Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipment?

Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipment?

I read that the latest Corolla will have both LED high and LED low beam headlamps (but will also have red turn signals at the rear). Are there any other North American market vehicles, in the same price bracket as the Corolla, that have LED headlamps as standard equipment?

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

Must be a new change. 11th generation Corolla was introduced for 2014, but the 2016 model I looked at didn't appear to have them - or I didn't look closely enough. My 9th generation Corolla definitely has good lights - halogen. I wonder how the new one does in heavy wet snow. I have noticed that the StarrHID lights on my Crown Vic do not put out much heat at all.

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

Hamilton Felix said:

the 2016 model I looked at didn't appear to have them - or I didn't look closely enough.

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You didn't look closely enough.

My 9th generation Corolla definitely has good lights - halogen. I wonder how the new one does in heavy wet snow.

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You could have the high beams on while in the driveway to help initially clear the headlamps. Eventually, the lenses will heat up a little from the low beams being on, although clearly not as much as with halogen.

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

Interesting. Thanks. It seems like the LED low beam is used to be energy efficient and long lasting. But for a good high beam they still want halogen. I suppose that makes sense in a time when many cars run low beams constantly as DRLs. I live in the country, often driving in very light traffic, so I use high beams a lot. But I like the light from halogen bulbs. And even with halogen, I've experienced a few times the kind of snow conditions that had me stopping every half mile or so to clear the accumulted layer of snow off of my lights. I think LED would be much worse for that.

I do wish headlight makers would put out high quality LED headlights in the 3000K range. I keep hoping the "blue light" fad is dying.

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

Hamilton Felix said:

Interesting. Thanks. It seems like the LED low beam is used to be energy efficient and long lasting. But for a good high beam they still want halogen...

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For the 2017MY, the high beams will also be LED.

Reported from the recent 2017 NAIAS at Detroit:

The Toyota Corolla, for example, which set our world on its ear in 2014 as the first high-volume, popular-price car to come with LED low beams as standard equipment, has had a refresh that includes new lighting. The front lighting package is higher-content; both low and high beam are now done in LED technology. But the rear lighting package is lower-content: the turn signals are now red rather than amber.

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Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

Hamilton Felix said:

Interesting. Thanks. It seems like the LED low beam is used to be energy efficient and long lasting. But for a good high beam they still want halogen.

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That's not it at all. They put in halogen high beams because they're (much) less expensive. It's not because they're better.

I suppose that makes sense in a time when many cars run low beams constantly as DRLs.

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The market is moving away from headlamp DRLs and toward European-style separate white LED DRLs.

I do wish headlight makers would put out high quality LED headlights in the 3000K range. I keep hoping the "blue light" fad is dying.

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Me too, but I'm not holding my breath.

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

I like the halogens a lot better than the LED.

I have a 2009 Corolla equipped with halogens and have driven in a 2016 Corolla with LED. The halogens beat the LED Corolla with color rendering and and the beam pattern. That is just my experience tho.

It almost seems they put LED on the Corolla just to say they did it.

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

I like the halogens a lot better than the LED.

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That's different than "they're better". Objectively, the 2014+ Corolla's LED low beams completely outclass the halogen '09 Corolla low beams in terms of beam pattern focus, light distribution, peak intensity, beam width...it's not even close.

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Now you have me interested. Not looking for a new car, but curious enough to check one out. I like the low beams and the highs on our 2007 (9th Gen. is 2003-2008) Corolla. Of course, the 9012 and 9011 bulbs in place of 9006 and 9005, along with brand new headlights, really help.

With the proliferation of HID and now LED headlights, I wonder if drivers where it snows heavily will find themselves wishing for the headlight wipers & washers we've seen mostly on European cars.

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

Only the 2017 XLE, SE, SE 50th Anniversary and XSE have multi LED beam, the lower models have bi LED.

We have a 2011 (halogen) and 2014 (LED) Corolla and as Virgil said, it's no contest. The 2014 is the one I hop on when driving at night because they are way better than halogen.

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

The definition of white light needs to be reigned in. There was no issue of too much blue with filament bulbs 50 years ago, and frankly with the limiting factor of the melting point of a tungsten filament, there will never be one.
When HIDs were introduced ~25 years ago, they should have addressed the issue.
Now you can't find ANY LED headlight that have a CCT of less than 5000K. Complete deal breaker.
They should be banned from being sold, new or aftermarket.
They should only be legal with a new [cold] maximum CCT of 4500K. (same with HIDs)

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

Im gonna go against the grain here but I just picked up a 16 Accord Touring Coupe with the full LED headlights with auto highbeam. Compared to my previous RL headlights it seems I can see a lot more with the LED's and I have to admit I like the higher CCT of them too. From the drivers seat in clear weather( I have not driven in inclement weather yet), the higher CCT is a non-issue. I happen to like it better than the lower CCT of my HID's and halogen highs of my previous vehicle. Now in inclement weather,or for other drivers on the road, things may be a different, but Ill reserve judgement till after I have driven in those conditions to make an assessment.

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

So...

What's the difference between "Bi-LED Headlights" and "Multi-LED headlights with LED accent lights"? The Multi-LEDs definitely sound better! [Edited by moderator to remove crude, inappropriate joke]

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

"Bi-LED" typically refers to a single optic (usually a projector) that produces both a low and a high beam. "Multi-LED (blah blah blah)" means separate low beam and high beam LED headlamps. Neither type is inherently superior.

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

My sister was in the market for a new vehicle recently. We are Toyota exclusive since 1984. She wanted a basic vehicle to replace her 1996 Camry. Went with a new 2017 Toyota Corolla L. I haven't had a chance to drive it but she mentioned how well she can see at night with the headlights.

side note, I contacted all 19 dealers in the state with a quick email through their website. Got the vehicle for a steal.

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

JMSinMD said:

Went with a new 2017 Toyota Corolla L. Got the vehicle for a steal.

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That might leave money in the wallet for buying a set of the 2014-16 taillamp housings and swapping them on, which would reduce your sister's chances of being hit in traffic because they have amber turn signals instead of red ones (read up on it here.

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

She's going to fine Virgil, no need to swap her tail lamp housing because the L, LE & LE Eco have amber turn signal. The rest of of the line up have red turn signal.

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

Seems like it's the "50th Anniversary Edition" that goes for red rear turn signals. Maybe if I buy a 50th Anniversary edition I can sell my all-red lamps to someone that wants to fool people into thinking he's got the anniversary edition, and use that money to buy proper rear lamps

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

I see some of the "higher end" Corollas come with LED reverse lights.

Any objections to changing the halogen reverse lights (921) to either Sylvania ZEVO LED or Phillips LED?

Any thoughts on the Sylvania ZEVO red LED or Phillips red LED to substitute for the halogen 7443 brake light?

Re: Is Toyota Corolla the Only "Budget" Vehicle with LED Headlamps as Standard Equipm

JMSinMD said:

Any objections to changing the halogen reverse lights (921) to either Sylvania ZEVO LED or Phillips LED?

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921s aren't halogen, but still-- the Philips Xtreme Vision LED 921 (THIS one, not the 12789) has been good in an '01 Corolla and an '05 LS430. The 12789 is, shall we say, "cost-reduced".

Any thoughts on the Sylvania ZEVO red LED or Phillips red LED to substitute for the halogen 7443 brake light?

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I'd go with the Philips-- some of the ZEVO models have very little differentiation between their minor and major functions, such that the minor ("tail") and major ("stop") functions look pretty much like both are "stop". Not safe, as it results in too much glare for drivers behind you and too little warning when you are actually braking.