2006 LEXUS RX330 automatic

STARTING AND DRIVING
401
(b) Driving in “S” mode
1Upshifting2Downshifting
3“S” mode position
4Shift range position indicator
You can change the shift range position in the “S” mode.
The shift range position can be switched between “5”
(fifth range) and “1” (first range) by moving the selector
lever up to the “+” side or down to the “” side. The fir\
st
shift range position is “4” (fourth range) when the selector
lever is shifted to the “S” position.
 Shift range position indicator
The shift range position is displayed on the instrument cluster.
 Shift range positions
“5” (fifth range): The most suitable gear is automatically
selected between first and overdrive (fifth) gears according
to vehicle speed and driving conditions. Always use the “5”
(fifth range) position to improve fuel economy and for quiet
driving.
“4” (fourth range): The most s uitable gear is automatically
selected between first and fourth gears according to vehicle
speed and driving conditions. In the “4” (fourth range)
position, the automatic transmission system will select the
most suitable gear to handle current running conditions
such as hill climbing, hard towing, etc.

STARTING AND DRIVING
402“3” (third range): The most suitable gear is automatically
selected between first and third gears according to vehicle
speed and driving conditions. This range is best used when
stronger engine braking is necessary.
“2” (second range): First or second gear will automatically
be selected according to vehicle speed and driving
conditions. This range is to be used when engine braking
stronger than that of the “3” (third range) position is
necessary.
“1” (first range): This gear is fixed in first regardless of
vehicle
speed or driving conditions. This range is to be used
when maximum engine braking is necessary.
If you attempt to downshift the transmission when it is not
possible to downshift due to high vehicle speed, a warning tone
sounds twice. 
Maximum allowable speeds
To get on a highway or to pass slower traffic, maximum
acceleration may be necessary. Make sure you observe the
following maximum allowable speeds in each range:
range km/h (mph)1 51 (32)
2 92 (58)
3 144 (90)
NOTICE
Do not downshift if you are going faster than the
maximum allowable speed for the next lower range.
 “S” mode indicator light
“S” mode allows you to use the shift range positions.
The “S” mode indicator light comes on when the selector
lever is shifted into the “S” position. When the “S” mode
indicator light does not come on even with the selector lever
moved to the “S” position, there may be a problem
somewhere in the system. Have your vehicle
checked/repaired by your Lexus dealer as soon as possible.
In this case, you can drive in the same condition as in the “D”
position.

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403
(c) Using engine braking
“S” mode position
To use the braking power of the engine, downshift the range in
the “S” mode position as follows:
 Shift into the “4” (fourth range) position. The transmission
will downshift to fourth gear and engine braking will be
engaged.
If you drive in the “D” position: Shift the selector lever to
the “S” position and “4” (fourth range) will automatically\
be
selected.
If you drive in the “S” position: Shift the selector lever
down to the “ −” position by selecting the “4” (fourth range). Vehicles with the cruise control —
When
the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift
from “D” or “5” (fifth range) to “4” (fourth range)\
, engine
braking will not be enabled because the cruise control is not
cancelled. For vehicle speed reduction, see page 415.
Vehicles with the dynamic laser cruise control —
When the cruise control is being used in the conventional
(fixed speed) cruise control mode or in the
vehicle −to−vehicle distance control mode, even if you
downshift from “D” or “5” (fifth range) to “4” (fourth range),
engine braking will not be enabled because the cruise
control is not cancelled. For vehicle speed reduction, see
pages 427 and 436.
 Shift into the “3” (third range) position. The transmission will
downshift to third gear when the vehicle speed is or
becomes lower than 129 km/h (81 mph) and more powerful
engine braking will be enabled.
If you drive in the “D” position: Shift the selector lever to
the “S” position then shift the lever down to the “ −” position
once to select the “3” (third range).
If you drive in the “S” position: Shift the selector lever
down to the “ −” position to select “3” (third range).

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405
(d) Backing up
1Brake pedal2 “R” (Reverse) position
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the
selector lever to the “R” position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the vehicle is moving.
Vehicles with driving position memory system —
When the shift lever is shifted into “R” position, the outside rear
view mirrors automatically down to help backing up. For
details, see page 231. Vehicles with rear view monitor system —
When the selector lever is shifted into “R” position with the
ignition switch in the “ON” position, rear view monitor system
will
activate. For instructions, see “Rear view monitor system”
on page 408.

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407
(f) Good driving practice
If the transmission repeatedly shifts up and down between
fourth and overdrive gears when climbing a gentle slope,
shift the selector lever into the “S” 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 (fifth) gear.
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 the 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.
(g) If you cannot shift the selector lever
If you cannot shift the selector lever even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock override button. For
instructions, see “If you cannot shift automatic transmission
selector lever” on page 524.

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414
2Cancelling the cruise control
The cruise control may be temporarily cancelled by the driver
or by the system itself under certain circumstances.
Temporary cancellation allows the set cruising speed to remain
in memory.
The cruise control can be temporarily cancelled by doing the
following:
 Pulling the lever in the “CANCEL” direction and releasing it
 Depressing the brake pedal
Under certain circumstances, the cruise control is temporarily
cancelled:
 When vehicle speed falls below 40 km/h (25 mph)
 When vehicle stability control is activated
When vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10 mph) below the set
speed, the cruise control is cancelled and the set speed is
erased from memory.
The “CRUISE” indicator light remains on to indicate that the
system is still in operation.
To turn the cruise control off, press the “ON−OFF” button.
Make sure the “CRUISE” indicator light is off.
If the cruise control automatically cancels out other than for the
above cases, have your vehicle checked by your Lexus dealer
at the earliest opportunity.3Resuming the cruise control
If the cruise control is temporarily cancelled, the cruising speed
can be resumed by pushing the lever up in the “+ RES”
direction.
Vehicle speed must be above 40 km/h (25 mph).
4Resetting to a faster speed
Press the control lever upward in the “+ RES” 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 “+ RES” direction quickly.
However, a quicker way to reset is to accelerate the vehicle and
then press the control lever downward in the “− SET” direction.

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415
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.
However, a quicker way to reset is to depress the brake pedal
and then press the control lever downward in the “ − SET”
direction.
Vehicle with automatic transmission (standard type) —
Even if you downshift the transmission from the “D” position to
“4” with the cruise control on, engine braking will not be
enabled 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.
Vehicle with automatic transmission (multi −mode type) —
Even if you downshift the transmission from the “D” or “5” (fifth
range) to the “4” (fourth range) with the cruise control on,
engine braking will not be enabled 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.

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The dynamic laser cruise control function operates
automatically and depending on whether a vehicle is
detected ahead may change the
speed of your vehicle as
follows.
If no vehicle is running ahead of you —
1Cruising at a fixed speed: If there is no vehicle detected
ahead, your cruising speed is maintained at the preset
speed from about 45 km/h (28 mph) to about 135 km/h (85
mph). The preset speed is displayed in the display. For
the vehicle speed setting, see “(c) Setting the cruising
speed” on page 424. If a vehicle is detected ahead of you —
2Deceleration cruising function: If a slower moving
vehicle is detected ahead of you, your vehicle cruising
speed decreases within the range of about 40 km/h (25
mph) to 135 km/h (85 mph). The display shows the preset
speed, the detected vehicle ahead and selected
vehicle
−to−vehicle distance. If your vehicle gets closer to
the vehicle ahead because of insufficient automatic
deceleration, then the alarm warns you to also manually
apply brakes.
3Followup cruising function: After deceleration, your
cruising speed changes to match the speed of the vehicle
ahead in order to maintain a constant vehicle −to− vehicle
distance. The following distance can be changed. For
details, see “(h) Changing vehicle −to−vehicle distance”
on page 427.