Volvo Lets You Drive High

In Europe features like this is required to be perceived as premium. Some part of cadillac's failure to compete as a luxury brand can be attributed to the total lack of modern technology, just sticking a big screen in the center stack doesn't cut it. That aside, Volvo is working on new products that isn't based on Ford technology, but has to do something until those models arrive.

@MeaCulpa Ah the perception of premium, similar to Volvo putting wipers on its headlights as Mercedes does? Hopefully the Swedes won't underwhelm us with this new product.

@28-Cars-Later I actually think Volvo predates Mercedes with the headlight wipers and the concept was spearheaded by SAAB (early 70's). I don't know if it was available in the US at the time due to the SAE lights. In its home market the big problem with this technology is the integration of auxiliary driving lights. I do hope that they have a wiring harness/software combo that makes it possible to manually operate just the aux.lights. We Swedes LOVE driving lights, so much that we secured an exemption from the European light regulation, resulting in the age old tradition of trucks/lorries with at least 10 lights continuing.

@MeaCulpa In the spring I was actually contemplating putting fog lights on my 240, as well as enhancing the behind-dash area with additional bulbs for brightness. I enjoy lights too.

@MeaCulpa For tha SDM (Swedish Domestic Market) look you should go for 3 Bosch Ralley 225 Big Knick or a couple of Hella Profil in front of the grille. That will make a hell of a difference compared to foggies.

This is wrong. High beams are supposed to be used whenever it is dark and there is no one in front of you to blind to allow more of the road to be visible, along with more visibility of things on the side of the road. If Volvo can shield the high beams from vehicles that you would be normally blinding, it sounds like a good idea too me. Especially here in MI where there can be a car a few hundred feet in front of you, but a deer hidden in the area your low beams don't hit.

So you're saying that you prefer people not being able to use the best lighting possible. Please don't drive after dark in my neighborhood. Unless there's oncoming traffic or if I'm worried that some overzealous cop is going to hassle me about it, when it's dark out I drive with my high beams. Being able to see your kid who's crossing the street is more important to me than keeping my lights from shining through your bedroom windows. Back in the day it was called a "dimmer switch", which to me says that the high beams are the normal position. Since the auto industry has been offering auto-dimming headlights since the 1950s, like Cadillac's "Autronic Eye", and if you look at how the Volvo system is designed, it stands to reason that plenty of auto engineers believe you should drive with your high beams on unless there is oncoming traffic. You're welcome to live where there's no "light pollution". Of course in those places there's not much in the way of civilization either. From earth orbit at night, the difference between North Korea and South Korea is visible from the fact that the North Koreans are literally living in the dark.

@Ronnie Schreiber "Back in the day it was called a “dimmer switch”, which to me says that the high beams are the normal position." One of the confusing things for Audi owners a few years ago was that the car referred to regular (low-beams) as "dipped bulbs" whereas the high-beams were considered the "main beam". People thought that their bulbs were literally dipping down! Fords/Lincolns had an auto-dimming system too on some models, I remember.

MBella, you must drive an older car. If you turn on modern headlights against your garage wall you will see the wall brightly lit up until a horizontal cutoff line which prevents blinding oncoming traffic. To the right (on LHD cars) the beam angles upwards to illuminate parked cars, pedestrians, playing kids, dogs and deer. High beam shines higher in order to extend further down the road to cover sections you will reach in similar time but at higher speed. It is designed for highways and country roads where you have higher speed limits. Using high beam in lit suburbs is unnecessary, illegal and creates a hazard which can endanger other drivers and, ultimately, yourself. Modern lighting is very efficient as is evident on bicycle headlights. These can be extremely bright. They have no dipping mechanism, are not regulated as to their aim and are installed by the often incompetent owners. I have been dazzled more often by cyclists recently than by motorists.

I knew it...It was the last post but I knew someone would say it. I agree BTW.