Good news for Golf nuts, LED rear lights can soon be yours. According to the release below they will soon be fitted as standard equipment on the Golf R. Buyers of the GTI and GTD models will also be able to option the LEDs, first seen on the Wörthersee GTI, for €350.
As well as looking good, the LED tails illuminate 0.2 seconds quicker than regular incandescent lights. According to Volkswagen’s boffins, at a speed of 100km/h this could mean saving over 5 metres in braking distance.
Also available are bi-xenon headlights with dynamic cornering light. Yeah, the lights take a sneak peak around corners for you. I’ve used a similar system in an Audi a year or two back and it can be a very useful feature. Although, mostly, you don’t really notice they’re doing anything different to conventional headlights. Will be interesting to see if this later generation has improved. Costing a hefty €1295, let’s hope so.
Australian availability of these items hasn’t been announced yet, but one would expect the changes to filter through sooner, rather than later.
A Premiere in the Compact Class: LED Rear Lights on the Golf
- New development in Volkswagen’s concise night design
- Bi-Xenon headlights for better safety and convenience
Wolfsburg, 09 December 2009 – Trendsetter Golf: For the first time in the compact class, LED rear lights will now be offered on the Volkswagen compact: A concise night design is standard equipment on the Golf R, and on the Golf GTI and GTD it is available as an option for 350 Euros. A fitting added feature: Bi-Xenon headlights offer a significant plus in safety and convenience.
Each smoked rear light consists of two curved right angles, each angle containing eleven LEDs; each of these angles forms the outer border for a distinctive LED centre dot. With a total of 48 LEDs, this characteristic light signature makes the highest-performance Golf of all times easy to recognise in the dark. In daylight, another notable feature immediately comes into view: The low, white stripe defining the lower border of the rear light creates a very uniform visual surface. The overall impression is harmonious and high-end.
LED rear lights are more than just a clear signal of a sporty Golf. They are practically maintenance-free and impressively fast. Their response time to brake activation is 0.2 second faster than that of conventional incandescent lights. This difference can save lives: at a speed of 100 km/h it is equivalent to 5.6 meters braking distance.
Another safety and convenience feature are the Bi-Xenon headlights with dynamic cornering light that vary the lighting direction as a function of the steering angle, and dynamic headlight range adjustment. They also adapt the light distribution to their surroundings in city, highway and freeway driving depending on the car’s speed. For example, in city traffic – up to 35 km/h – the lane boundary on the driver’s side is illuminated much brighter. These headlights are standard on the Golf R and are available on all other Golf models starting at 1,295 Euros.
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That is one looker of an oil burner!