When test driving a new car, certain parts, systems and characteristics tend to get all of the attention. How’s the fuel mileage? What’s the warranty like? How does it ride? How’s the pick-up? Does the stereo rock? Do your kids fit comfortably in back? Is the trunk big enough?
All of the above are important to know before you sign on the dotted line, but new vehicles all have at least one other system that’s vitally important, likely to be used regularly, and is virtually overlooked by all new-car shoppers.
That system is the vehicle’s headlights, and they’re overlooked for numerous reasons. First, headlights aren’t glamorous – they don’t make a vehicle ride, perform or handle a certain way – and they’re neither something you really need to interface with, nor an important part of the character of the machine. Further, and more likely, you usually can’t try the headlights on a test drive, because most dealers close by 6 pm, and that means you won’t be able to test drive your potential new ride when it’s dark outside.
By and large, you buy a vehicle for a wide range of factors, and discover how good (or not so good) its headlight performance is after the fact.
Your writer is a frequent nighttime driver in a locale surrounded extensively by open, empty, largely unlit highways. Every week, for years, I’ve been fascinated by the performance of the headlights on my test vehicles, particularly in inclement weather.
In the past few years, I’ve noticed something: more and more affordable cars are offering better and better headlight systems. Though your correspondent still typically expects the best headlight performance from big-dollar luxury rides, I’ve come across a range of not-so-pricey models that stand out with excellent headlights.
Today, more than ever, shoppers needn’t necessarily spend big bucks to benefit from big-time performance from their ride’s lighting – provided they find the right model, with the right, sometimes-optional, lighting system.
Below are some of my recent observations, based on week-long test drives, and may prove helpful to those in the market for a new ride. The following observations do not represent a full analysis of all models on the market, and come only from the vehicles I’ve test-driven myself. Further, note that my comments aren’t based on scientific testing or measurement, and refer solely to my own observations and experience.
What makes a lighting system great?
When checking out a lighting system after dark, I mainly consider a few key attributes. First is lighting colour: white light that’s pure and vivid tends to reduce eye strain and fatigue after hours at the wheel, while helping to reveal reflective signage up the road. Dull, yellow light has the opposite effect, and can contribute to eye strain. Second is peripheral illumination, or the ability of the lighting system to provide usable light to the roadside, illuminating into culverts and nearby foliage. Third is lighting system saturation, which is the thickness with which the light floods the roadway. Better saturation means that the light covers the road ahead more fully, without any dark patches or splotches. Next is headlight reach – that is, the distance up the road at which the headlight output remains effective.
Finally, on some rides where it’s appropriate, I consider beam cut-off, or the “line” where headlight illumination gives way to darkness. A more defined beam cut-off helps reduce eye fatigue by keeping light output confined to the area where it is most needed, and helping keep drivers focussed on that area.
For where and how your writer drives, these attributes are the most important parts of a good headlight system, with additional features like adaptive lighting and automatic high-beams coming in behind.
Top performers
By and large, big-dollar rides have proven to offer the best headlight performance. In the past year or two, the headlight performance from the most recent models from Volvo, Cadillac, Land Rover, BMW, Audi have all impressed readily. The Audi A4 and A7, the 2017 BMW 540i, the Cadillac ATS, CTS, XT5 and CT6, and the Volvo XC90 and S90 all stand out with lighting performance amongst the best I’ve ever experienced. Ditto the Land Rover Range Rover.
My notes also reveal above-average headlight performance from the Mini Cooper Clubman, Lexus RX, and Ford F-350 Super Duty, with the available LED headlight upgrade.
Not all big-dollar rides impress though. Out of my recent test drives, I wished for a better performance from the lighting systems in the new Mercedes E-Class and Jaguar XE. These models have good headlight systems, but not excellent ones, when compared to the best ones I’ve used at comparable price points.
The gist? If you’re going with a modern product from a luxury brand, chances are you’ll be backed by great headlight performance, but some models are better than others.
You may not need to spend a pile
Interestingly, some recent test drives have proven that shoppers needn’t spend big bucks to benefit from a big-power lighting system. Lighting system performance is improving virtually across the board, with a scan of my notes revealing that models like the Acura TLX, Ford Mustang, Chrysler 300 (with its xenon lighting system), Subaru Impreza with Tech Package and LED lights, the new Jeep Compass, and the latest Hyundai Tucson all packed lighting system output that hit above the vehicle’s price point in terms of the attributes mentioned above.
Low-cost lighting heavy hitters
Here’s another interesting observation. Though I’d have to say the Volvo S90 and Cadillac CT6 have boasted amongst the highest-performing lighting systems I’ve ever used, two recent test drives revealed lighting performance that nipped at the heels of these luxury rides, for a fraction of the cost.
Those machines were the 2017 Toyota Prius and 2017 Honda CR-V, both equipped with LED lighting, which is standard in the Toyota and optional in the CR-V.
Though the CT6 and S90 had better performance overall, I figure the far cheaper CR-V and Prius came within about, say, 15 percent of their performance, while costing as little as a third as much. Both of these models demonstrated exemplary performance in all of the attributes I consider, and other than a slight reduction in overall system brightness and reach compared to the pricier machines, were in a very similar ballpark. Note, too, that the new Toyota Corolla also includes LED lighting as standard, and its output is in the same ballpark as the Prius.
A final note
You needn’t opt for a ride with LED or xenon lighting for solid lighting performance, as even a traditional halogen-fired lighting system can provide favourable results.
Case in point? The new Honda Fit, with traditional halogen bulbs, offered up great performance.
Conversely, halogen-fired lighting systems in other affordable compacts, including the Hyundai Accent and Nissan Versa Note, proved adequate at best. The pricier Buick LaCrosse also failed to impress.
If you’re shopping for a new ride, and think it might be important to check out its headlight performance for yourself – what can you do? See if it’s possible to arrange a test drive in the evening if the dealer in question is open late; ask a friend who owns the same vehicle you’re considering to take you for an after-dark spin; or post a question in the owner’s forum of the model you’re considering to see what current owners have to say about their headlights.
Finally, if the vehicle you’re considering has an available up-level lighting system, perhaps with LED or xenon technology, consider getting it, and especially if you’re often out and about after dark. High-performance lighting has big benefits to safety, comfort, alertness and confidence.
