Shaboom

I was surprised our 350 ES (especially not the sporty F) came with paddle shifters. I have no interest in using them. The wonderful Automatic transmission in this car is a joy. Wonder how many owners use the paddle shifters even “sometimes?”

ndunn

I'm a bit surprised but probably a feature to appease everyone?

It might be convenient for engine braking on those long downhill mountain passes.

alextv

Wish there was a way to totally disable them. My wife accidently pushed it and could not get out of the lower gear not knowing what she did and drove it home that way. Another one of Lexus bright ideas.

Paddler213

User error or ignorance doesn't render a feature undesirable. I use them for engine breaking as above.

TechNut

Yes, this exactly. Heck, even my hybrid 300h has them so I don’t think the intent was ever “sporty.” I like them for long grades, great for those mountain roads.

Shaboom

Can’t you downshift with the hand gearshift when going down a mountain instead of using those darn paddle shifters?
I wish they would have avoided the cost of them and made something else (like door protectors or trunk bumper area protector) standard instead.

alextv

I fully understand every feature of this car as I always read every word of owners manual and for engine breaking I simply tap the break or use gearshift as I always have. As always it is personal preference what one likes to use and everybody is different. If I lived in the mountains or areas with a lot of steep hills I might would try that feature out for engine breaking. For those that want just the basics for driving there should be a way to disable an undesirable feature that might be accidentally activated even if they know how to get out of it.

alextv

Exactly and agree this is not a sports car

Paddler213

Paddle shifters were developed because one needn't take your hand off the wheel to use them. I believe they were first used in Formula 1. I really like them exactly where they are. In order to downshift in my Expedition I have to take my right hand and eyes off the road to push buttons near the shifter.

If you live in flat country they wouldn't be of much use, but when I leave my house I'm always going up or dwn hill, so I use them routinely.

newgsman

iTrader: (4)

The first car I had with pseudo paddle shifters was my 1998 Lexus GS400. The paddles were actually buttons (like Formula 1 cars) on the steering wheel accessed by thumbs in the front or fingers in the back of the wheel. Then I got an ISF and I really started to appreciate paddle shifters, especially for downshifting or holding a gear for extended acceleration events. Although my current ES300h does not provide anything remotely close to exhilirating performance, I do enjoy having the shifters to use when I feel the urge. It was actually a feature I was looking for while searching for a car which ended up being the ES300h. In the ES the shifters can still be used when you car to accelerate quickly by holding a lower gear. They also come in handy in providing a jolt of power to the battery when downshifting. If you become adept at it I believe you can actually maintain a slightly higher charge level on the battery.

mikemu30

I use the paddles frequently to downshift on inclines. Very useful instead of pounding the pedal to force a downshift. I'm not sure I'd call the trans in this car "wonderful" but that's just my opinion.

FastDawg

I have an F Sport and used the paddles in the first month after I picked up the car along with the Sports modes just to make sure they worked correctly. I don’t use them much now.

Paddler213

Doesn't Georgia have fun roads? Deal's Gap, Tail of the Dragon, etc? Seems like you could have some fun in the Blue Ridge mountains with your paddle shifters if you're confined to four wheels.

https://greatmotorcycleroads.com/georgia

pab12

>Tail of the Dragon

Tail of the Dragon, in this car?
Seriously
All u'll do is hold up a mile of cars behind you ...
=============================================================
Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car
Oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car
Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall, and
Torque is how far you take the wall with you

Paddler213

Even using the paddle shifters? In an F Sport?