Topic: Day-by-Day Review: 2014 Ford Transit Connect; Day 1

[Solstice2006]

This is hilarious, I was wondering why a thread would be so long on a vehicle that isn't for the masses.  And of course I was right, practically 2 pages of headlights! 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

And that's fair, but a certain onus should also be on the consumer to do a test drive at night to make sure that they are happy with the lighting system's performance. But in the event that they didn't and aren't happy, they should still have sense enough to drive according to the lights they have and not according to the lights they wish they had.

They let you guys test drive cars overnight? 

I would have reconsidered my Mazda 3 had I realised that the bi-xenons are lacking on full beam and the adaptive headlight function is not as quick or responsive as the Germans.....

The whole world just needs to harmonise on ONE set of light standards so there's no excuse for manufacturers to cheap out or wimp out on headlight beam patterns.

Well, yeah. The last three or four cars I bought were offered to me for the weekend. I've had other offers, but I only do that if I'm already quite sure I'm going to be buying.

But it's dark here before dealer evening hours through half the year, so getting an after dark test drive is pretty easy.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I'm inclined to agree...this remains a glowing review, but weak headlights are a massive concern - especially if a van is being used for late-night driving after a long day of working/moving/constructing/whatever.  As a lawyer, I'd be all over this sh!t for liability, and thereafter insurance premiums would skyrocket for the owner of such a van.

...not that Ford could care less.

If they meet federal standards, how exactly is this a liability issue? If a driver is overdriving their headlights, they have only themselves to blame.

Regardless of whether the lights meet federal levels, at least in the Ford Explorer a better solution exists - but it's not available throughout the line. The Limited versions come with HIDs and they are much better. This is obviously an issue that Ford is aware of, yet sub-par headlights are what they deliver on a majority of their cars. The effectiveness of the non-HIDs are really not that good, and inclement weather only makes it worse. It's a liability issue because the light spread is poor. If you see anyone driving a Ford slowly in the rain, then you'll understand.

One guy's sub-par could be another's perfectly fine. I haven't had a car with what I'd consider inadequate lights in quite a long time.

If a person puts a priority on headlight quality, it really does fall on that person to make sure the lights are up to snuff on whatever car they're buying, and be prepared to get the uplevel lights if they aren't.

Personally, I can't see ever paying extra to get Xenons, LEDs or whatever flavour of the month in lighting ends up being.

[aquadorhj]

If a person puts a priority on headlight quality, it really does fall on that person to make sure the lights are up to snuff on whatever car they're buying, and be prepared to get the uplevel lights if they aren't.

Personally, I can't see ever paying extra to get Xenons, LEDs or whatever flavour of the month in lighting ends up being.

agree.

even if it's not LED or xenon, you can have pretty decent lighting, especially when the environment is very dark. 
I have both xenon(bimmer) and halogen(VW) and they both have excellent beam pattern, so when i drove out to a spot around nearby farmland to do some night sky watching, VW's light performed magnificently, even though it looks quite dark in town.

[tpl]

If a person puts a priority on headlight quality, it really does fall on that person to make sure the lights are up to snuff on whatever car they're buying, and be prepared to get the uplevel lights if they aren't.

Personally, I can't see ever paying extra to get Xenons, LEDs or whatever flavour of the month in lighting ends up being.

agree.

even if it's not LED or xenon, you can have pretty decent lighting, especially when the environment is very dark. 
I have both xenon(bimmer) and halogen(VW) and they both have excellent beam pattern, so when i drove out to a spot around nearby farmland to do some night sky watching, VW's light performed magnificently, even though it looks quite dark in town.

You both are correct.  There is no reason why a halogen light cannot produce a good bright beam pattern especially now that the USA 'allows' lights with the ECE beam pattern. Flat top with a sharp cutoff on dipped with an uptick down the right side for illuminating the curb far ahead.  Until recently Consumer Reports used to whine about that sharp cutoff but they seem to have stopped now.
I don't think there is any real doubt that a projector light makes it easier to produce a good pattern but I suspect they cost more to make than a reflector...but then a REALLY good, well shaped reflector is rare on euro cars sold here and used to be non-existent on D3 and Japanese cars.

If any of you remember the Cibié 7" round replacement lamp that was sold "for off road use only"  with an H4 bulb....That was a REALLY good reflector and really bright of course compared to the sealed beams of the day. I have great hopes for these new matrixed LED lights that can change their beam pattern in real time to avoid dazzle and glare...once the legislators allow them.

[wing]

MY LX is halogen and they are really good, almost as good as xenon but not quite as bright -- I wonder if new bulbs would actually solve that as they do degrade over time.

But these were dismal.

[mlin32]

Well, yeah. The last three or four cars I bought were offered to me for the weekend. I've had other offers, but I only do that if I'm already quite sure I'm going to be buying.

But it's dark here before dealer evening hours through half the year, so getting an after dark test drive is pretty easy.

I don't live in a major metropolitan area so there's only one Mazda dealer within a 110km radius and they close at 19:00. Although I started the test driving about 7 months before ordering, it doesn't get dark quite as early here even in the winter due to my geographic location. Plus, I wrongly assumed that all xenons are created equal.......loved them in the BMWs I've driven in the past.

Halogens can be quite good. My dad's 2013 Tiguan has halogens that reach a good distance on full beam. In contrast, there are occasions where I will still outdrive the full beam on my Mazda 3 (which has bi-xenon) on undulating roads. One might think it is a matter of vehicle height, but the 2006 325i sportpaket I had sat even lower than the Mazda 3 and the bi-xenons on that car were great.

[KD]

MY LX is halogen and they are really good, almost as good as xenon but not quite as bright -- I wonder if new bulbs would actually solve that as they do degrade over time.

But these were dismal.

Must be similar to the ones in my F-150 as they are dismal indeed.  I've since supplemented them with aftermarket LEDs.