- :
- Plano, Texas, USA
Since Scandinavia countries started using Daytime Running Lights in 1970's with amber parking lights due to low ambient light levels in the winter, it's getting more popular worldwide and also comes with some heated debates. For a while low-beam headlights were adopted as DRLs but eventually got phased out due to problems with glare and turn signal masking by full-intensity headlight DRLs. Many countries started limiting DRL's intensity hence car manufactures dumped low-beam headlights as DRLs, and used reduced-intensity high-beams as an alternative. The added benefit of this is the bulb life on low-beams which are used most often during the night can be prolonged as they're not on all the time. And apparently you missed the quotation marks for most of comments I posted. Those were comments from anti-DRL advocacy groups since GM started implement the low-beam DRLs in the 90's. Only the unquoted ones are my opinions.
I don't own a 2017 CX-5 but based on short testing of DRLs from a CX-5 Touring, I didn't notice any reduced intensity on low-beam headlights for DRLs:
And here's the obversation from a 2017 CX-5 owner:Here are some pictures from 2017 CX-5 Touring showing whenever DRL function is on, both LED DRLs and LED low-beam headlights are simultaneously on! You can imagine how GT DRLs work by replacing Touring LED DRLs with GT's LED Signature DRLs.
Here's what the front lights look like when light switch is at parking light position without DRL function when car is in stationary:
Here's what the front lights look like when light switch is at headlight-on position without DRL function when car is in stationary:
Finally for 2017 CX-5 Touring the high-beam is from the same LED cell for the low beam in the projector, and use a shutter to control them like 2015 bi-xenon HID. For 2016 LED headlights we have a separate LED cell at inner side of the low beam LED dedicated for high beam only.
View attachment 216512 View attachment 216513 View attachment 216515 View attachment 216514
Most complaints here are not for glare, but the unnecessary strong LED low-beams drowning out the nice-looking LED Signature DRLs and turn signals. The low-beams aren't on with DRL mode on 1st-gen CX-5, and on 2nd-gen CX-5 in every other regions. Why do the Mazda North American Operations want the change only for the US customers? NHTSA hasn't made any regulation changes on DRLs.
Ask people with anti-DRL advocacy groups they have plenty of reasons to tell you. The same in entire Europe Union including those countries that are the granddaddy of the the DRL, they all outlawed the headlights as DRLs in 2011!
Even in theory LED won't last forever. And most of time it's the other components failed first due to heat or quality. The headlight LED uses a lot more power than accent strip LED, which is generating a lot more heat and that is the major difference between the two. To see how long the LEDs even on accent strips can last on our CX-5 if you keep them on all the time, just see this thread:
Daytime running lights dim/flickering
With some section of accent strip DRLs flickering or failed at least I can live with it without replacing the expensive unit and pass our annual Texas state inspection. But if the LED headlights failed due to over-usage, you have no choice but replace it or you either get ticket or can't pass annual safety inspection. We simply don't need headlights with DRLs.
I'm not against DRLs. I'm against the low-beams been used as DRLs. Nobody uses low-beams as DRLs as it's unnecessary with new LED accent strips serving as Signature DRLs beautifully and nicely. Please name any one car model among all new cars selling in the US other than Mazda which is using low-beams as DRLs when it already have dedicated LED (or Signature accent strips) DRLs ⋯
If the low-beams are not on with dedicated LED DRLs, this human errors can be mostly eliminated. And which way is safer? We don't need to agree everything Mazda designed and configured. Besides, this is not from Mazda itself, but from MNAO!
Now we're talking. European Union Directive 2008/89/EC requires all passenger cars approved on or after 7 February 2011 in the EU to come equipped with DRLs. And functional piggybacking, such as operating the headlamps or front turn signals or fog lamps as DRLs, is not permitted. That's why we see so many Euro vehicles and any car models exporting to EU turn one side of DRLs off while the turn signal is on. Like the article you provided said, US has similar regulations for this but there're exceptions. That's why we see 1st-gen CX-5 configured the way without turning the DRL off while the same side of turn signal is blinking although they're from different light sources. MNAO can easily meet the first exception without the low-beam headlights on like the 1st-gen and the 2nd-gen in all other countries even if our 2017 CX-5 doesn't meet FMVSS Standard No. 108's 100mm spacing rule. This also saves Mazda's production cost without designing and manufacturing a special DRL system only for the US!
BTW very nice article from your link, and sorry for the very long reply. (drinks)
