ECO mode LEXUS RX330 2006 Owner's Manual

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393
Vehicle 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” to “4”, engine braking will not be
enabled because the cruise control is not cancelled. For
vehicle speed reduction, see pages 427 and 436.
2Shift into the “3” position. The transmission will downshift
to third gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower
than 129 km/h (81 mph) and stronger engine braking will
be enabled.
3Shift into the “2” position. The transmission will downshift
to second gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes
lower than 83 km/h (52 mph) and more powerful engine
braking than that of “3” position will be enabled.
4Shift into the “L” position. The transmission will downshift
to first gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower
than 39 km/h (24 mph) and maximum engine braking will
be enabled.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a slippery surface.
The abrupt change in engine speed could cause the
vehicle to skid or spin.

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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.

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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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DYNAMIC LASER CRUISECONTROL
Dynamic laser cruise control allows you to drive at a
constant cruising speeds over about 45 km/h (28 mph)
with your foot off the accelerator pedal, maintaining an
appropriate vehicletovehicle distance between the
vehicle ahead.
CAUTION
Do not rely excessively on dynamic laser 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 laser
cruise control, read and understand the following
instructions.1Cruise control switch
2Distance switch
3Display
4“NORM.” indicator light
(conventional cruise control mode indicator light)
5“CRUISE” indicator light
6“READY” indicator light
(ready mode indicator light)
7Master warning light

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CAUTION
Braking control will not ensure that your vehicle will
reduce speed appropriately. You must depress the
brake pedal to slow down, in order to avoid a collision
or to maintain sufficient vehicletovehicle distance.
(j) Approach warning
While you are cruising in the vehicle−to−vehicle distance
control mode, if the vehicle ahead decelerates abruptly or if
another vehicle cuts in ahead of you, your vehicle may come
closer to the vehicle ahead. The display will flash and beep to
alert you.
CAUTION
 If the display flashes and beeps, this indicates that
you must depress the brake pedal in order to slow
down sufficiently to avoid a collision or maintain
appropriate vehicletovehicle distance.
 In the following conditions, the approach warning
may not turn on even if the vehicle drives closer to the
vehicle ahead, and an accident may occur:
Your vehicle and the vehicle ahead are cruising at
almost the same speed.
The vehicle ahead is cruising at a faster speed than
yours. (The distance between the vehicles will
become longer.)
The vehicle ahead is at a stop or driving very slowly.
Pay special attention to a very slow vehicle at the end
of the line in heavy traffic or at a tollgate.
The speed has just been set.
The accelerator pedal is depressed or has just been
released.

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434(a) Turning the system on and off
To turn the conventional cruise control mode on, press the
“ON−OFF” button. The “CRUISE” and “READY” indicator
lights on the
instrument panel will come on. Push the lever in
the “MODE” direction for longer than 1 second to change to
conventional cruise control mode. The indicator on the
instrument panel is as shown. You can now set the cruising
speed. Pressing the “ON− OFF” button again turns the system
off.
When the system is turned off, cruising speed must be reset
when the conventional cruise control mode is turned on again.
However, once the vehicle −to−vehicle distance control mode
activates and is used, the system cannot be changed to the
conventional cruise control mode using the above operation.
To change the mode, you must turn this system off and then on
again. Next pu sh the lever in the “MODE” direction for longer
than about 1 second. To change to the vehicle
−to−vehicle distance control mode
from the conventional cruise control mode, push the lever in
the “MODE” direction for longer than about 1 second.
CAUTION
To avoid accidentally engaging the cruise control, turn
the system off when it is not in use. Make sure the
“CRUISE” indicator light is off.

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436To turn the system off, push the “ON
−OFF” button. Make sure
the “CRUISE” indicator light is off.
If the conventional cruise control mode automatically cancels
out other than for the above cases, have your vehicle checked
by your Lexus dealer at the earliest opportunity.
(d) Resuming the conventional cruise control mode
If the conventional cruise control mode 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).
(e) Resetting to a faster speed
Push the lever up in the “+ RES” direction and hold it. Release
the lever when the desired speed is attained. While the lever
is held up, 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 pushing the lever up
in the “+ RES” direction quickly within 0.6 seconds.
However, a faster way to reset is to accelerate the vehicle and
then push the lever down in the “ − SET” direction. (f) Resetting to a slower speed
Push the lever down in the “
− SET” direction and hold it.
Release the lever when the desired speed is attained. While
the lever is held down, 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 pushing the lever down
in the “− SET” direction quickly within 0.6 seconds.
However, a faster way to reset is to accelerate the vehicle and
then push the lever down in the “ − SET” direction.
With automatic transmission (standard type) —
Even if you downshift from “D” to “4” in the conventional cruise
control mode, engine braking will not be enabled because this
mode is not cancelled. To decrease the vehicle’s 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.
With automatic transmission (multi −mode type) —
Even if you downshift from “D” or “5” (fifth range) to “4” (fourth
range) in the conventional cruise control mode, engine braking
will not be enabled because this mode is not cancelled. To
decrease the vehicle’s 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.

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Vehicle’s height mm (in.)Vehicle speedkm/h (mph)
80
(50) 100
(62)
“HI”
+30 (1.2)
30 (19) — 50 (31)
“N”
− 7.0 (0.3)
 “HI” (high) mode
“HI” (high) mode: The vehicle’s height is about 30 mm (1.2
in.) higher than the normal height.
This mode is suitable for driving on bumpy roads.
When the vehicle speed exceeds approximately 50 km/h (31
mph) or driving at the speeds of 30 km/h (19 mph) or over for
ten seconds total in “HI” mode, “N” mode is automatically
selected. Even if the vehicle speed then reduces to under 50
km/h (31 mph), the vehicle’s height will not return to “HI” mode.
CAUTION
The “HI” mode should be used for severe offroad
driving conditions only. As the vehicle’s center of
gravity is higher in this setting, the vehicle may become
unstable when turning abruptly, resulting in an
unexpected accident.

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If your vehicle gets ditched, turn off the electronically
modulated air suspension with the height control
switch. Otherwise, the automatic leveling function
may cause the vehicle height to change, possibly
resulting in further damage to the vehicle.
 When disconnecting a trailer, put the vehicle height
in the “LO” mode and push the height control switch
to turn off the electronically modulated air
suspension. Otherwise, the vehicle height may be
changed in the automatic leveling function, resulting
in unexpected accident.(f) Height control failure warning
1Height control indicator lights
2Height control “OFF” indicator light
3Easy access mode indicator light
When the ignition switch is turned on, all the indicator lights
come on. Only the indicator light showing the present mode
remains on and all other lights go off after a few seconds. This
means the system is operating correctly.