european vs. american quattros

[Ramiro Reinoso <ramiro@ctt.bellcore.com>]

>   From: Eliot Lim <eliot@lanmola.engr.washington.edu>
>   Date: Mon, 26 Apr 93 21:07:16 PDT
>   X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]
>   Content-Length: 421
>
>   i think that for the newer models, the biggest difference would be the
>   headlights.  i believe the european cars have much better headlights
>   than the miserable DOT ones.  the s4 and v8 seem to have european
>   style headlights though.  those in the v8 are excellent, esp high
>   beam.
>

Well, the low beams on the S4 are pretty weird and for US driving a
little bothersome.  It's very focused in an area of about up to 150
feet on the right and about up to 100 feet on the left.  The low beams
are so focused that if you are facing a wall, you can see a clear,
perfect line between the dark area and the lighted area.  ** My guess
is that the only way they could increase the intensity of the low
beams in the US was to make sure the low beams don't hit the other
drivers and that's why the low beams are precision focused **

I'm sure other drivers really appreciate this kind of lights since it
never ever hit their faces (upcoming traffic) or their rear view
mirrors (when I follow somebody).  It's weird because the low beams
never hit anything above the license plate of the car in front of you
and I was used to see peoples' backs in the past.  Now the interior of
the cars in front of me are always dark.

It's bothersome on US highways because there are situations that you
want to see ahead of the low beams and you cannot use the high beams
because there's a car about 200 ~ 300 feet ahead of you.  The high
beams are excellent, very bright and they cover a lot of territory but
at the same time they will blind the car in front.  The integrated
fog lights don't solve the problem because they don't go any further
than the low beams; they just expand the lighted area to the sides.

Ramiro