blackWald

Is the high beam on the regular LEDs halogen ?

and hows the road illumination compared to the regular ones

Proeliator2001

I can't compare between w213 but certainly the Multibeam on my 213 destroys the LEDs I had on my 212. Quality of light and various patterns of light they provide are fantastic. Auto main beam is good when it works but I'm getting flashed enough now by oncoming traffic I'll be asking for the lights to be looked at when it's next in the dealers. I'd say they are worth every penny if you often drive on unlit roads.

MBTX27

I have the LED high performance headlamps and to me I couldn't warrant the fact that the multi beams are a must have option compared to the LED HP lamps.

The LED model is very bright and forward road illumination is incredible.

ADD0514

Not sure of your location, but in the U.S. the LED light's capabilities are severely curbed. Even with these restrictions, the LED lights are worth the price MB charges for them. The color temperature, projection, brightness, and adaptive features are the best among the cars I've driven.

c4004matic

I think the E class now has the same system as elsewhere. Or so it seems...

ADD0514

I've noticed the following with the LED light.

1. Sign posts are individually illuminated at times.
2. Cornering light feature works after a visit to the local MB.
3. Automatic hi beam works. But...
4. It's either on or off. There's no black out pockets for vehicles in front of the car as mentioned in some brochures or MB marketing videos.

Thus, I think US regulation is still preventing the implementation of all the LED light's features.

HBerman

I concur with your observations. My car was produced at the beginning of Oct and did not need any software update.

Dashoto

Yes

c4004matic

So we still get the "dumb" intelligent system. False advertisement! I want a discount!

Jan AMG

I believe you can unlock the full smart potential using DAS/Xentry

c4004matic

Checked the E 43 configurator. The adaptive LED high beams are part of the p2 package. We'll se if they are the "real" thing or not.

BeachBunny

Let me offer a dissenting opinion.

My W212 has everything on it, including the active headlights, which I do love, especially with the way the DRL and turn signal strips look on the Active LED headlights.

That said, my W212 is in the shop (again...) and the dealer thoughtfully gave me a W213 as a loaner. I couldn't find the window sticker in the glovebox, but a quick glance over the MB website makes me think it's P1. The LED headlamps & LED high beams on this car are quite good. Is it my W212's Active LED headlamps? No. BUT it's pretty darn good. I do miss the cornering light feature and do miss the predictive lights on dark 90 degree turns, BUT I still felt very comfortable driving with it. I also test drove a P3 W213 with the active lights as well and they don't seem to be as "active" as my W212's, but the theatrics of the light patterns switching are quite fun.

This is in contrast to the loaner C, GLA, and W212 E-Class headlights where I feel like I'm almost driving blind due to the lack of light output by those cars.

So... if you're thinking of buying P2 solely for the improved headlights, don't. They're not a huge difference over the stock P1 headlights as they were in previous years. BUT if you're wanting the rear sunshade and multi-contour seats, then go for it. I'm a bit scrawny, so I like being able to adjust the bolsters more narrow than most people would.

mjsbenz

Agree 100%. A waste of money.

blackWald

The thing is here we don't have packages to abide to. They are sorta a la carte type of options. I've ordered an E300 exclusive exterior/interior
-nappa nut brown interior
-wide cockpit screen
-Airmatic suspension
-Burmeister sound system
-Safety options i can't remember what exactly
-panoramic sunroof (which i want it replaced with the multibeam headlights)

Thats why i asked if it's a must have or not. And you have answered my question, thank you.

BeachBunny

Ah, I wish it was a-la-carte in this country. If that's the case and the headlamps don't cost all THAT much more, go for them. I'd probably value them at ~$500USD-$1000USD.

I like your selections and agree on ditching the panoramic sunroof. Not a fan of them from a practical standpoint. I'm in a climate which has tons of heat year-round and hail.

I'd also suggest you reevaluate Airmatic.

I drove a US-spec "P3" "Luxury" version which had Airmatic as well. I didn't realize until we finished the test drive and were sitting in the parking lot that the car was equipped with Airmatic. I'm not sure which trim levels are available where you are, but here the Luxury trim gives the traditional MB grille w/standing star on the hood, stitched MBtex/Artico dash & doors, and a softer mechanical suspension, which I find just as good as Airmatic. The only advantage I've found for Airmatic (from driving the company S550s) is that it helps to be able to raise the car when parking lots have high parking blocks which may damage the front air spoiler/dam.

blackWald

The exclusive here is what they call luxury in the US. I test drove an E300 amg and found it a bit stiff on minor imperfections which i disliked, plus i like the plush ride on all air suspension type of cars. My current car got a panaromic roof and find myself rarely using it and keep it closed most of the time. Regarding the multibeam, it would cost around $1500 usd which am not sure till now. We'll see when I finalize the order in a week or less.

Rovel

Hi All,

Here is my 2 cents on so much advertised multi-beam headlights on W213.

I currently have W212 with almost every feature installed. My car (W212) has active cornering (love it, works so well), auto high beam as well as lowers/raises the lens depending on the distance between me and the oncoming traffic.

I have had two W213s with multi-beam headlights on them as a loaner. Kept each for 3 days. At first, I liked the "sunbeam" kind of pattern when you turn on the car. I also liked how bright the multi-beam LEDs were. But none of the two W213s had active corner illumination working. I realized that the lens don't turn left/right. But I hoped it would direct some beam of light to illuminate corners - it didn't.

It also didn't cut sections of the beam to avoid dazzling the oncoming traffic (no black out pockets). And it didn't black out pockets to remove the beam from the road signs. All it did was high-beam on/off.

The questions are:
What is the advantage of the new system vs the old system then?
If the US regulations don't allow the LEDS to work at their full capability, why do they advertise or even take money for it?

Mihail Zlatanov

Mine is with multibeam (Europe) and I love those lights, they make driving at night very nice experience, even when it is raining. The "black pocket" is not always visible, but definitely works and spares the cars around you while providing you with great visibility. Often I can see how the lights constantly adjust based on traffic or just decreasing their input on traffic signs. However, I did not tried the normal LEDs, so can't compare.

BeachBunny

@Rovel:

The advantages are entirely Mercedes' -- the new design is infinitely simpler and cheaper to make than the previous generation. Just one moving part, one motor per side rather than the 4+ in the W212. In addition to the projector lenses moving on the W212, there are also mechanical shutters behind the lens which shape the beam. These are gone in the new design, replaced by using individual LEDs and a diffusion grid.

Interestingly, my W212 was showing its European roots last night on a dark country road -- the high beams were indeed tracking the cars ahead of me. Even seeing some of the notch-out for oncoming traffic going on. After all my car has been through between MB & the dealership, I have no idea whhat software version the car is running these days. Could well be a Euro version on there now. Pretty slick to watch it do its thing.

As far as why Mercedes advertises this feature, why do they advertise MBrace and all of its features (which we know is half-assed at best), or why do they advertise Android Auto for the E-Class (which also barely works on this car compared to other cars, even other Mercedes models)? Because they can. Unless they get sued / fined over it, they will continue to do so.

Also, you've got a nice dealer! The loaner cars I get from my dealership are the crappy GLA/CLA cars, sometimes a C, and very rarely an E, usually all base models, maybe a P1 at best.

Rovel

European models are different. Here in the US, the regulations stop progress very often. For example, you cannot order BMWs and AUDIs with laser lights in the US, but you can in EU.

Rovel

My pre-face lift W212's headlights are REALLY great in terms of what they can. The only thing is that the Xenons could have been a bit brighter.

And the dealer always gives great cars as loaners (GLEs, C300, E300 P2, etc.) I think the idea is that you'll like the cars and buy them.

Thanks, very nicely said all about MB's strategy and advertisement. But selling something that doesn't work in the US and taking money for it??? That is a bit too much. I wonder if multi-beam works at its full capacity on CLS, or even AUDIs? Or do everyone suffer from the regulations?

c4004matic

I hope you are right and finally the real adaptive system is shipping to the US. The previous version which only includes auto high beams is pretty darned bad. The high beams are pretty good but the low beams are terrible. The driver's illumination is cut so severely that its essentially useless at more than 60mph. I hate the low beams.
That is one issue for which the IIHS has panned most European manufacturers, expensive optional headlight systems that can dance the chacha but that provide ****ty illumination.

BeachBunny

The irony is that the US regulations actually INCREASE the cost of parts and cars for the US market, so IIHS' goal of reducing insurance payouts is backfiring here.

The dashboard/instrument cluster you have in your US-spec car is only used in the US market. The rest of the world uses the same standardized dash. Same for the W212 climate control -- US only, so it's permanently in Fahrenheit, and has a MAX COLD button instead of the residual heat feature. Likewise, tail lights and headlights have to meet specific 1960s-era DOT rules and are different than other countries.

@c4004matic: If you hate the harsh cut-off, you'll hate true European lights. The Euro standard has always(?) been to have full light up until the legal limit then a sharp cut-off. I had the Euro lights on my gray-market 1985 280CE and they had the sharp cut-off rather than the blurry fade-out that DOT specs have.

Proeliator2001

Euro lights are fine (I'm in the UK) but I'll agree with the above, the merc full led lights are bloody useless on dipped main beam. The cut off is too severe and too low. Older lights, proper bulbs, naturally threw up reflected light and the scatter was enough to see. The w212 I had with led headlights (though I think they may also have been set to low despite them auto adjusting each time the car was turned on) didn't light up car bumpers if they were more then 60 feet in front of me. Useless

Rovel

I agree that low beams could have been a bit higher, but at the same time I hate when Ford Explorers, Infinities, Corollas dazzle me with their badly setup low beams. Especially new Ford Explorer and Corolla - too high low beams.

The solution would be intelligent multi-beam, that instead of switching to low beam, would always stay in high beam while cutting off beams to avoid dazzling the oncomings