Jalopnik: The New Jeep Cherokee's Taillights Have An Idiotic Design

[UN4GTBL]

The New Jeep Cherokee's Taillights Have An Idiotic Design

You all might recognize a certain Cherokee in the video they use there




For the record, I agree, I think the Euro spec tail lights for the 2019+ KL are better, as they are split (brake lights on top, and amber rear turns on the bottom) instead of switchbacks.

 

[KrisW]

This is thanks to a US regulation. Whereas the UNECE standards used in the rest of the world insist on a minimum level of luminous flux emitted by the lamp, the FMVSS regulations used in USA specify a minimum size of illuminated area instead. You can't mount brakelights on a hatch under either standard, so with limited size for lighting assemblies, switchbacks become the only option. (You don't want bigger assemblies - they're the most likely thing to break in a minor accident due to their location, and they're the most expensive exterior part to replace. Making them bigger just increases maintenance costs)

FMVSS's rule was always the wrong approach, but it didn't matter until LEDs arrived and made it possible to achieve much brighter light in smaller areas.

 

[redriderbob]

Haters gonna hate

 

[GasAxe]

Haters gonna hate

There’s a certain amount of that but other vehicle manufacturers have been criticized for “bad” taillight design as well. The current standards need to be revised to take modern illumination devices into account. I’d wager small and bright is more eye catching than large and dim.

 

[mopar22]

Comes down to us standards, which tbh are quite bad for lights in general when compared to row