The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its results for SUV headlights Tuesday, and not a single small SUV out of those tested earned a good rating.
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DETROIT (AP) Small SUVs for 2016 and 2017 did poorly during new headlight tests done by the insurance industry.
Like in the case of midsize sedans, tests have shown that expensive models do not necessarily feature the best headlights.
They found only four small SUV’s out of 21 tested had “acceptable-rated headlights”.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested the headlights on 21 small SUVs, and not one received a good rating.
Vehicles that received a “marginal” rating in the headlight test include the 2016 BMW X1, Mazda CX-5, Mitsubishi Outlander, Toyota RAV4 and Volkswagen Tiguan. The IIHS is also planning a third headlight test, this time with pickup trucks.
“Manufacturers aren’t paying enough attention to the actual on-road performance of this basic equipment”, said Matthew Brumbelow, a senior research engineer with the IIHS. Brumbelow believes now that automakers have a goal, they’ll be able to make improvements on their headlights quickly to meet standards.
For example, the Hyundai Tucson’s acceptable headlight combination is available on the Limited model, but the headlights on other versions earn a “poor” rating.
The organization tested for the two ends of the problem headlight spectrum: too little light and too much glare.
The only four small SUVs to earn Acceptable ratings were the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Tucson and the 2017 model year Ford Escape. At the opposite end of the spectrum was the Honda HR-V, which IIHS says provided inadequate light output on sharp and gradual curves as well as on straightaways. The IIHS urges consumers to research different headlights available on a vehicle they’re interested in before purchasing. The worst headlights belonged to the new-for-2016 Honda HR-V.
The only technology explicitly promoted by the IIHS is high-beam assist, because the organization believes it increases the rate of high-beam use.
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‘The illumination provided by the HR-V’s halogen low beams and high beams is inadequate on all four curves and on the straightaway’. As a result, IIHS says it’s going to require headlights be rated acceptable or good in order to qualify for its Top Safety Pick Plus ranking next year, which automakers typically hustle to try to achieve.
