1997 Lexus LX 450 Owners Manual - Page 161

STARTING AND DRIVING 5. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to "D". Always use the "D" position to improve fuel economy and quiet driving. Only in this position, shifting into the overdrive gear is possible. However, while the engine coolant temperature is low, the transmission will not shift into the overdrive gear even in the "D" position. (See "(b) Using engine braking" and "(f) Good driving practice" for exceptions.) (b) Using engine braking ! CAUTION To use the braking power of the engine, downshift the transmission in the way described below.
Turn off the overdrive switch. The "O/D OFF" indicator light will come on and the transmission will downshift to the third gear. When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift the transmission, engine braking will not be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. for ways to decrease the vehicle speed, see "Cruise control" on page 154.  Shift into the "2" position. The transmission will downshift to the second gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower than the speed listed below and more powerful engine braking will be obtained. Transfer "H" 116 km/h (72 mph) "L" 40 km/h (25 mph) Never put your foot on the accelerator pedal while shifting. 6. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal slowly for smooth starting. In normal cruising, the vehicle will start in the first gear and automatically shift to the most suitable gear for the running conditions. In "D" position, the automatic transmission system will select the most suitable gear for the running conditions such as hill climbing, hard towing, etc. If you need to accelerate rapidly while driving, depress the accelerator pedal to the full throttle position. This provides more acceleration by automatically downshifting the transmission to the next lower gear or beyond, depending on the vehicle speed. If engine braking is needed, such as in descending a long hill, see "(b) Using engine braking". 146