19 Apr 07
However, to make up a little for this cornering/visibility issue, The S-Max also has a little night-time trick up its sleeve: Adaptive Front Lighting.
Admittedly, it's not exactly a new feature: a number of car companies, including BMW, have fitted them to cars for a few years now, but this is the first time I've lived with a car that's had them.
Statistics from Germany suggest that more than 40% of all car accidents resulting in death occur at night, despite the fact that there is up to 80% less traffic on the road than during the day. So lights that move laterally as you change direction are an extremely useful safety aid - and very impressive.
I noticed them as soon as I took delivery of the car: every time I turned a corner or came around a bend in town, there was immediately all this extra light, or so it seemed. Suddenly you can see pedestrians, cyclists and parked cars a lot clearer, so you get more reaction time to deal with anything that might crop up.
They're also great in the country. When I was down in Wales the other week, my wife and I were able to take advantage of the on-tap babysitting my parents can provide and go for a rare night out. Coming home from the country gastropub (Y Polyn near the National Botanical Garden of Wales - highly recommended if you're in the area) after a meal, the adaptive headlights were fantastic in lighting up our way along the narrow, twisting roads.
I think the rabbits that scuttled off in various opposite directions appreciated them too.
