After five nights straight in our long term 2008 Mazda CX-9, I'm convinced it has the unusually weak headlamps. They don't seem to be on. I keep double and triple checking the switch and the reflection in the car I'm following just to make sure. And my wife, always the backseat driver, keeps asking me, "Are your lights on?"
Now, we have a CX-9 Touring, which is the middle of three trim levels and comes with the same halogen headlamps as the base Sport model. The top of the line Grand Touring trim comes standard with Xenon Hight Intensity Discharge lights or HIDs (shown in photo) and a set of foglights, which our Touring model does not have.
The illumination seems to be worth the money.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 21,626 miles
dougtheeng says:
12:08 PM, 09/16/08
I think the illumination is always worth the money. But then again, I drive country roads quite regularly and deer are always lurking in the shadows.
desmolicious says:
01:10 PM, 09/16/08
What an illuminating blog entry
cx7lover says:
01:19 PM, 09/16/08
Those don't look like HID's.
networkadmin says:
03:27 PM, 09/16/08
cx7lover, it clearly says Edmunds has the halogen headlamps, and the picture shows the halogen as well. No wonder they don't look HID, 'cause it's not.
networkadmin says:
03:28 PM, 09/16/08
damn it. it is HID.
cx7lover says:
03:39 PM, 09/16/08
"The top of the line Grand Touring trim comes standard with Xenon Hight Intensity Discharge lights or HIDs (shown in photo)"
I don't see them,
cx7lover says:
03:56 PM, 09/16/08
I'm just saying, they don't look to be that much better if they are infact HID's.
zoomzoom22 says:
04:37 PM, 09/16/08
Halogens can seem just as bright as HID's, if done right (although they can never be technically as bright). Projector beam halogens are usually pretty dim; the projector beams on the 2007/8 Pilot are quite dim as well, and the projector beams on the non-HID 6 are quite weak. The HIDs on my 6 are very bright and look awesome - I'm blind at night and they really help. The halogens on my 09 Forester illuminate the road just as well as my HIDs...probably because they point more upwards, as opposed to my lights.
P.S. Has anyone ever been in a new Eclipse with the brights on? How are those even considered brights?
allthingshonda says:
06:33 PM, 09/16/08
I also take headlights very seriously when buying a car. Projector beams are great for HID but suck for halogen. I find that when halogen headlights are used bigger is always better.
huyracing says:
11:44 PM, 09/16/08
Headlights are a MAJOR consideration for me when buying cars. Who doesn't want to see better at night?! While aftermarket HID's are an option, I prefer a good factory HID set-up. My GTI came with them as standard equipment...
wenhead says:
07:08 AM, 09/17/08
Maybe it's because im kind of poor, but I think it sucks that seeing where you are going at night is optional. Some companies talk that saftey crap but sell some cars that don't even have fog lights as an option on some models. Some people have poor night vision and need all the light they can get especially in bad weather.
Drive the car at night before you sign the papers.
bobjonesesq says:
07:40 AM, 09/17/08
Good headlights are worth the money every time. My '96 Jetta (hooptie edition--always in the shop) had the worst lights ever. I swear when I flipped the switch, someone took out my headlights & replaced them with two tealights on the bumpers. My 73 Super Beetle has better lights than that car. When I bought our Mini, I opted for the HID's, and am soooo happy with them.
chavis10 says:
08:47 AM, 09/17/08
Yeah, halogen projectors are terrible. I don't know why but they seem worse than standard parabolic reflector clear lensed headlights. My car has factory HIDs and love 'em.
misterfusion says:
04:31 PM, 09/17/08
The halogen projector lamps in my L300 were very clear and bright. The only problem I can see with projectors is that they can make you less visible to OTHER vehicles that aren't in direct line-of-sight with your lamps.
Bobjonesesq: Hey, my family had a '73 Super Beetle too! Dark green, crank sunroof. My mom drove the crap out of it, and it was always ready for more.