kitlz

I've used sequential shifting on the RX for the past ten years, mostly for slowing down on hills and more control in snow. That's something ingrained into me after driving manual for a long time. Feels more natural too. FYI, snow mode starts the RX in second gear. I don't even bother with it though.

BTW, sport mode on the Maxima rental I was driving on Pikes Peak last week was pretty useless. Didn't really help slow down the car. Most people let gravity take them downhill at higher than the recommended speeds. I did the same from Mile 13 where the brake check station StillLine mentioned is located. The road was closed a little beyond the station due to icy conditions. First snow of the season fell two days earlier. Just when it started to get interesting too

elba123, go ahead and use sequential shifting. Lexus has a list of recommended speeds for each gear in the owners manual. I don't have it in front of me to check right now.

markrivers

welcome to the famous Nissan CVT aka (fake gear shifting...which all CVT are anyway)

ThePos

This feature is very useful for driving in snow for both traction and using the engine as a brake control. Anyone who has ever driven in serious slippery conditions can appreciate the benefit of slowing down using the engine rather than over touching the brakes and causing the car to lose control.
I generally start in 2nd and do not exceed 4th in these conditions.

chazman6

I had assumed that a shift into the Sport Mode would start at the present gearing with the privilege
to down/up shift. My last vehicle (Sante Fe) and most others let you fine tune your driving habits
to safely slow down or up-shift for quicker econmy.
Apparently the RX goes into 4th gear weather you are crawling in traffic or speeding on the Turnpike. This can be particularly annoying when pulling out from a stop, to descend a hill,and you shift into SM. The tranny goes from 2nd to 4th gear instead of retarding your speed.

Marqevans

I drove down Pikes Peak last year in a rental. At the ranger station the car in front of me was forced to pull over by the ranger because his brakes were too hot. The ranger commended me and let me keep going because my brakes were not overheated. I never let the car get above second gear all the way down.

vlad_a

We took our RX450h on a road trip to Florida. There were quite a few hills on the way there.
There was no need for Manual or Sport mode going downhill!
When the gas pedal was completely released, they Hybrid Drive revved up the gas engine to invoke engine braking. If it was depressed ever so slightly, it disengaged the engine-braking mode.
That was pretty intelligent on their part.

shesTeasin

Late post but does anyone recommend using Sport mode with the AWD Lock in the snow?