Good explanation of CRAWL.
The braking of individual wheels is also the CRAWL system.
Yes, CRAWL is like a low speed cruise control, but it regulates the amount of slip allowed at each wheel.
When that allowable amount of slip is exceeded, CRAWL brakes the slipping wheel and directs torque to wheels that are not slipping.
All that within a certain speed range selected by the five position rotary switch.
Most videos of CRAWL in action show a LC200 making it up a rocky slope at a steady pace with the driver having to do nothing bu steer. While this is certainly one use for the CRAWL system, I think it seriously understates the capabilies of the system and misleads us into thinking of it as something a neophyte might use.
In my view, the greatest advantage of the CRAWL system is in freeing a stuck vehicle. When totally bogged down in sand, for example, engaging CRAWL mode will allow the vehicle to free itself when, arguably, it could not have done so in the absence of the CRAWL feature without the help of another vehicle or a winch. It does this by controlling the amount of torque delivered to each wheel independently based on the amount of wheel slippage at each wheel.
Here is a great video showing what I'm talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRWBX-YxFfg&feature=fvwp
The vehicle is stuck up to the axles in sand and unable to free itself.
At 1:52 in the video, CRAWL mode is turned on and with no other intervention by the driver than steering, the vehicle proceeds to free itself.
That, to me, is an amazing feature.
