1998 Lexus ES 300 Owners Manual - Page 140

STARTING AND DRIVING 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, push the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor. The transmission will automatically downshift to the third, second or first gear, according to the vehicle speed. If engine braking is needed, such as in descending a long hill, see "(b) Using engine braking". (b) Using engine braking 31E009-2 To use the braking power of the engine, downshift the transmission in the way described below: 1 Turn off the overdrive switch. (This is effective only when you are driving in the "D" position.) The "O/D OFF" indicator light in the instrument cluster will come on and the transmission will downshift to the third gear and engine braking will be obtained. When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift the transmission by turning off the overdrive switch, engine braking will not be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. If you need to decrease the vehicle speed, see page 146. 2 Shift into the "2" position. The transmission will downshift to the second gear when the vehicle speed is lower than 122 km/h (76 mph) and more powerful engine braking will be obtained. 140