In the early days of automobiles, all illumination aside from the very basic exterior lights was either optional or not available at all. Having light bulbs in various places to illuminate the passenger compartment, glove box, even dials became standard as manufacturing methods and automation dropped the costs enough.
Now, though, Mercedes-Benz seems very pleased about completely giving up the use of conventional bulbs, all of which have been replaced with modern LEDs in their latest W222 S-Class sedans. So is this really useful, or merely a marketing scheme to make the car seem different and modern? The German automaker would of course be in favor of the former, which they do back up with several arguments.
Around 500 diodes are used inside and out, and it is claimed that while providing the same or a better level of luminosity, less electricity is used – it makes such a difference that they say it even positively affects the fuel efficiency and emissions figures by around 0.05 l/100km and 2.1 g/Km CO2 respectively.
However, there’s the interior illumination package which fills the cabin with diodes, which probably uses its fair share of electricity, so it probably needs to be turned down to even hope of achieving the minute claimed gains.
Furthermore, the integration of LEDs into the headlights (each headlamp has up to 56 LEDs, to be precise), which can be fitted as an optional extra with Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus, mean that you can drive with the high beams permanently on, yet you will never blind another driver. Also, when the S-Class is stationed at a set of traffic lights at night, the brake lights and indicators will be dimmed down (but still kept at a legally acceptable level) so that they don’t dazzle other road users.
It is worth noting that LEDs are much more visible at night, especially if they are of the very bright kind used in cars – if you happen to see the new Range Rover on the street, keep an eye out for its indicators that you can’t miss, not even during the day. They will make the S-Class a more distinctive vehicle, which will be clearly visible, even from a distance.
By Andrei Nedelea
- Headlamps: each with up to 56 LEDs
- Tail lights: each with up to 35 LEDs (plus 4 for the rear fog lamp)
- Interior (including ambient lighting): approx. 300 LEDs
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