RXSF

Not really a question but more of an observation.

In Neutral, not only is the engine/electric motors disconnected from the drive train, but regenerative braking disengages as well and you use your brake pads to stop. Also in neutral, you can step on the gas pedal all the way to the floor without revving the engine.

Just some random musings that popped into my head this morning.

ntran18

iTrader: (27)

Actually the electric motor/generator is integrated into the CVT tranny.

InRBigness

Today while driving I slid on some ice. The standard method of operation is that you apply the brakes and slide into the transmission into neutral. In a typical car the rear wheels are still driving the car forward so putting into neutral takes away the forward push allowing the back brakes to help slow down the car. It works very well.... on a normal car.

I tried this on my RX450H today and was startled that what I expected to happen was the exact opposite of what did. By putting into neutral I released the regenerative braking and the car felt like it sped up. It didnt speed up but it certainly stopped slowing down. Interesting observation to know.

Cruiter

Yup, I found out last winter, the computers if used properly can do a much better job in those conditions than we could manually the 'old' way . That's not to mean we can just blindly drive in slippery conditions w/o consequences, just that when things get dicey, they do a good job w/o taking a time out to think about it.