NARVA ULTIMA 180 MK2 DRIVING LIGHTS

WE INSTALL A SET OF NARVA ULTIMA 180 MK2 LED DRIVING LIGHTS, TO PROVE BIGGER ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER.

LED driving lights have come a long way in a short period of time. I’m guilty of always fitting the biggest set of driving lights I could to my 4x4s, because bigger is always better, right? Well, after 5000km of driving over all sorts of terrain, with these seven-inch lights from Narva, I’ve had to change the way I think about lights and start focusing on quality over quantity.

There are numerous benefits to running a smaller driving light, namely improved fitment to modern bullbars which are sleeker in design compared to say an 80 Series Landcruiser’s bullbar. There’s also an increase in airflow to the vehicle’s cooling system, with less real estate taken up by fitting smaller lights. But are they bright enough in the real world?

Narva claims these new Ultima 180 LED MK2 driving lights are 30 per cent brighter than its previous generation of LEDS, and it also states these lights achieve 20 per cent more distance – not insignificant figures. Combined with the factory headlights on the D-MAX, which offer a wide spread of light, it’s safe to say I don’t feel we need any more illumination on the front of this vehicle.

This was best illustrated as I pulled in to the NSW town of Tumut on the Snowy Mountains Highway one late evening, after a drive back from Melbourne. I felt completely in control with the amount of light available – and I can confirm when you see a street sign, you really see it now.

They’re also a good-looking light, with a glossy black finish. There is the option to personalise the lights, with the inclusion of three different colour trims when you purchase the lights as a kit. These kits (which include a loom – lights can be purchased individually too) also come with a stealth dark-tinted lens, if you want to offer more protection for the lights. Not that I think you could hurt these if you tried.

All in all, we’re impressed with these lights and how the D-MAX is progressing as a customised 4x4. We knew that though, as we tested these lights in our recent seven-inch LED driving light comparison, and they performed well across the field.