Page 409 of 656

STARTING AND DRIVING
381
(b) Using engine braking
To use the braking power of the engine, downshift the
transmission in the way described below:
1Shift into the 4º position. The transmission will downshift
to fourth gear and engine braking will be enabled.
When the cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift from Dº to 4º, engine braking will not be
enabled because the cruise control is not cancelled. If
you need to decrease the vehicle speed, see page 396.
2Shift into the 3º position. The transmission will downshift
to third gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower
than the speed listed below and stronger engine braking
will be enabled.
Transfer Hº 133 km/h (83 mph) Lº 52 km/h (32 mph)
3Shift into the 2º position. The transmission will downshift
to second gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes
lower than the speed listed below and more powerful
engine braking than that of 3º position will be enabled.
Transfer Hº 90 km/h (56 mph) Lº 35 km/h (22 mph)
4Shift into the Lº position. The transmission will downshift
to first gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower
than the speed listed below and maximum engine braking
will be enabled.
Transfer Hº 47 km/h (29 mph) Lº 18 km/h (11 mph)
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a slippery surface.
The abrupt change in engine speed could cause the
vehicle to spin or skid.
Page 416 of 656

STARTING AND DRIVING
388The indicator light tells when the differential lock is engaged.
Note that the differential is not still locked as long as the
indicator light remains off.
When
the operation is not completed, the indicator blinks. If the
indicator light does not go off when you push out the center
differential lock switch, drive straight ahead while accelerating
or decelerating, or drive in reverse.
The center differential lock system operation is not completed
within 5 seconds while the cruise control system is set, cancel
the cruise control system. To cancel the cruise control system,
see Cruise controlº on page 394. If the indicator light does not go off when you push out the
center differential lock button, drive straight ahead while
accelerating or decelerating, or drive in reverse.
See (b) Shifting procedureº for further instructions.
Advice for driving on slippery roads in Lº (low speed
position) mode
If you shift the four-wheel drive control lever to Lº, the
automatic transmission lever to 2º when you drive in steep
off-road areas, the output of the brake can be controlled
effectively by the active traction control system, which assists
the driver to control the driving power of 4 wheels.
Use the Lº position of the automatic transmission lever for
maximum power and traction when your wheels get stuck or
when you drive down a steep incline. In the following cases,
the out put of the brake can be controlled by the active traction
control system if the engine speed is under 3,000 rpm
(normally engine speed is under 3,000 rpm when the wheels
get unstuck).
The four-wheel drive control lever in the Lº position and the
automatic transmission lever in the Lº position or the
automatic transmission lever in the Dº or 2º with the
transmission downshifting to the first gear.
The four-wheel drive control lever in the Lº position and the
automatic transmission lever in the Rº position
(As for the automatic transmission lever positions, see
Automatic transmissionº on page 378.)
Page 422 of 656

STARTING AND DRIVING
394
CRUISE CONTROL
The cruise control allows you to cruise the vehicle at a
desired speed over about 40 km/h (25 mph) with your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained although a slight speed
change may occur when driving up or down a gradient, within
the limits of engine performance. On steeper hills, a greater
speed change will occur so it is better to drive without the cruise
control.
When the cruise control is on, the driving pattern of the
automatic transmission is fixed in the normal position,
regardless of the position of the driving pattern selector switch.
CAUTION
To help maintain maximum control of your vehicle,
do not use the cruise control when driving in heavy
or varying traffic, or on slippery (rainy, icy or
snow-covered) or winding roads.
Avoid vehicle speed increases when driving
downhill. If the vehicle speed is too fast in relation to
the cruise control set speed, cancel the cruise
control then downshift the transmission to use
engine braking to slow down.
Turning the system on
To operate the cruise control, push the main switch. This turns
the system on. The indicator light in the instrument cluster
shows that you can now set your desired cruising speed.
Another push on the switch will turn the system completely off.
When the ignition key is turned off, the main switch is also
automatically turned off. To use the cruise control again, push
the main switch again to turn it on.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control engagement, keep
the main switch off when not using the cruise control.
Page 423 of 656

STARTING AND DRIVING
395
Setting operation
Each function is described below.
1Setting at a desired speed.
The transmission must be in Dº before you set the cruise
control speed.
Bring the vehicle to the desired speed, press the control lever
downward in the - SETº direction and release it. This sets the
vehicle at that speed. Now you may take your foot off the
accelerator pedal. If you need acceleration Ð for example,
when passing Ð depress the accelerator pedal enough for the
vehicle to exceed the set speed. When you release the
accelerator pedal, the vehicle will return to the speed set prior
to the acceleration.
2Cancelling the preset speed
You can cancel the preset speed by either of the following:
a. Pulling the control lever in the CANCELº direction.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.
If the vehicle speed falls below about 40 km/h (25 mph), the
preset speed will be automatically cancelled.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10 mph) below the preset
speed, the preset speed will also automatically be cancelled.
If the preset speed automatically cancels out for other than
these reasons, have your vehicle checked by your Lexus
dealer at the earliest opportunity.
3Resetting to a faster speed
Press the control lever upward in the + RESº direction and
hold it. Release the lever when the desired speed is attained.
While the lever is held upward, the vehicle will gradually gain
speed.
When the difference between the actual vehicle speed and the
set speed is less than 5 km/h (3 mph), the set speed can be
increased 1.6 km/h (1 mph) each time by pressing the control
lever upward in the + RESº direction quickly within 0.6
seconds.
However, a quicker way to reset is to accelerate the vehicle and
then press the control lever downward in the - SETº direction.
Page 424 of 656

STARTING AND DRIVING
396
4Resetting to a slower speed
Press the control lever downward in the - SETº direction and
hold it. Release the lever when the desired speed is attained.
While the lever is held downward, the vehicle speed will
gradually decrease.
When the difference between the actual vehicle speed and the
set speed is less than 5 km/h (3 mph), the set speed can be
lowered 1.6 km/h (1 mph) each time by pressing the control
lever downward in the - SETº direction quickly within 0.6
seconds.
However, a quicker way to reset is to depress the brake pedal
and then press the control lever downward in the - SETº
direction.
Even if you downshift the transmission from the Dº position to
4º position with the cruise control on, engine braking will not
be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. To
decrease the vehicle speed, reset to a slower speed with the
cruise control lever or depress the brake pedal. If you use the
brake pedal, cruise control is cancelled.
5Resuming the preset speed
If the preset speed is cancelled by pulling the control lever or
by depressing the brake pedal, pushing the lever up in the +
RESº direction will restore the speed set prior to cancellation.
However, once the vehicle speed falls below about 40 km/h (25
mph), the preset speed will not be resumed.
Cruise control failure warning
If the CRUISEº indicator light in the instrument cluster flashes
when using the cruise control, push the main switch to turn the
system off and then push it again to turn it on.
If any of the following conditions then occurs, there is some
trouble in the cruise control system.
The indicator light does not come on.
The indicator light flashes again.
The indicator light goes out after it comes on.
If this is the case, contact your Lexus dealer and have your
Lexus inspected.