Cornering lights disappeared
 

Just moved to a MY 17 R Design Lux from a MY 14 XC 60 and find that I now no longer have cornering lights. I used to find them very handy on my dark and narrow drive way, only realised I didn’t have them when reversing out in the dark recently.
No sign of them in any menu anywhere, are they still in the xenon lamp unit and can be activated through VIDA, or are the lamp units different to previous models. Would seem like a lot of trouble for Volvo to go to, re engineering a lamp unit in a run out model just to save a few pence per car, but perhaps I am under estimating Volvo’s ability to change specs for what seems like no logical reason.
Cornering lights still warrant a paragraph in the 2017 owners manual but looking back I can see they are not shown on 2016 or 2017 spec and price lists.
Does anyone know the rhyme or reason behind this, at the moment I can only put this down to Volvo’s penny pinching, although removing what can only be described as a safety feature seems to go against their safety first ethos.

Strange, but when I check the MY15 price list it states as an option:
Active Bending Xenon Headlights with Corner Light Function
BUT
MY16 'edition 3' states:
Active Bending Xenon Headlights

However my June 2015 MY16 does have them.
Volvo did some very silly deletions as the model ran out (Active 4C, Inscription Leather, for example). It looks like the Corner Light Function was also axed. Bonkers, if correct.

Thought they were always an option or standard on Lux models

My MY17 R Design Lux Nav has them

Sounds like Whitbyfuji needs a trip to the dealer.

Well, a conversation at the dealers might be interesting, but as far as I can see from previous price and spec lists that MY15 shows SE Lux and R Des Lux with xenon active bending lights with corner function as standard or included in winter pack, but from then on there is no further mention of corner lights anywhere, except that is in my 2017 UK spec owners handbook.

Quietly deleted from the spec it would seem, I’ll still have a talk at the dealers if only to see how much they don’t know about their own product.

As for Volvo themselves, very disappointed by their removal of a useful safety feature to save pennies, and if the light assemblies are still the same no actual saving at all if it’s only an ECU coding issue.

I have MY16 built mid 2005 and it doesnt have cornering lights, its an R -Lux /winter with active bending headlights.

You will have people on here flame you and tell you youre an idiot, but it just doesnt have them.

I ordered MY15 but it was late so ended up MY16, so I had no real idea what was coming other then the extra 9hp.

What do you mean by cornering lights?
If you mean the headlights that move with the steering wheel then that is what active bending headlights are, no? At least that is how the manual describes them on my MY16 xc70
They only move when the car is moving and can be stopped from doing that in the my car settings

Have you noticed other makes ( Renault for example ) have something similar ? what looks like fog lights under the bumper in the usual place actually are cornering lights , when they turn the steering right or left the appropriate side "fog" light comes on , it looks stupid as these operate in day time too , maybe the later Volvos have this with the under bumper lights coming on ? ?

You mention that you have the active xenon bending headlamps but have you got the active high beam and shadow technology versions? I used to have a 2009 xc60 with the bendy xenons but no obvious cornering lights that I was aware of. I now have a MY2016 re design with the driver support pack and this has the bendy xenons but with active high beam, shadow technology plus what I think you refer to as cornering lights. I wasn't aware of this until my first foray out at night to try the new high beam and as I was moving out of the drive and turned the steering to the right I suddenly noticed a bright light at 90 degrees to the front of the car illuminating the right hand side of the road. I had a look at how this was achieved as I thought it maybe the DRL but the illumination angle didn't correspond. Looking at the headlamps it appears to come from the headlamp itself so maybe there is reflector built in to the headlamp. If this is what you used to have then sadly it may have been moved to the new driver support pack headlamps :(

Sadly I think you are absolutely right Steve, it seems you only get the cornering lights from MY 16 if you have the Driver support pack with active high beam.
Bit of a disappointment and a strange thing for Volvo to do, will still ask if the lights are still there and can be activated through VIDA.
VW ans Audi vehicles have lots of options which can be activated through software upgrades even though not specified during initial order, you never know.