[DarrenWilson]

Hi All,

I've just ordered a JCW as a replacement for my F55 Cooper SD.
I'm a little confused over the 'Adaptive LED Headlights' option so hopefully you guys can help.

The JCW has the 'Adaptive LED Headlights' option whereas all other F56/F55 only have the 'LED Headlights With Corerning Lights' option.

My understanding is that adaptive headlights adjust the angle of the lense to swivel the headlight beam with the steering angle, and that cornering lights are simply an extra fixed position light within the headlight that illuminates a corner at lower speeds.

Can anyone with the adaptive led headlights option confirm this? I'm expecting the headlights to swivel with the steering wheel so I'd rather not be disappointed when the car arrives.

 

[Dromedary]

In my experience they are different words to explain the same thing. A second light that illuminates corner during slower turns, or when the signal is on at low speeds. None of the LED can swivel due to the headlight housing needed for them. They do almost the same thing and accomplish it without any moving parts - which to me is a plus.

 

[KYDan]

We have the cornering lights and they are interesting, but not worth the expense in my opinion. They only activate at speeds below 35 mph and do not function if the headlights are on high beam. The LED headlights, however, are great!

 

[Dromedary]

I disagree IMHO. I find them useful, but maybe because I live on a dark street off of a main street, so they help when my eyes are adjusting from the bright lights to the dark street by illuminating the side street and any pedestrians. I am of the opinion too, that the more light the better

 

[KYDan]

I disagree IMHO. I find them useful, but maybe because I live on a dark street off of a main street, so they help when my eyes are adjusting from the bright lights to the dark street by illuminating the side street and any pedestrians. I am of the opinion too, that the more light the better

We are country dwellers and on rural roads mostly, or twisties in the mountains. Perhaps if I lived in the city I would feel differently.

 

[dilidolo]

Hi All,

I've just ordered a JCW as a replacement for my F55 Cooper SD.
I'm a little confused over the 'Adaptive LED Headlights' option so hopefully you guys can help.

The JCW has the 'Adaptive LED Headlights' option whereas all other F56/F55 only have the 'LED Headlights With Corerning Lights' option.

My understanding is that adaptive headlights adjust the angle of the lense to swivel the headlight beam with the steering angle, and that cornering lights are simply an extra fixed position light within the headlight that illuminates a corner at lower speeds.

Can anyone with the adaptive led headlights option confirm this? I'm expecting the headlights to swivel with the steering wheel so I'd rather not be disappointed when the car arrives.

Yes it is.

I have it on my multiple BMWs and I don't find it very useful. The LED light is very bright so it doesn't matter even more.

If you have LED fog light, it also serves as cornering light.

In Canada, Adaptive option is available for Cooper, Cooper S as well for extra CA$250.

 

[Desert Rat]

Aside from leveling when the car is started the headlamps don't move. The cornering lamp is a separate lamp that faces out to the corner of the car, these come on when the car is unlocked, put into reverse, the turn indicator is on and when turning the wheel at speeds below 25mph. I have the LED with cornering and at first wasn't really sure I made the right choice but after having a loaner without them I swear by them.

There is an option for headlights that adapt to oncoming traffic by automatically switching the high beams on or off. I think is is included in the Drivers assistance package in the U.S. but I'm not sure how it's ordered in other markets.

 

[derekh929]

I have the adaptive headlights on our F31 BMW and high beam assist is great and I like the fact I can set to auto and it splits the beam round oncoming cars, but if I'm honest the turning of the lights is done with steering input and we did not bother with it on the mini due to its short wheel base and the LED's are great as they are IMHO

 

[Angib]

The options list for the Danish market, that provides the most detailed description of the content of various options says:

In addition: adaptive LED light distribution (e.g. city light distribution with more illumination to the sides, by activation of the dimmed LED cornering lights).Visual differentiation of the headlights via Anthracite-coloured headlight housing.Contains white direction indicators

So part of the adaptive bit is the cornering light function and part is using the cornering LEDs to alter the dipped beam light pattern.

I have no direct experience of it, but am tempted by it for an F57.

 

[DLKJ]

(This is based on the naming and spec of a UK F56 Cooper S, from the confused jumble of names above this may vary across countries).

We have the following lighting options on our F56 Cooper S:

* LED fog lights - 5A1
* LED headlights with cornering lights - 5A4
* Rain sensor and automatic headlight activation - 521
* Driving assistant pack (this includes main beam assistant)

You can spec "LED headlights and daytime running lights", ie LED headlights without cornering lights - 5A2

Both options have daylight running lights, and I'm fairly sure that both options support "variable light distribution". You may need to have automatic headlight activation specified for it to work.

Variable light distribution

Depending on the current driving speed profile, the headlights project a different beam patten. Each headlight appears to have an array of LEDs behind the main headlight lens. The beam patten is modified by individually controlling the brightness of each of the LEDs in the array.

The UK manual notes the following light distributions:
* Urban lighting
* Motorway
* ...and I'm making an assumption that there is a 3rd standard beam pattern

Cornering lights

There is a 2nd array of LEDs built into the side wall of each headlight unit. At low speeds these illuminate when the stearing wheel is turned. The fog lights don't seem to be used for this.

High-beam Assistance

The camera behind the rear view mirror is used to automatically engage and disengage high beam depending on the ambient light, street lighting and other road users.


I live in an urban area so I'm getting a lot of use out of the cornering lights. They've also been great when making turns at dark junctions in the countryside. The variable light distribution is subtle but seems to do the right thing, wider beam when slowly driving in the city, longer narrower beam on the motorway. The high-beam assistance is great, it's usually faster to dip the lights than I would be.

Hope that helps.

 

[DLKJ]

From having a quick look at the JCW configurator it looks like "Adaptive headlights" is upgrading you from "LED headlights and daytime running lights" to "LED headlights with cornering lights". Both physically move up & down to adjust the beam hight but neither swivel physically from side to side. The xenon headlights on the R56 could do this, but the LEDs on the F56 don't. The copy on the configurator may have been lifted from the R56 or they may be talking about the beam moving not the physical lights.

Don't be disappointed, using a 2nd set of cornering lights and variable light distribution gives you greater total brightness, a wider possible beam spread and fewer mechanical parts to go wrong.

 

[brandonbardsley]

In my experience they are different words to explain the same thing. A second light that illuminates corner during slower turns, or when the signal is on at low speeds. None of the LED can swivel due to the headlight housing needed for them. They do almost the same thing and accomplish it without any moving parts - which to me is a plus.

The adaptive LED Headlights on the JCW do provide pivotal bulbs, those that turn to adapt to the road ahead via the steering. Fixed cornering lights aren't available on the JCW as there aren't any additional light housings in the lower fascia, I was also told you can now purchase the adaptive for Cooper S and Cooper SD?

 

[DLKJ]

Fixed cornering lights aren't available on the JCW as there aren't any additional light housings in the lower fascia

I don't think this is going to be resolved until a JCW owner is able to confirm what is really going on here.

I think some of the description for the R56 JCW is being conflated with the F56 JCW.

The cornering lights on my F56 Cooper S have cornering lights built into the side of the main headlight housing. The lights on the lower fascia, which are absent on the JCW, do not appear to be used for cornering lights on the Cooper S.

You can also take a look at the parts diagram on realoem for the JCW headlights. This shows the same LED cornering light module and LED headlights on the JCW as the standard F56

What ever the answer is, the language used in the configurator is confusing as **** >

 

[DLKJ]

JCW LED headlight parts diagram: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=XM91-EUR-09-2015-F56-Mini-JCW&diagId=63_1544

 

[winceyette]

I've got a JCW with adaptive LED headlights. I can confirm they do not "swivel" into oncoming corners. There is merely a small separate light that illuminates when you are going less than about 40mph and turn your wheel, or put your indicator on. They're handy to have, but they wouldn't be a deal breaker for mez

 

[KYDan]

Yes, the ones on ours do not move. We also have the driving lights which really light up the area although had I realized how much light the LED headlights provide I probably would not have ordered them. They are not legal in some states for highway use as well. However, on twisty backroads at night the peripheral light does help with spotting deer and other animals in time to hopefully avoid them.

 

[Dromedary]

The adaptive LED Headlights on the JCW do provide pivotal bulbs, those that turn to adapt to the road ahead via the steering. Fixed cornering lights aren't available on the JCW as there aren't any additional light housings in the lower fascia, I was also told you can now purchase the adaptive for Cooper S and Cooper SD?

I have a JCW. I think what you are referring to is the different front bumper that replaces the fog lights with an air intake, so you can't get fog lights on the JCW. The cornering lights are part of the main headlight unit. You can tell if an f56 has them because the headlight interior is black instead of grey

 

[Desert Rat]

The adaptive LED Headlights on the JCW do provide pivotal bulbs, those that turn to adapt to the road ahead via the steering. Fixed cornering lights aren't available on the JCW as there aren't any additional light housings in the lower fascia, I was also told you can now purchase the adaptive for Cooper S and Cooper SD?

The LED and LED w/ cornering headlights do not move side to side with the steering wheel. The cornering lights are located in the actual headlight assembly not in the lower fascia. The cornering lamp is the little lens you see on the bonnet side of the headlamp assembly.

 

[siriuszero]

Lots of confusion and misinformation here. Let me try to clarify and define some things. Unless mentioned, these all function the same across all 3rd gen MINIs (F56, F55, F57, F54):

LED Headlights
Will auto level up and down, but they do not rotate. They have two states; low beam and high beam. No 3rd state as mentioned earlier (unless you count the DRLs or 'halo' lights).

LED Headlights w/ Cornering
These are easy to identify. The housings are black and you can see a second 'window' in front of the projector lens. In addition to the functions of the standard headlights, they also have a second set of lights that project about 90 degrees outward. These will illuminate while slightly turning the wheel into corners under 35 mph, both illuminate when reversing, and they will also illuminate when making left or right turns if the signal is on. These are more geared towards city/suburban settings as they work great at illuminating crosswalks and street corners while turning.

In some markets, the fog lights can also illuminate while cornering (not in the US). For markets that don't have this, this can be coded in via ESYS if you have fog lights and the cornering lights.

Adaptive Lighting
Usually refer to the Xenon headlights found on 2nd gen MINIs. If equipped, these would rotate the headlights side to side by as much as 15 degrees when driving through bends. These are not found on any 3rd gen MINI. IMO, much more geared towards country or backroads settings. I had these on my Countryman and liked them a lot, but I much prefer my cornering lights on my F55, though I rarely drive in country settings.

Driving Lights
These are the extra set of lights on the grill that are installed as an accessory at the port or at the dealer - never at the factory. These can be found in either halogen or LED varieties and can typically only be activated with the high beams.

Auto High Beams
Only found if the Drivers Assist package is equipped (5AS). When activated, the high beams turn on and the camera detects oncoming traffic or city lights and deactivates/reactivates the high beams automatically.

Someone had mentioned the High Beam Assist on BMWs and beam splitting. This is only on certain BMW models (none of the MINIs), and works by controlling the lights separately and by lowering a shade to cut off the beam inside the headlight so it doesn't hit cars in front or oncoming. This can't be retrofitted onto MINIs as the hardware just doesn't exist. Here's a cool video of it in action though:

Fog lights
Standard on the Cooper S (in the US anyway), option for the Cooper, not available on the JCW. These are usually LED, though some markets may have halogen (depending on whether the car has LED headlights or not), and are placed in the lower front bumper as a way to better see the road in foggy or low visibility conditions. Coopers may just have running lights if no fogs are equipped.

 

[Dromedary]

Lots of confusion and misinformation here. Let me try to clarify and define some things. Unless mentioned, these all function the same across all 3rd gen MINIs (F56, F55, F57, F54):

LED Headlights
Will auto level up and down, but they do not rotate. They have two states; low beam and high beam. No 3rd state as mentioned earlier (unless you count the DRLs or 'halo' lights).

LED Headlights w/ Cornering
These are easy to identify. The housings are black and you can see a second 'window' in front of the projector lens. In addition to the functions of the standard headlights, they also have a second set of lights that project about 90 degrees outward. These will illuminate while slightly turning the wheel into corners under 35 mph, both illuminate when reversing, and they will also illuminate when making left or right turns if the signal is on. These are more geared towards city/suburban settings as they work great at illuminating crosswalks and street corners while turning.

In some markets, the fog lights can also illuminate while cornering (not in the US). For markets that don't have this, this can be coded in via ESYS if you have fog lights and the cornering lights.

Adaptive Lighting
Usually refer to the Xenon headlights found on 2nd gen MINIs. If equipped, these would rotate the headlights side to side by as much as 15 degrees when driving through bends. These are not found on any 3rd gen MINI. IMO, much more geared towards country or backroads settings. I had these on my Countryman and liked them a lot, but I much prefer my cornering lights on my F55, though I rarely drive in country settings.

Driving Lights
These are the extra set of lights on the grill that are installed as an accessory at the port or at the dealer - never at the factory. These can be found in either halogen or LED varieties and can typically only be activated with the high beams.

Auto High Beams
Only found if the Drivers Assist package is equipped (5AS). When activated, the high beams turn on and the camera detects oncoming traffic or city lights and deactivates/reactivates the high beams automatically.

Someone had mentioned the High Beam Assist on BMWs and beam splitting. This is only on certain BMW models (none of the MINIs), and works by controlling the lights separately and by lowering a shade to cut off the beam inside the headlight so it doesn't hit cars in front or oncoming. This can't be retrofitted onto MINIs as the hardware just doesn't exist. Here's a cool video of it in action though:

Fog lights
Standard on the Cooper S (in the US anyway), option for the Cooper, not available on the JCW. These are usually LED, though some markets may have halogen (depending on whether the car has LED headlights or not), and are placed in the lower front bumper as a way to better see the road in foggy or low visibility conditions. Coopers may just have running lights if no fogs are equipped.

....what he said