Lexus GS300 2006 Starting and Driving

STARTING AND DRIVING
389
CAUTION
Never depend on the rear view monitor system
entirely when backing up. Always make sure your
intended path is clear.
Use caution just as you would when backing up any
vehicle.
Never back up while looking only at the screen. The
image on the screen is different from actual
conditions. Depicted distances between objects and
flat surfaces will differ from actual distances. If you
back up while looking only at the screen, you may hit
a vehicle, a person or an object. When backing up, be
sure to check behind and all around the vehicle
visually and with mirrors before proceeding.
Do not use the system when the trunk is not
completely closed.
If the back of the vehicle is hit, the position and
mounting angle of the camera may change. Be sure
to have the camera’s position and mounting angle
checked at your Lexus dealer.
If the temperature changes rapidly, such as when hot
water is poured on the vehicle in cold weather, the
system may not operate normally.
If the camera lens becomes dirty, it cannot transmit
a clear image. If water droplets, snow, or mud adhere
to the lens, rinse with water and wipe with a soft cloth.
If the lens is extremely dirty, wash it with a mild
cleanser and rinse.
Use your own eyes to assure rearward clearance, as
the displayed image may become faint or darker, and
moving images will be distorted or not entirely visible
when outside temperature is cold. When backing up,
be sure to check behind and all around the vehicle
visually and with mirror before proceeding.

STARTING AND DRIVING
390AREA DISPLAYED ON SCREEN
Image is displayed approximately level on screen.
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Check surroundings for safety.

Corners of bumperThe area covered by the camera is limited. Objects
which are close to either corner of the bumper or under
the bumper cannot be seen on the screen.
The area displayed on the screen may vary according
to vehicle orientation or road conditions.

STARTING AND DRIVING
391 REAR VIEW MONITOR SYSTEM CAMERA
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The rear view monitor system camera is located on the trunk
as shown in the illustration. The camera uses a special lens.
The distance of the image that appears on the screen differs
from the actual distance.
In the following cases, it may become difficult to see the images
on the screen, even when the system is functioning.
In the dark (for example, at night)
When the temperature near the lens is extremely high or low
When water droplets are adhering to the camera, or when
humidity is high (for example, when it rains)
When foreign matter (for example, snow or mud) adheres
to the camera lens
When the sun or the beam of headlights is shining directly
into the camera lens
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Check surroundings for safety.
If a bright light (for example, sunlight reflected off the vehicle
body) is picked up by the camera, the smear effect* peculiar
to the camera may occur.
*: Smear effect — A phenomenon that occurs when a bright
light (for example, sunlight reflected off the vehicle body) is
picked up by the camera; when transmitted by the camera, the
light source appears to have a vertical streak above and below
it.

STARTING AND DRIVING
392
CRUISE CONTROL
The cruise control allows you to cruise the vehicle at a
desired speed over 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 great
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 mode, regardless
of the position of the 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
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To operate the cruise control, push the “ON−OFF” button. 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 button will turn the system
completely off.
When the engine switch is turned off, the “ON−OFF” button is
also automatically turned off. To use the cruise control again,
push the “ON−OFF” button again to turn it on.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control engagement, keep
the “ON−OFF” button off when not using the cruise
control.

STARTING AND DRIVING
393
Setting operation
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Each function is described below.
1
Setting at a desired speed.
The transmission must be in the “D” position, or the shift range
position must be “4” (fourth range), “5” (fifth range) or “6” (sixth
range) in the “S” mode before you set the cruise control speed.
Bring the vehicle to the desired speed, press the control lever
downward in the “– SET” 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 − for example,
when passing − 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.
2
Cancelling the preset speed
You can cancel the preset speed by doing any of the following:
a. Pulling the control lever in the ”CANCEL” direction.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.
c. Pushing the “ON−OFF” button.
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 slip indicator light blinks and a warning tone sounds, the
preset speed will be automatically cancelled.
If the preset speed automatically cancels out for other than the
above reasons, do not operate the cruise control. Although it
is no problem to continue driving, have your vehicle checked
by your Lexus dealer at the earliest opportunity.
3
Resetting 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 within 0.6
seconds.

STARTING AND DRIVING
394However, a quicker way to reset is to accelerate the vehicle
and then press the control lever downward in the “– SET”
direction.
4
Resetting 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.
With the cruise control on, even if you downshift the
transmission from the “D” position or “6” (sixth range) to the “5”
(fifth range), or from the “D” position or “5” (fifth range) to the
“4” (fourth range), 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.
5
Resuming the preset speed
If the preset speed is cancelled by pulling the control lever, by
depressing the brake pedal or vehicle stability control
activation, pushing the lever up in the “+ RES” 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 “CRUISE” indicator light in the instrument cluster flashes
when using the cruise control, push the “ON−OFF” button 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.

STARTING AND DRIVING
395
DYNAMIC RADAR CRUISE
CONTROL
The vehicles with pre−collision system are equipped with
dynamic radar cruise control.
Dynamic radar cruise control allows you to drive at a
selected cruising speed over about 45 km/h (28 mph) with
your foot off the accelerator pedal, maintaining an
appropriate vehicle−to−vehicle distance.
CAUTION
Do not rely excessively on dynamic radar cruise control
in order to avoid serious injury or death, or to prevent
accidents or to control the vehicle’s speed in
emergency situations. Do not use cruise control except
in appropriate road and traffic conditions. Always drive
carefully and attentively. Before using dynamic radar
cruise control, read and understand the following
instructions.
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1
Multi−information display
2
Master warning light
3
“CRUISE” indicator light
4
Distance switch
(for changing vehicle−to−vehicle distance)
5
Cruise control switch

STARTING AND DRIVING
396
Changing the dynamic radar cruise control
mode
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1
Vehicle−to−vehicle distance control mode
2
Conventional (fixed speed) cruise control mode
The dynamic radar cruise control function has two cruise
control modes.
Vehicle−to−vehicle distance control mode for maintaining
an appropriate distance between vehicles
Conventional (fixed speed) cruise control mode for cruising
at preset speeds
You can change the mode by using the control lever.
The two cruise control modes function differently. If you use
dynamic radar cruise control, always confirm which mode is
selected.
Vehicle−to−vehicle distance control mode
The millimeter wave radar sensor in this system primarily
detects the reflected wave from the rear end of the vehicle
ahead of you to determine the presence of the vehicle
ahead as well as measuring the vehicle−to−vehicle
distance. The detection range of the sensor is about 120
m (400 ft.) ahead.
When the dynamic radar cruise control is on, the driving
pattern of the automatic transmission is fixed in the normal
mode, regardless of the position of the selector switch.
CAUTION
The dynamic radar cruise control is not a
collision−avoidance system and will not prevent
accidents. The dynamic radar cruise control is a vehicle
speed control device that is intended for use only on
freeways or roads where the traffic is light or moderate.
To avoid serious injury, you must use caution and be
attentive to road and traffic conditions while using
dynamic radar cruise control.

STARTING AND DRIVING
397 (a) Dynamic radar cruise control operations
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The dynamic radar 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:
1
Cruising 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
multi−information display. For the vehicle speed setting,
see “Setting operation ” on page 402.
If a vehicle is detected ahead of you:
2
Deceleration 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 about 135 km/h (85 mph). The multi−information
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 warning tone
warns you to also manually apply brakes.
3
Follow−up cruising function: After deceleration, your
vehicle cruising speed changes in proportion to the speed
of the vehicle ahead to maintain an appropriate distance
from your vehicle to the vehicle ahead. The
vehicle−to−vehicle distance can be changed. For details,
see “Changing vehicle−to−vehicle distance setting” on
page 406.
4
Acceleration cruising function: If the vehicle ahead
changes lanes, your vehicle cruising speed will be
gradually increased up to the preset speed, and your
vehicle resumes fixed−speed cruising.

STARTING AND DRIVING
398
CAUTION
Under certain conditions where the vehicle in front
slows drastically, or is stopped, the dynamic radar
cruise control will neither warn you nor decelerate. The
driver must depress the brake pedal to slow down,
ensuring collision avoidance or that sufficient
vehicle−to−vehicle distance is maintained.
When vehicle−to−vehicle distance control mode is activated,
you must still be attentive to road and traffic conditions. Should
your vehicle speed decrease below about 40 km/h (25 mph),
the dynamic radar cruise control will shut off, requiring you to
apply the brakes to slow. When a vehicle ahead slows
suddenly, stops or a vehicle cuts in front, the system may slow
your vehicle abruptly, but the automatic braking will cease if the
speed decreases below about 40 km/h (25 mph) requiring the
driver’s manual application of brakes.
CAUTION
Certain conditions make vehicle detection difficult or
impossible.
As this system operates by detecting primarily the
reflected wave from the rear end of the vehicle ahead,
the distance cannot be accurately detected in the
following cases, resulting in improper
vehicle−to−vehicle distance.
♦The rear section of the vehicle ahead is extremely
small such as an unloaded trailer.
♦The vehicle ahead or other vehicles around you
are flinging up water or snow.
♦Heavy luggage which is loaded in your trunk or on
top of your rear seats is raising up the nose of your
vehicle.
The millimeter wave radar sensor automatically
detects dirt if it is sticking to the front of the sensor
or cover of your vehicle, and if detected, a message
appears on the multi−information display. However,
if the sensor or cover is covered with a metallic vinyl
bag, icicle, snowflakes, etc., dirt may not be detected,
resulting in improper vehicle−to−vehicle distance.
Continue driving with due care to the vehicle ahead.
If dirt is detected, the dynamic radar cruise control
function is automatically cancelled. Always keep the
sensor and cover clean.