Automatic High Beams: You Gotta Start ‘Em Every Time

Miles Driven: 340

Feature Tested:  Active High Beam

Randy’s Rating:  9/10

You know how annoying the driver is who approaches you with his high beams shining in your eyes?

The other evening, I was that guy.

I was running an errand with my wife, and the previous evening I’d switched on the XC90’s “Active High Beam” function for the first time. At night, or whenever it is dark outside, it automatically switches your headlights to high beam when there are no cars approaching you and no cars driving in front of you. Similarly, it switches your headlights to low beam if it detects either the headlights of an oncoming car or taillights ahead of you.

This evening, I assumed the function was still working. After all, I hadn’t turned it off at the end of the previous day. But it turns out you have to reactivate this feature each time you start the car. This point was driven home after several oncoming drivers flicked their high beams onto me in retaliation.

Now that I know how it works, I find the feature quite nice. So far, it has flawlessly identified cars ahead of me, quickly shifting from high beams to low beams—faster in some cases, I’m sure, than I would have manually. The only “glitch” I’ve seen is that occasionally the glare of my own high beams on a reflective traffic sign can be so bright that the system seems to mistake the sign for a headlight. When that happens, the function temporarily switches to low beams when it wouldn’t be necessary. (The owner’s manual warns that the system can also recognize street lights, although I haven’t found that happening very often.)

Overall, the convenience of not worrying about switching back and forth manually between low beams and high beams far outweighs these little hiccups. Although frankly, I’m not sure why Volvo makes you activate this feature each time you get into the car. (I’m guessing the safety gurus at Volvo know something I don’t.) I’ll give the feature a Randy’s Rating of 9 out of 10, deducting only because of those occasional times when it switches unnecessarily to low beams, and because you have to activate the feature each time you start the car.

If you haven’t tried the Active High Beam feature in your own Volvo, I’ll explain here how to activate it.

But first, let’s talk about using the headlights in general. They are controlled using the steering wheel stalk, or lever, on the left side of the steering wheel. Toward the end of that stalk, there is a “lighting ring” that you can turn or rotate to various settings.

In the “O” or “off” position, all the lights are off in the U.S. (In Canada, this setting leaves daytime running lights and parking lights turned on.)

The next position is the parking light position, characterized by a symbol that looks like two headlamps positioned back to back, and shining left and right.

Next is the manual headlight position, illustrated with a symbol that looks like the side view of a headlight with “beams” of light radiating out from the left side. In this position, low beams and parking lights are turned on, and you can activate the high beams manually by pushing forward on the left steering wheel stalk.

Up next is the “AUTO” position, which is where I leave the lighting ring by default. In this setting in the U.S., the car’s daytime running lights and parking lights are lit during daylight conditions, and the low beams and parking lights are lit during low light or dark conditions—as well as whenever the fog lights are turned on. In this mode, you can still manually switch from low beams to high beams by pushing the left steering wheel stalk forward, and then switch back to low beams by pulling it backward.

Finally, to activate Active High Beam, rotate the lighting ring all the way up to the top position where you see the Active High Beam symbol, which is the side view of a headlight with lines of “light” radiating out from the left side and a capital letter “A” in the upper right corner.

Note that the ring won’t stay in this top position; it will snap back to the “Auto” position. However, you’ll know that the Active High Beam function is operational because an electronic version of that symbol will appear at the top of the dashboard instrument display between the speedometer and tachometer. If high beams are on, the symbol will be blue. If low beams are on, the symbol will be white. The symbol will flip back and forth between those two colors as the system switches your headlights between low beam and high beam.

If you decide you want to turn the Active High Beam function off while driving, simply rotate the lighting ring up to that position again. It works like an on-off switch.