Bi-LED Headlamps - How Good Do You Find Yours?

Reviews / Comments about the 2014 QashQai
Locked
David87
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2014 8:20 pm

Post by David87 »

Just registered on here - my Wife has a Qashqai Tekna, which we have had since June. Really pleased with the car so far - it seems well-built, is comfortable, quiet and has carried most of our stuff (including clobber for our son) with ease.The only thing that's surprised me are the bi-LED headlamps, which I just don't think are that great. The colour temperature of the light is very nice, but they just don't have the range of some of the bi-xenon units I've experienced. My Wife's previous car, for example, was an R56 MINI Cooper S (yes, the Qashqai feels glacial in comparison!) equipped with bi-xenon headlamps, and these were without doubt superior to the bi-LED items on the Nissan.I guess you get good and bad examples of all types of headlamp (my parents have a Range Rover Evoque with adaptive bi-xenons and, for what they are, they're poor), but it just surprised me that the LEDs weren't a massive step forwards.I suppose the Qashqai's units are fairly primitive when compared with some other manufacturers' LED offerings - the Qashqai seems to use one LED for dipped beam, which is supplemented by another on high beam. Audi's Matrix LED headlamps (Google it - they look amazing), for example, look to be on a completely different planet in terms of technology, and I imagine they do provide the massive leap on I had in my head.At least I'll never have to change a headlamp bulb.

Donkey
Posts: 1791
Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2014 2:43 pm

Post by Donkey »

Have you checked they alligned right mate?Last week I was taken home in a Seat that had full LED and they light the road up very wellIn fact the Accenta premium I owned for 8 months assuming it had bi-LED as stated in the brochure, the lighting on the car id say was more than goodNowadays its set up in factory and meant to be checked on PDI at dealers but I think nowadays a PDI is a bucket of soapy water might be worth parking up looking at a wall see what beam they got
Qash
Posts: 198
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2014 2:10 pm

Post by Qash »

Matrix Led cost almost extra £3000 and nissan have basic LED configuration so is not fair to compare those two. I find mine LED as good as xenon if not better.
QQ BUSINESS+ (Tekna 17")1,5 dci
gvmdaddy
Posts: 2245
Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2014 11:28 pm

Post by gvmdaddy »

Ive got to disagree. By far the best headlights ive used, granted my car ownership is limited. I live near an unlit country road that is dead straight for over half a mile. The headlights pick up the road sufficiently to drive at national speed limit and the main beam picks up road signs and street furniture that most other vehicles can only highlight to the same degree when they are 20% closer....im chuffed to bits with them.
duncho
Posts: 1672
Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:45 pm
Contact:

Post by duncho »

LED headlights on new Qashqai are rubbish. It's much weaker than xenon headlights on old Qashqai. I made side by side comparison on the other forum and LED light density is much weaker than the xenon. People think that it's stronger / brighter only because of it's cooler light. Check the comparison: http://forum.qashqaiclub.co.uk/led-vs-x ... 2014-11-09 23:33:15
Qashqai J11, 1.6 dCi CVT, ThermaClear

For latest news & tests Subscribe! to my Youtube channel
Order Stop/Start reversing & DRL dim/OFF modules!
rm0rgan
Posts: 287
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2014 4:33 pm

Post by rm0rgan »

[quote="duncho"]LED headlights on new Qashqai are rubbish. It's much weaker than xenon headlights on old Qashqai. I made side by side comparison on the other forum and LED light density is much weaker than the xenon. People think that it's stronger / brighter only because of it's cooler light. Check the comparison: http://forum.qashqaiclub.co.uk/led-vs-x ... cho#232173[/QUOTE]
It's hard to compare and even more so via photos I suspect but it made for an interesting comparison test...Personally, I've had Xenons on all my cars since they became available as an option and have has them on Audis, VW's, Discovery's and Range Rovers. I find the light more than adequate and can't think I have found them to be less good than the Xenon equivalent when compared like for like, that being a fairly simple LED lighting arrangement versus a single Xenon burner.I have noticed some premium manufacturers (and I don't class Nissan as premium) are certainly evolving LED lighting - watch your rear view mirror at night for the new Mercs coming past and you can see, the lighting arrangement is much different.For a non cost option on the Tekna I'm not complaining - if you ticked a box for £800 you might expect more
duncho
Posts: 1672
Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:45 pm
Contact:

Post by duncho »

To be honest, I would rather choose xenon than LED, but Nissan decided to go for LED. Photos I made shows exactly what you could see in reality, I wouldn't lie myself as I have Tekna with LEDs, too. Camera stayed at one place without turning it off or change any of the settings (manual shutter, aperture, WB). Therefore color of the LED light looks much natural than Xenon as I adjusted white balance on those, which then goes contra to LEDs.

To sum this up, I like true specs and facts instead of marketing lies.
And to add, I compared apples with apples, Qashqai J10 (2010) with Qashqai J11 (2014), which in my opinion should have been done by manufacturer not customer who feels and confirmed LED headlights worse than previous generation (I guess they were cheaper to manufacture). duncho2014-11-10 08:11:03
Qashqai J11, 1.6 dCi CVT, ThermaClear

For latest news & tests Subscribe! to my Youtube channel
Order Stop/Start reversing & DRL dim/OFF modules!
PeterL
Posts: 1118
Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2014 12:46 pm

Post by PeterL »

Duncho - it might have helped us if you had placed a recognisable object in the distance, a car perhaps? Personally I find the LED gives a much better light as in daylight. That makes it far easier for the driver to work things out, grass is green sort of thing and no doubt a person or an animal would equally stand out with the LED light? I appreciate your need for hard facts but I'm not convinced you've provided them - yet? Hope that helps.
Tekna CVT 1.6 Magnetic Red - born 4/4/14 P/X 25/10/2015 for £19k with 12,000 on the clock - great car but time to change. No problems whatsoever in those 18 month's.
Deleted User 1571

Post by Deleted User 1571 »

I've no experience with LED lights and my new Qashqai will have ordinary lights, but I have had a few cars with Xenon and Bi-Xenon lights. They don't impress me much. I would not pay extra for fancy lights compared to a good set of halogen lights. Dip beam especially, with xenon HID, has a particularly sharp cut-off of light.My current Honda CRV has bi-xenon. They are nothing really special. Good, but not that good if you see what I mean. It has a most peculiar dip pattern that doesn't dip to the left but dips both sides with some further reach in the centre, such that if I travelled to the continent there would be no adjustment necessary to the light pattern. I prefer the standard lights fitted to my other cars in all honesty. LED lights are whiter, no doubt, but with each new type of light there seems to be an increase in dazzle problems for oncoming traffic.
Qash
Posts: 198
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2014 2:10 pm

Post by Qash »

Light amount, measured in lumens shows what a huge difference between
halogen and xenon lights are. LEDs are even better than xenon, but we
must not forget that the headlight design and quality is also
significant.
QQ BUSINESS+ (Tekna 17")1,5 dci
Locked