VW’s new Arteon got almost top “Good” marks in almost every crashworthiness test the US IIHS put it through, and next-best “Acceptable” grades in the rest. Its active front-crash prevention system got the best mark, too; “Superior”.
But all three available variants of its headlighting system got a “Poor” ranking, making the Arteon ineligible for the coveted IIHS “Top Safety Pick” plaudit.
All three of the Arteon’s available headlight systems were tested. The standard-equipment LED projectors showed very short seeing distance for straight, left-curve, and right-curve roads, on both low and high beam, but no glare was detected, either, suggesting the lamps may have been aimed too low—the IIHS protocol tests headlight performance of cars as received, including whatever headlamp aim has been dialled in by the maker and/or the selling dealer.
The first-option system, curve-adaptive LED projectors, gave much longer seeing distance on all road geometries on low and high beam, but was dinged for putting out excessive glare.
The top-option system, curve-adaptive LED projectors with high beam assist (automatic high/low beam) gave that same result. Visibility distance measurements are provided, permitting scrutiny of whether an aim adjustment would have improved things, or if the system simply doesn’t perform in a manner that gets a good grade on this test, even with proper aim.
