2020 GLE Intelligent light system
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 496
Likes: 214
From: Philadelphia, PA
2020 Mercedes GLE 450
Chrislk55 the Car and Driver article identified in the post from GregW / Oregon indicates we Canadians get the full Adaptive Beam Headlights, as it is permitted by law here. I have only driven my GLS once at night and since it was outside the city it looked like it was working, but at the time I did not know specifically what to look for. Is it possible we do have it activated on Canadian models? Is there one easy way to tell if we have it, from what I have read there isn't agreement on how easy it is to tell? I am very interesting in hearing your findings since you have the device and can turn it on or off the confirm any change.
If you have the adaptive high beam activated, you should see the following:
With auto high beam on, when driving on a relatively dark road, the high beam should activate. The headlight indicator will change from green to blue (the icon has a straight light beam vs downward light beam). You can also see it in HUD (if equipped).
When there is on coming traffic or traffic in front of you travelling on the same direction, the high beam will remain on but with sections block out. Sometimes its hard to see the block out session, but if you check the dashboard indicator, it should remain on the high beam icon.
If you don't have the adaptive high beam activated, the high beam will simply switch off and the dashboard indicator will switch to low beam icon.
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 554
Likes: 146
From: USA
2021 GLE450W4 SUV
Just installed Vladimir's programming this afternoon and took the car for an evening drive.
The effect is subtle, but definitely noticeable and unlike other posts about needing really dark streets to see it, I noticed it even with some street lighting, especially the way it handled the glare on street signs on the right side. I could definitely see the LEDs turn off, "dimming" the glare on the street signs and also the cars in front of me. On darker streets with the high beam totally activated, you could see the left LEDs turn off, not hitting oncoming traffic, while the rest of the right side and front stayed on high. Even more impressive was how fast the system switched back to ALL LEDs when the traffic passed.
The disappointment for me was the cornering lights...not really what I expected...coming from my last car where the projector light housing actually physically moved. This Mercedes implementation was WAY too subtle and barely noticeable.
Was it worth the $'s it cost? That's an individual preference for sure, but for me I bought the car for the tech and really like the result of having the multibeam fully activated.
My transaction with Vladimir was VERY smooth, received the kit a lot faster than I expected and the installation was very easy. Hardest part is that my GLE has MBUX, so it "complicated" how you monitor the installation via the OBD...you have to watch for a flashing light and the position of the port in the car doesn't make it easy. High marks all around however for the experience.
I also got the ECO Stop/Start button memory programming. And really like having it remember the setting between car starts. Not a big fan of the ECO start/stop function.
The effect is subtle, but definitely noticeable and unlike other posts about needing really dark streets to see it, I noticed it even with some street lighting, especially the way it handled the glare on street signs on the right side. I could definitely see the LEDs turn off, "dimming" the glare on the street signs and also the cars in front of me. On darker streets with the high beam totally activated, you could see the left LEDs turn off, not hitting oncoming traffic, while the rest of the right side and front stayed on high. Even more impressive was how fast the system switched back to ALL LEDs when the traffic passed.
The disappointment for me was the cornering lights...not really what I expected...coming from my last car where the projector light housing actually physically moved. This Mercedes implementation was WAY too subtle and barely noticeable.
Was it worth the $'s it cost? That's an individual preference for sure, but for me I bought the car for the tech and really like the result of having the multibeam fully activated.
My transaction with Vladimir was VERY smooth, received the kit a lot faster than I expected and the installation was very easy. Hardest part is that my GLE has MBUX, so it "complicated" how you monitor the installation via the OBD...you have to watch for a flashing light and the position of the port in the car doesn't make it easy. High marks all around however for the experience.
I also got the ECO Stop/Start button memory programming. And really like having it remember the setting between car starts. Not a big fan of the ECO start/stop function.
