Crawl control is a feature found on some late model Toyota Landcruiser 150 series and 200 series 4WD. It allows the driver to traverse rough off-road terrain at a fixed slow speed without the need to apply the accelerator or brake. Much like cruise control operates on the highway. The crawl control works in conjunction with the traction aids of the vehicle. The aim is to provide slow speed progress while minimising wheel spin. The brakes of the vehicle control wheel spin on each wheel independently which assists in maintaining tyre grip.
The following information is just a brief overview of the feature. The owners manual must be read and the driver should practice activating, driving with and cancelling the system before tackling any difficult terrain.
Crawl control has 5 settings for speed. They are Lo, Lo – Med, Med, Med – Hi and Hi. For each setting Toyota has provided a suggestion of the type of terrain to apply it to. For example Lo is recommended for Rock, Moguls (Downhill) or Gravel (downhill). In reality the speed should be the choice of the driver as he or she is the person assessing the track in front of them.
The two videos below show the 200 Series driving in Lo setting and then Med Lo over the same terrain. In this example the dry track would suite Med Lo (the second pass) but if the track was wet then Lo may be better. On the first pass in Lo there was no wheel spin. You can hear the revs pick up to increase drive to the wheels but the brakes maintain the same speed, On the second pass in Med Lo there was a small amount of wheel spin. This wheel spin on the second run may have stopped the vehicles progress if the track was wet. Remember that the driver is not touching the brake or throttle in all of these videos.
Crawl Control allows the wheels to turn as slowly as possible while using the individual brakes to reduce wheel spin and and keep all four wheels driving. Regardless of this system it still helps to use some old school recovery techniques such as working the wheel. The video below shows a demonstration of Crawl Control which as being assisted by working the wheel.
Quick steer is a feature found on the 200 series Toyota Landcruiser. It is a simple system that enables the inside wheels of a turning vehicle to lock thereby allowing the outside wheels to complete the turn more sharply. It is the same principle that allows tanks to turn – lock one track and let the other track turn the tank around. Quick Steer requires the Crawl Control function to be used. On slippery surfaces the Quick Steer function works incredibly well. On drier surfaces with more grip, like this example, it works well.
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