C-Class Adaptive LED's scored "poor" in new IIHS test
#1
Super Member
Thread Starter
C-Class Adaptive LED's scored "poor" in new IIHS test
http://www.autoblog.com/2016/03/30/h...afety-car-led/
"Cars that earned "poor" ratings in their best-possible configuration include: the Buick Verano, Kia Optima, Cadillac ATS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Chevy Malibu, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima and Volkswagen Passat."
"The Cadillac ATS and Mercedes-Benz C-Class also earned poor ratings when equipped with adaptive low and high beams."
"Cars that earned "poor" ratings in their best-possible configuration include: the Buick Verano, Kia Optima, Cadillac ATS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Chevy Malibu, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima and Volkswagen Passat."
"The Cadillac ATS and Mercedes-Benz C-Class also earned poor ratings when equipped with adaptive low and high beams."
#2
MBWorld Fanatic!
That's funny, I've had no problems with the adaptive LEDs on my 2015 C300. Maybe they're aimed right.
All I can say is the LED lights on my C300 are WAY brighter and light the road much better than the HID lights on my old 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland.
All I can say is the LED lights on my C300 are WAY brighter and light the road much better than the HID lights on my old 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland.
#3
Super Member
http://www.autoblog.com/2016/03/30/h...afety-car-led/
"Cars that earned "poor" ratings in their best-possible configuration include: the Buick Verano, Kia Optima, Cadillac ATS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Chevy Malibu, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima and Volkswagen Passat."
"The Cadillac ATS and Mercedes-Benz C-Class also earned poor ratings when equipped with adaptive low and high beams."
"Cars that earned "poor" ratings in their best-possible configuration include: the Buick Verano, Kia Optima, Cadillac ATS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Chevy Malibu, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima and Volkswagen Passat."
"The Cadillac ATS and Mercedes-Benz C-Class also earned poor ratings when equipped with adaptive low and high beams."
Can't wait to see how the 84 LED multibeam headlight on the E class gets neutered and the S Class refresh headlight which will probably have double those individual LEDs.
Last edited by DapperStyle; 03-30-2016 at 09:56 AM.
#5
Junior Member
Completely disagree with this test. I find it hard to believe that the lighting technology in a Toyota Prius is better than a Mercedes or BMW.
In fact, I just rented a Toyota Prius in Florida and the headlights are pretty pathetic compared to my Mercedes adaptive LED's or my BMW F15 adaptive LED's. I think the BMW is a little better though- maybe it's because I opted for the auto high beam assist or the fact that it also has LED fog lights.
In fact, I just rented a Toyota Prius in Florida and the headlights are pretty pathetic compared to my Mercedes adaptive LED's or my BMW F15 adaptive LED's. I think the BMW is a little better though- maybe it's because I opted for the auto high beam assist or the fact that it also has LED fog lights.
#6
Super Member
Thread Starter
Not surprised. Federal regulations written by NHSTA in the 1980s will continue to hold the U.S. car market back. In an article I read it said Toyota, MB, BMW, Audi and others all got together to petition NHSTA regarding headlight advancements in 2013 and basically were told to get lost .
Can't wait to see how the 84 LED multibeam headlight on the E class gets neutered and the S Class refresh headlight which will probably have double those individual LEDs.
Can't wait to see how the 84 LED multibeam headlight on the E class gets neutered and the S Class refresh headlight which will probably have double those individual LEDs.
Lucky for you guys outside of the US your light output is superior to ours, so this test isn't really representative of your lighting systems.
Also the reason BMW puts such ****ty halogens as the base lights is so will you will upgrade, I had the halogens on my e90 LCI and they were ridiculously bad.
My US lighting wishlist:
-mandatory amber turn signals in rear
-lighting system output on par with euro spec
-turning lights as standard
-matrix style allowed (right now an outdated US law says that cars in the US must have a high beam and a low beam, so our cars cant leave the high beams on all the time and have the system block out oncoming cars like they do in Europe)
-for the US government to ban halogens from even being designed into cars anymore..LED or bust
#7
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#8
Member
The full LED lighting system for the US market on the W205 is a step down from the Lighting package on the W204. Those high beams could bounce off signs half a mile ahead of you. W205s are much weaker.
#11
I don't really care if the NHTSA's test was fair or not. No car bearing the three-point star should come equipped with halogen headlamps in the year 2016. It's as simple as that. If Mercedes-Benz is truly serious about living up to its unparalleled heritage and "the best or nothing" credo, then the bean counters need to stand down. Every Mercedes should come equipped with xenons, at minimum. This company lost a massive amount of goodwill during the Chrysler years and, while quality has improved, it's disappointing to see how much work remains to be done.
#12
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#15
Super Member
"Driving along a two-lane highway outside the city in the quiet darkness of night is one of the great driving experience you can have. That is until drivers coming the opposite direct forget to turn their highbeams off and you are forced to shield your eyes while trying to stay in your lane. There are a lot of things on your mind while you drive, and if you aren’t accustomed to flipping your highbeams on and off on a regular basis, it’s easy to forget how it impacts other drivers. While not available on US-spec Mercedes-Benz vehicles at this point, Adaptive Highbeam Assist is one of the technologies American car shoppers may be able to look forward to in the future, but we’ll get to that."
"Is Adaptive Highbeam Assist available in the US?
Update: Adaptive Highbeam Assist is available in the US, however the Mercedes-Benz MultiBeam LEDs are prohibited due to the following regulation.
Back in 2013, Toyota petitioned against the NHTSA headlight regulation that prevents MultiBeam LEDs and similar systems, but to no avail, as the law remains in place. If the legislation is lifted, it will be major news and a great step forward in the way of increasing safety and convenience for drivers."
Last edited by hpilot; 03-30-2016 at 11:15 PM.
#18
MBWorld Fanatic!
I do know that U.S. spec vehicles do not have Adaptive Headlight Assist...and I still hold to my original statement that the headlights on my C300 are WAY better than the headlights on my old 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
We good?
Last edited by MASSC450; 03-31-2016 at 08:32 AM.
#19
Super Member
Thread Starter
BMW's response to this
"The BMW Group has been an industry leader for headlight technology innovation for more than four decades. BMW was the first to introduce ellipsoid projector headlights, electronic adaptive headlight technology, xenon headlights and most recently BMW Laserlights. BMW has also pioneered Night Vision systems that can detect animals and pedestrians far beyond the range of the best headlight systems. While we are disappointed with the results of the IIHS headlight test of a BMW 3 Series equipped with basic halogen headlights, we remain confident that we offer our customers very effective headlight systems at a variety of price points."
"The BMW Group has been an industry leader for headlight technology innovation for more than four decades. BMW was the first to introduce ellipsoid projector headlights, electronic adaptive headlight technology, xenon headlights and most recently BMW Laserlights. BMW has also pioneered Night Vision systems that can detect animals and pedestrians far beyond the range of the best headlight systems. While we are disappointed with the results of the IIHS headlight test of a BMW 3 Series equipped with basic halogen headlights, we remain confident that we offer our customers very effective headlight systems at a variety of price points."
#20
Super Member
Thread Starter
They would be, LED's throw off twice as much light as xenons
#21
MBWorld Fanatic!
I thought the report was very interesting. In particular, they noted that they tested cars as delivered from the factory ... and that many of the cars had headlights that were improperly or poorly aligned. They clearly stated that misalignment caused at least some of the poor results they reported, and suggested that drivers have the headlights on their new cars checked rather than just assume they're fine from the factory.
The LED lights on my C300 are very good, but I have driven cars that were better, so this report doesn't seem very controversial to me.
The LED lights on my C300 are very good, but I have driven cars that were better, so this report doesn't seem very controversial to me.
#22
Super Member
Thread Starter
I thought the report was very interesting. In particular, they noted that they tested cars as delivered from the factory ... and that many of the cars had headlights that were improperly or poorly aligned. They clearly stated that misalignment caused at least some of the poor results they reported, and suggested that drivers have the headlights on their new cars checked rather than just assume they're fine from the factory.
The LED lights on my C300 are very good, but I have driven cars that were better, so this report doesn't seem very controversial to me.
The LED lights on my C300 are very good, but I have driven cars that were better, so this report doesn't seem very controversial to me.
But no premium car maker should be offering halogens as standard when a corolla or a civic come with LEDs STANDARD
#23
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#25
Junior Member