Full beam ahead for the new Grandland!

NOW we've passed the longest day of the year it sadly won't be too long before everyone is having to do more night driving.

- EDWARD STEPHENS

But for motorists opting for the new Vauxhall Grandland Electric in Ultimate trim help is at hand, in the form of dynamic new headlights.

Not too long ago Vauxhall was boasting that the Matrix headlights it was fitting to cars contained 168 LED elements (84 per headlight) to light the way.

But on its new flagship SUV that figure has jumped to a massive 50,000 (25,000 per headlight) with the launch of the latest Intelli-Lux Pixel Matrix HD lighting system.

Like all Matrix lights the system allows you to drive permanently on full beam but without blinding other drivers, as the individual elements lighting up those other cars close down while the remainder stay on to light the road ahead. In other words putting other cars in shadow while still lighting the surrounding area.

But the big increase in the number of elements now means the illumination of the road and its surroundings is that much more vivid, creating a much safer environment.

Sampling them in a dark country road near my home created almost daylight conditions, not to mention an enhanced feeling of safety.