Is it possible to purchase a brand new vehicle in 2020 not fitted with DRL?

[Syndrome]

In recent years there has been an explosion of cars fitted with daytime running lights. Lots of oncoming traffic seem to have them, most of them fitted with the bright white LEDs.

I believe BMW started this trend with the light rings on their E39 model released in 2001.

[fiestaz]

Plenty still about that do not have them at all or have halogen running lights instead.

Not sure why you would want to go without them to be honest.

[.:4:.]

My new ute has halogen drls. They annoy me. They do turn off with the headlights on, and the headlights turn off key out when you open the door. I just leave my headlights on all the time.

[XR Martin]

Volvo 740s had drls a long time before anything else.

Current Kia Cerato has halogen drls in the same spot as fog lights.

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by XR Martin

Volvo 740s had drls a long time before anything else.

No. I was expecting somebody to say this. Volvo had the "headlights always on feature". DRLs are not headlights and are not powerful enough to drive in the dark with. Cars with DRLs still need the main headlights turned on at night.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

No. I was expecting somebody to say this. Volvo had the "headlights always on feature". DRLs are not headlights and are not powerful enough to drive in the dark with. Cars with DRLs still need the main headlights turned on at night.

Thats exactly what annoys me about the drls on me ute. I get in at stupid am in the morning. See light on the fence driving down my driveway still half asleep and just forget. Drls dont turn on tail lights. Hence why i leave my headlights on. Just so my tail lights are on. So people in front and behind can see. My last ute had auto headlights and no drls. I liked that a lot better.

[ute83]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

No. I was expecting somebody to say this. Volvo had the "headlights always on feature". DRLs are not headlights and are not powerful enough to drive in the dark with. Cars with DRLs still need the main headlights turned on at night.

Same idea but. As for drl's not being bright enough at night, i had to tell a young asian girl in a newish lexus to turn her headlights on once i caught up to her whilst driving home from the big smoke. She was going quite well. Only caught up to her at some traffic lights in Traf.

[jstanovic]

I heard it is part of getting the car a 5-star safety rating.

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

No. I was expecting somebody to say this. Volvo had the "headlights always on feature". DRLs are not headlights and are not powerful enough to drive in the dark with. Cars with DRLs still need the main headlights turned on at night.

Nope.
These lights I'm talking about.
More like park lights always on feature if you want to split hairs. But they were actually referred to as 'perception lights'.

[XR Martin]

Oh I don't think the current Yaris has DRLs, but that's about to be superceded.
Pretty sure the LC70 Landcruiser doesn't either.

[happy1]

All vehicles in Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, have had headlights automatically on since about 1985.
Actually the design rules in Europe allowed reduced light strength when the the headlights turned on automatically. The wiring harness contained resistor wires, where it was allowed to lower the voltage to the headlights. When the driver turned on the light switch manually the resistor wires were bypassed and the headlights became about 20% brighter. This reduction during daytime saved some power, and gave far longer life for the bulbs. The 1986 Sierra had this arrangement.

Back to new vehicles: For the vehicles you see on the road here in Perth western suburbs at night, it looks like almost 3 of 4, or at least 3 of 5 vehicles now have LED-based headlights. LED have been common on some models since 2015'ish, and now more and more models have them.

Cheers,

[baboon]

Originally Posted by ute83

Same idea but. As for drl's not being bright enough at night, i had to tell a young asian girl in a newish lexus to turn her headlights on once i caught up to her whilst driving home from the big smoke. She was going quite well. Only caught up to her at some traffic lights in Traf.

Same thing here too. Tried to indicate their tail lights were off but thought I was crazy. Took a few Km's of driving before they realised what I was on about.

What is the international hand signal for "turn your headlights on"? I was using the clenched fist to open hand 3 times? ...

[Dr Terry]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

In recent years there has been an explosion of cars fitted with daytime running lights. Lots of oncoming traffic seem to have them, most of them fitted with the bright white LEDs.

I believe BMW started this trend with the light rings on their E39 model released in 2001.

I believe both SAABs & Volvos of the mid-70s were the first to have DRLs in Aust. I think it was compulsory in Sweden at the time.

They were just parking lights & tail-lights fitted with 21W globes, which dimmed to the 5W filament when the headlights were switched on.

Dr Terry

[Mechan1k]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

No. I was expecting somebody to say this. Volvo had the "headlights always on feature". DRLs are not headlights and are not powerful enough to drive in the dark with. Cars with DRLs still need the main headlights turned on at night.

You sure.

All the old Volvos I saw when I was a kid had the outer parking light (DRL) on all the time ... with low beam off.

[Poetic Justice]

I thought it was Audi that started the modern interpretation of it with the R8?

[DK30RB]

My 5 series BMW has the option to turn the DRL's off. Maybe some of the other brands do that too.

[Bossxr8]

It's mandatory for any vehicle sold in Europe to have DRL's. It was brought into law there a year or 2 ago. With that being the case every car out of Europe, or pretty much any car sold into Europe will have them standard. So that covers the majority of the market these days.

[Vekgib]

I'm fairly sure that Corollas don't have DRLs

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by XR Martin

Nope.
These lights I'm talking about.
More like park lights always on feature if you want to split hairs. But they were actually referred to as 'perception lights'.

image

Yep Volvo's had them years ago, my uncles 1971 144 had the same as pictured. No doubt due to Swedish dark winter days.

In case you were wondering who started the modern trend, tanker trucks for safety reasons.

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by XR Martin

Nope.
These lights I'm talking about.
More like park lights always on feature if you want to split hairs. But they were actually referred to as 'perception lights'.

image

I stand corrected. But weren't some of the older Volvo models fitted with headlights always on feature?

[MercuryT]

They look completely rubbish.

I'd pick a car without them.

[Mechan1k]

Originally Posted by Vekgib

I'm fairly sure that Corollas don't have DRLs

Yeah they do

[MustangStevo63]

Some clowns forget to turn headlight/tail lights on and you see them with DRL's at night time , dash lit up and totally oblivious to the fact, happens so often now
I mean if you haven't got auto lights on , since when do you get in a car on not manually turn on the headlights when dark?

[Citroënbender]

As a seemingly frequent driver of an “invisible car” I firmly believe anything that makes the clueless brigade slightly more aware, has to be an improvement.

I’ve driven with either park lights or low beam on always, for years, and consider it part of responsibility to my insurer in respect of taking due care to avoid a loss.

[Dr Terry]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

I stand corrected. But weren't some of the older Volvo models fitted with headlights always on feature?

On a forum like this where you have a wide range of people are posting you have to be more precise with terms like "older".

To some an older Falcon is an XK, to others it's an XF. To me an older Volvo is a 144, a poster earlier mentioned an "old Volvo 740".

Several years ago in my workshop we used to supply & fit a lot of car air conditioners. A prospective customer phoned & asked how much was it to fit an air cond to an "old Holden". I had to ask what he meant by "old", was he talking about an HQ, an EH or even earlier. No he said, I've got a VK Commodore !!

Dr Terry

[Smoke Pursuit]

Some cars still don't have them standard... They should be standard. I have always driven with my lights on and or fitted DRL's. We fit them to everything from utes to Kenworths these days. The research is there and you avoid things like this....

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

I stand corrected. But weren't some of the older Volvo models fitted with headlights always on feature?

No. Only perception marker lights as XR Martin stated.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by MercuryT

They look completely rubbish.

I'd pick a car without them.

Some that just have a basic strip in the bumper or round halogen lights look pretty boring, but most cars that has them designed nicely into the headlight housing look pretty good.
I think my Jeep DRLs look pretty nice, yet my Jimny DRLs look rubbish.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Smoke Pursuit

Some cars still don't have them standard... They should be standard. I have always driven with my lights on and or fitted DRL's. We fit them to everything from utes to Kenworths these days. The research is there and you avoid things like this....

They should have added 'when the Truck Driver hasn't got his mirror heaters on'

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by GasoLane

They should have added 'when the Truck Driver hasn't got his mirror heaters on'

Heated mirrors ! luxury.