I just bought a 2013 model RX350 about two weeks ago.

I am wondering why does my car default to 4th gear even at a stop when put into Selectable Gear Mode; I would think it should be in '1'. Is this a faulty vehicle requiring some fix?

In other brand vehicles I have driven, shifting into S-mode at standstill puts it in '1'. At highway speeds, it would be '6' and at intermediate speeds it will be some number in between. I can then upshift and downshift from that number as I would change gears in a manual drive car.

Is that kind of "manual simulated" driving feasible or advisable in the RX350 with the default 4th gear behavior? I have not dared to try starting from the '4th gear' for fear of ruining anything.

 

The display just indicates the max gear, the car will still shift down further. So even though it displays 4, the car will still shift down to first gear when you stop.

 

Somehow that does not sound right because the car has 6 gears. So if it is supposed to show the max gear, why is it not showing "6" then instead of "4"?

 

Because that's the way it is, it start in 4, safe gear for high way speeds. That way it can also be used to downshift before needing to pass someone on a highway.

 

It just defaults to 4th, It will automatically shift up to 4th and hold it.

If you want it to be in first at a light just push down a few times for 1.

 

Just leave it in D. It's a gimmick anyway. You won't break anything, as it is still full auto.
If you remember cars of the old days, they had D, Overdrive OFF, 2, and L positions on the shifter. It's the same thing, except now you get +/-. I never use M feature on the 450h. There is also a Sport mode, but all it does is makes the gas pedal ultra sensitive and makes passengers nauseous.

 

Anyone who would refer to the ability to manually select a lower gear as a "gimmick," is a driver who doesn't fully understand the capabilities of the vehicle they're driving. Granted, very few people, especially those who live on flat land, have a clue about the advantages of gearing down for the purposes of descending a hill. This is why there is a mandatory brake temperature check on the decent from Pikes Peak. Too many clueless drivers "just leave it in D" and depend solely on the brakes to do all the work. Even though I don't live in the mountains, there are enough hills around here that I frequently move the shift lever over to the left and select the appropriate gear to allow engine braking to keep my speed in check without over-using the brakes.

OP, the operation of your transmission is normal. Let those of us who know how to drive assist you in learning how to use it.

StillLine

 

I enjoy Manual-Mode on the F-Sport and compliments the sporty nature of this model well. The 8-speed works a little differently than the 6-speed. The gear it defaults to depends on the speed you're in up to gear 8 over about 40 mph and lesser increments beneath that speed. Also, the gear holds on in the one you're in even if you floor it. I believe the 6-speed will downshift.

 

Autos always had that feature via gate-shifting.
Since my DD is a true manual, I might know a thing or two about gearing. It's probably the same reason I never use M mode, as once you have the real thing, the imitation just won't do.

 

+1, didn't get the point of that response at all. It is essentially a gimmick when all said and done.

Although I would presume it to be more 'fun' in an F-Sport.

 

To summarize the discussions then, is it useful only for downshifting during downhill driving? Is this feature usable for anything else at all?

 

and Uphill too!
which is when i use it the most.

 

Yes, useful for passing too. You can pretty much do a manual kickdown and get into higher revs before speeding up.

 

Don't worry about breaking anything and feel free to use them at will. After five minutes or so, you'll get bored and put it back in D anyway.

 

I have used the manual kick down method for passing when driving other cars like the Ford Escape, Hyundai Sonata and Ford Mustang. However, like corradoMR2 writes above about the F-Sport, when you move to manual mode, the gear used to default to the speed you're in - which could be anything up to gear 6 over 40 mph and something lesser beneath that speed. Thus the shift to manual used to be extremely smooth and not even noticeable.

However, in the RX350, at highway speeds when you go to 4th gear by moving to S-mode. there is a noticeable deceleration. Hence the query whether doing this is bad for anything.