Active Headlamps - 2015 Volvo S60 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited March 2015 in Volvo
imageActive Headlamps - 2015 Volvo S60 Long-Term Road Test

An increasing number of cars on the road have active curve-following headlamps, but not all of them can do what those in our long-term 2015 Volvo S60 test car can. See a video on Edmunds.com to see what we mean.

Read the full story here


Tagged:

Comments

  • growlerguygrowlerguy Member Posts: 5
    Do the Volvo active headlights work with low beam?
  • schen72schen72 Member Posts: 433
    I would assume so, since it's supposed to work during normal driving.
  • prndlolprndlol Member Posts: 140
    That's more pronounced than my Cadillac CTS. I know I can adjust other aspects of my car's lighting like 'approach' and 'exit', I wonder if mine can be disabled in the menus.
  • sockpuppet1969sockpuppet1969 Member Posts: 308
    My 2009 BMW X3 has the xenon adaptive headlight option and it is even easier to activate/deactivate. Turn the headlight switch to the left = regular headlights, turn it to the right = adaptive headlights. No touchscreen involved, the way it was intended. I use the adaptive lights when driving on twisty roads at night. I use the regular headlights if driving in the rain during the day or during highway driving where they don't provide any tangible benefit.
  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    I like active front lighting but the system that uses motors to move the projector will eventually break. All moving parts eventually wear out and I'm sure it is going to be expensive. Although it will probably last well past the warranty when it breaks it'll be a very expensive fix. The newer LED system with no moving parts is superior.
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,856
    Superior? LED's tend to fail and that generally means replacement of the headlight assembly.
  • fordescortgtfordescortgt Member Posts: 32
    These work on low beam. I had these in my previous car and never really noticed the point/functionality. These Volvo lights really work great at highlighting the corner when you are turning with turn signal on. They give you a nice preview.
  • dgcamerodgcamero Member Posts: 148
    allthingshonda said:

    I like active front lighting but the system that uses motors to move the projector will eventually break. All moving parts eventually wear out and I'm sure it is going to be expensive. Although it will probably last well past the warranty when it breaks it'll be a very expensive fix. The newer LED system with no moving parts is superior.

    As much as I'd like to think they're going to break, I have never heard of anyone with a car with broken headlight motors. My friend's 2004 BMW 530i has active headlights...he has nearly 300k miles, and he's replaced the transmission at 240k, valve cover gasket twice, engine pulleys and water pump, and most of the suspension pieces...but nothing electrical, and even the HVAC is completely original and has never needed recharging. The 3 series is similar but only has 150k. Active headlight motors still work. My height adjusting motors are still functional in my GTI at 120k. They don't really break.
  • socal_ericsocal_eric Member Posts: 189
    prndlol said:

    That's more pronounced than my Cadillac CTS. I know I can adjust other aspects of my car's lighting like 'approach' and 'exit', I wonder if mine can be disabled in the menus.

    If its the last gen car (and possibly continued in the current CTS), then leaving the headlamp switch in "auto" mode enables the feature but if you want to disable it you can do so by manually switching the headlamps to the "on" position.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy

By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our Visitor Agreement.