Automotive headlamps have been around since the late 1880s, so you’d think automakers would have had time to get them right. But new cars and trucks continue to fare poorly in evaluations by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The latest segment tested by the insurance-industry-backed group is mid-size SUVs. Only two of the 37 vehicles tested received a Good rating: the 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe and the 2017 Volvo XC60. Another 12 SUVs were rated Acceptable, while the headlights of the remaining 23 were judged Marginal or Poor.
The main things IIHS engineers looked at was how far the headlights cast their light both on straightaways and around curves and also whether their low-beams produced glare for other motorists. The Volvo XC60?s optional curve-adaptive, high-intensity-discharge headlights scored the top rating. But consumers need to buy an Advanced or Active Dual Xenon package to get those top-rated headlights. Among the Poor-performing headlights were those found on the 2017 Kia Sorento and the 2017 Ford Edge. The Sorento?s curve-adaptive, HID low-beams did not project light far enough on straightaways or on curves, IIHS said. On the right side of a straightaway, the Sorento’s low-beams illuminate 148 feet, compared with 315 feet for the XC60, for example.
The Ford Edge?s HID low-beams did not provide enough visibility, either, and they also produced too much glare, IIHS reports. The Edge was not alone. There were 79 headlight variants tes...