2006 LEXUS LX470 engine

STARTING AND DRIVING
265
(e) Parking
31X011d
 1Brake pedal 2Parking brake lever
3“P” (Park) position
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Apply the parking brake fully.
3. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the
selector lever to the “P” position.
CAUTION
While the vehicle is moving, never attempt to move the
selector lever into “P” under any circumstances.
Serious mechanical damage and loss of vehicle control
may result.
(f) Good driving practice
 If the transmission repeatedly shifts up and down between
the fourth and overdrive gears when climbing a gentle
slope, shift the selector lever to the “4” position. Be sure to
shift the selector lever to the “D” position after climbing the
slope.
 When towing a trailer, in order to maintain efficient engine
braking and electrical charging performance, do not use
overdrive.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped
with the engine running. This prevents the vehicle from
creeping.
NOTICE
Always use the brake pedal or parking brake to hold the
vehicle on an upgrade. Do not attempt to hold the
vehicle using the accelerator pedal, as this can cause
the transmission to overheat.

STARTING AND DRIVING
266
(g) Driving in “2nd STRT” (second start)mode
31X012c
In the “2nd STRT” (second start) mode, the transmission
system shifts up from second gear. Use this mode when
starting your vehicle in sand, mud, ice or snow.
To set the “2nd STRT” mode, push the “2nd” switch. In the “2nd
STRT” mode, the “2nd STRT” indicator light comes on. To
cancel the “2nd STRT” mode, push the “2nd” switch again.
The “PWR” mode is automatically cancelled when you push
the “2nd” switch.
(h) If you cannot shift the selector lever
If you cannot shift the selector lever from “P” position even
though the brake pedal is depressed, use the shift lock
override button. For instruct ions, see “If you cannot shift
automatic transmission selector lever” on page 357.
FOURWHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM
(a) Fourwheel drive control
31X013e
Use the fourwheel drive control lever and center
differential lock button to select the fo llowing transfer and
center differential modes.
The “H” and “L” position of the four−wheel drive control lever
provides either lock or unlock mode of the center differential
depending on the center differential lock button position.
Use the center dif ferential lock system if your wheels get stuck
in a ditch, or when you are driving on a slippery or bumpy
surface. When the center differential is locked, the vehicle
stability control system is automatically turned off and the
center dif ferential lock and “VSC OFF” indicator lights come on
because the function that controls engine performance
interferes with the process of freeing your wheels.

STARTING AND DRIVING
268If 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 procedure” for further instructions.
Advice for driving on slippery roads in “L” (low speed
position) mode
If you shift the four
−wheel drive control lever to “L”, the
automatic transmission lever to “2” 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 “L” 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 “L” position and the
automatic transmission lever in the “L” position or the
automatic transmission lever in the “D”, “4”, “3” or “2” \
with
the transmission downshifting to the first gear
 The four− wheel drive control lever in the “L” position and the
automatic transmission lever in the “R” position
(As for the automatic transmission lever positions, see
“Automatic transmission” on page 259.)
(b) Shifting procedure
To shift between unlock and lock modes in “H”, push the
center differential lock button.
To shift between unlock and lock modes in “L”, push the
center differential lock button.
To shift between “H” and “L”, stop the vehicle, put the
transmission into “N” and move the four −wheel drive control
lever.
CAUTION
Never move the fourwheel drive control lever if wheels
are slipping. Stop the slipping or spinning before
shifting.
NOTICE
For normal driving on dry and hard surface roads,
unlock the center dif ferential. To prevent damage to the
center differential lock system, do not push the center
differential lock button when the vehicle is cornering or
when its wheels are spinning freely of f the ground. If the
indicator light does not go off when unlocking the
center differential, drive straight ahead while
accelerating or decelerating, or drive in reverse.

STARTING AND DRIVING
275
31x501a
If this warning light comes on, the bulb of the
nearinfrared floodlight (night view projector) has blown
out. Have the bulb replaced at your Lexus dealer.
CRUISE CONTROL
The cruise control is designed to maintain a set cruising
speed without requiring the driver to operate the
accelerator. Cruising speed can be set to any speed
above 40 km/h (25 mph).
Within the limits of the engine’s capabilities, cruising speed can
be maintained up or down grades. However, changes in
vehicle speed may occur on steeper grades.
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
snowcovered) 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.

STARTING AND DRIVING
278
5Resetting to a slower speed
Press the control lever downward in the “– SET” 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 “– SET” 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 “– SET”
direction.
Even if you turn off the overdrive switch 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.Cruise control failure warning
If the “CRUISE” indicator light flashes when using the cruise
control, press the “ON −OFF” button to turn the system off and
then press 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.

STARTING AND DRIVING
280In the following cases, the extra high mode changes to the high
mode automatically:

When your vehicle is no longer stuck.
 When the four −wheel drive control lever is put in a position
other than “L”.
When you push the height select switch on the “
” side
in the extra high mode, the normal mode is selected.
Since the extra high mode is automatically selected, you
cannot select this mode on purpose with the height select
switch.
 “N” (normal) mode
The vehicle height in this mode is standard.
This mode is suitable for ordinary driving.
 “LO” (low) mode
The vehicle height is about 50 mm (2.0 in.) lower at front
and about 40 mm (1.6 in.) lower at rear than the normal
mode height.
This mode allows you easy access to the vehicle (getting in
and out) and easy loading and unloading operation.
This mode is available when the vehicle is stopped. When you
start the vehicle, the normal mode is automatically selected.
NOTICE
The normal mode is automatically selected when the
vehicle begins to move in the low mode. So be careful
when you drive in any place where the overhead height
is limited.
(b) Automatic leveling function
Regardless of the number of occupants or the luggage
loading condition, the vehicle height is always
automatically adjusted to a fixed height in any mode.
However, the vehicle height cannot be raised if the vehicle load
exceeds the limits. (See page 281.)
(c) Vehicle height mode changing condition
To change the vehicle height, it is necessary to meet the
following 3 conditions.
 The engine should be running.
 All the side doors and back door should be closed.
 The height control “OFF” indicator light should go off.
When selecting a mode with the four −wheel drive control lever
at “H”, there is a vehicle speed limit. Refer to the following
table.

STARTING AND DRIVING
281
Yes= The mode can be selected.
No = The mode cannot be selected.
Low
modeNormal modeHigh
mode
At vehicle
stoppageYe sYe sYe s
Under about 30
km/h (19 mph)NoYe sYe s
About 30 km/h
(19 mph) or overNoYe sNo
In the following cases the active height control
suspension does not operate even if the above conditions
are all met.
 The brake pedal has been depressed for longer than about
5 seconds with the vehicle stopped.
 The suspension fluid temperature is lower than −30 C
(−22 F). If the engine is warmed up, the suspension fluid
temperature will be raised as the inside of the engine
compartment becomes warmer. Then the active height
control suspension becomes operable.
 Driving on bumpy roads, which may cause the suspension
to fully elongate.
 The steering wheel is operated abruptly more than 3/4 turn
with center differential lock system activated.
(d) Vehicle height adjustment
31X049b
 1
Higher 2Lower
To change the mode, push the height select switch on
either side of “ ” and “
”.
The height control indicator light indicates which mode is
selected. (See page 284.)
NOTICE
 If you change the vehicle height frequently, the pump
may overheat. To prevent this, the active height
control suspension should be stopped temporarily
for a minute between selections. Operate it again.

STARTING AND DRIVING
283
NOTICE
Do not select the low mode on bumpy roads. If the
underbody of the vehicle touches the rugged road
surface, the vehicle may be damaged.
Even if the engine is stopped while the vehicle height is
being lowered, the operation continues for up to 12
seconds.
(e) Turning off the active height controlsuspension
31X051d
To turn off the active height control suspension with the
vehicle stopped, push the height control switch. The
height control “OFF” indicator light comes on and the
vehicle height is fixed in the same mode as the height
control switch is pushed.
This status is memorized in the system even after the engine
is stopped.
If you push the switch again, the height control “OFF” indicator
light goes out and the active height control suspension is
turned on.