the S position, the shift lever can be operated as
follows:
Upshifting
Downshifting
The initial shift range in S mode is set automatically to “5” or “4” accord-
ing to vehicle speed.
■ Shift ranges and their functions
● 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.■
Operation of the air conditioning system in Eco drive mode
Eco drive mode controls the heating/cooling operations and fan speed of the air
conditioning system to enhance fuel efficiency. (  P. 342, 350) To improve air con-
ditioning performance, adjust the fa n speed or turn off Eco drive mode. ■
Automatic return to normal driving mode
If snow mode or sport mode is selected , the driving mode will automatically return
to normal mode when the hybrid system is turned off.
■
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.