Improved optional headlights net Volvo XC40, XC60 Top Safety Pick awards

Volvo has earned its first two Top Safety Pick awards for the 2019 model year with the XC40 earning the far more prestigious Top Safety Pick+ and the XC60 walking away with the standard Top Safety Pick.

Headlight updates for the new year improved IIHS crash-test scores for the 2019 Volvo XC60 and 2019 Volvo XC40. The 2019 XC60 earns a Top Safety Pick award and the 2019 XC40 rates as a Top Safety Pick+ with optional adaptive headlights.

In the larger XC60, the new headlights rate “Acceptable,” while the XC40’s offered better illumination and earned the top “Good” rating  

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To earn a Top Safety Pick+, the vehicle must score a “Good” rating in every crash test, including the passenger-side small overlap front test, receive a “Superior” score for its crash-avoidance technology, and rate “Good” for its headlights. For the Top Safety Pick rating, it can earn “Acceptable” scores in some tests. Both crossover SUVs earned top marks in the crash tests and for their automatic emergency braking system

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Without the optional curve-adaptive headlights, it’s a different story for both SUVs. The standard LED reflectors are rated “Poor” in the XC40, the lowest rating, for excessive glare. In the XC60, the LED reflectors earn a slightly better “Marginal” rating for inadequate visibility.

For the Volvo XC40, the top-rated headlights are bundled in an Advanced Package that adds $995 to the price of a base model. For the best headlights in the XC60, buyers must first select a Premium Package for $2,200 to unlock the Advanced Package, which costs another $2,500.

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