-35 is cold. I'd use the block heater. This (and really light oil) will give you the most help in the cold.

With or without the block heater I'd simply start the car and drive off gently. Idling simply wastes a lot of gas. Plus the engine will warm up quicker under load.

In the cold the TCH will use the electric motor to keep the gas engine from running under load till the oil is flowing well.

 

you know, come to think about it... ICE does not really turn on initially to warm up coolant. it turns on to warm up HSD and cat. thereafter, in E-mode capability, everything runs off 12V battery. I am not even sure it's designed to run engine till it reaches 196 degrees.



also, have to agree with you. I am still shaking my head over why they made that car so that someone can drive it away without key inside. must be Japanese thing.

 

Love the car, very nervous about letting it idle

 

To a lot of people, "warm up" means getting the cabin temperature up to something that resembles 70 degrees F.

At temperatures that are seriously cold, a block heater will preheat the engine. That preheated engine will do two things. It will start easier and warm up quicker. And, it will "warm up" the cabin much quicker, because the cabin heater will start working sooner.

 

You can start the car and eject the actual key from the smart key by pushing the "Push" button on the side. You can use this key to manually lock or unlock the doors from the outside while the car is running. This is what I have done during the cold seasons while I was letting my car warm up.