2009 Audi S5: Why is the IP so dark?

Maybe cars with running lights should also have automatic headlights.

My 05' nissan murano has an automatic headlight setting. I find it hard to believe the A5 doesn't.

I've never done it. I don't have daytime running lights. However, I have seen plenty of people doing driving at night with only the daytime running lights. I imagine it happens a lot with people who have electroluminescent gauges.

The S5 does have automatic headlamps, but the knob was in the off position.
--Chris Walton

That's cool, Audi has something great going with those LED's. Very brilliant signature.
My wife loves them on the road- in the daytime, it looks very aggressive to her.

I do it all the time. I leave my Forester in the parking light position so I get gauge lights and use the DRL's almost exclusively aound town. But then I live in Chicago where we have well lit streets.

However, the Forester just dims the regular halogens in DRL mode, it doesn't have a separate lighting system. So the difference is barely noticable.

I think it's cool, actually. Audi has a neat way of telling you that you're an idiot. I have not seen anything like this in other cars...

I have done this a couple of times in my '07 Toyota FJ but caught it before getting on a main road.

@ ddouuuug- I am almost certain that the LED DRL equipped Audi's all have automatic headlamps, unless the driver turns them to manual, which I bet is what happened here.

U got fooled chris, thats all...LOL

I've seen this a lot, and a majority of the offenders are Lexuses -- I'm guessing the combination of DRLs and instruments that are always illuminated leads to people driving around thinking their lights are on. Glad to see Audi tries to avoid this problem.

if every car had automatic lights and DRLs that could pass as headlights then who would they have to pull over at night and ask to search the car on suspicion of drunk driving?

automatic lights have to be one of the most convenient and useful technologies put into cars since seat belts and AC/H.

I should say that in parking mode the tail lights are on in my Subie. So the only diff between parking mode and full on is slighly dimmer headlamps.

Related - I think it's cool that these DRLs switch off when a turn signal is activated. Signal on - DRL off on that side. My guess is to give the signal a better chance of being seen.

RTFM--it's in there and states it's a reminder to turn on your headlamps so you don't look like the guy in the Lexus after dark. Even if the lights are in the "auto on" position, you'll notice the dials dim--except for the needles--as you drive through darker areas (e.g., tunnels) until the threshold is reached and the headlights pop on and the dials illuminate approriately.

"I could imagine driving a few miles at night with only the DRLs on"

This scares the hell out of me. You could be running down the road without tail lights. That's asking to be rear ended.

"This scares the hell out of me. You could be running down the road without tail lights. That's asking to be rear ended."

In BMWs, when the DRLs are activated the taillights will come on when it's dusk/dark, even if the headlamp switch is in the Off position.

My rear tail light acts like a DRL. It turns on when the car is running.

This is why DRLs are stupid. If I want the lights on, I'll turn them on myself, or set them on automatic.

Someone needs to answer me a question. I've see this happen on 2 or so different Audi's (unless it happened to be the same one, and it's just broken...), and I don't know if it's supposed to do this, or not!

When just the DRL's are on, and the Audi flips the signal light (either direction), the DRL on that side only actually turns OFF, while the signal light is activated. Is this actually true?! Or is it just a glitch-something or other?

Because if it actually does that.... that's dumb. It looks stupid.

@worthyofed,

Yes, the DRL turns off on the side the turn signal is activated on. The DRLs are far brighter than the signals and would make them essentially invisible if they didn't turn off. I think it looks kind of stupid too but functionally it's the way to go.

Yeah I thought of that as I was typing the question... Safety first, I suppose. I hope they come up with a better, safe, more visually appealing solution soon.

I saw an R8 the other day on I95 and when he was behind me I thought to myself how obnoxiously bright the DRL's are on these new Audis. And this was in the middle of the day!

Has anyone else noticed if their headlights are activated when the rain sensor turns on the wipers? I barely noticed this on my 06 A4 sloshing through the rain today.