10 Cool Cars With Ambient Lighting
Photo by Agustin Segura on Unsplash
Ambient lighting is one of those features that aren’t necessarily new, but it’s still uncommon enough that it can really set your car apart if you’ve got it.
Unfortunately, it’s also a feature that can immediately make your car look bad if it’s not well done or if it has the potential to distract the driver.
With those things in mind, we’ve put together a list of some of the best vehicles with ambient lighting that not only look good with it but perform well and have mastered what the best ambient lighting should look like.
Oh, and we’ll go over what ambient lighting is as well, just in case you haven’t seen cars with ambient lighting yet.
What Is Ambient Lighting In A Car?
Cars with ambient lighting, also called mood lighting, are designed with an interior light system that you can set to be always on. They’re usually either colored or have a color control system and do double duty as a decoration and illuminating your vehicle so it’s easier to look around the inside at night.
Things like lighting on the inside of cup holders are incredibly common, as well as lighting the area around the seats, dash, and other important features of your vehicle.
The biggest trick with ambient lighting is that it can’t be too bright or it can make it harder to see at night, which is another big reason it’s often colored. That way you lose less of your night sight, and can easily tell the difference between light from inside your vehicle and light from outside.
Plus, ambient lighting is also just a great way to set the mood.
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Top 10 Cool Cars With Ambient Lighting
Now that you know what ambient lighting is, let’s take a closer look at the vehicles that do it right, and why it works.
Kia Soul (GT-Line & Turbo)
Kia is known for having a lot of features in their vehicles, and the Soul is no exception. Ambient lighting might only be available in the GT and Turbo versions of the Soul, but that doesn’t make it any less appealing.
The Soul is one of the cars with ambient lighting that uses it mostly as an accent rather than a visibility tool, though the brighter lights near the driver and passenger’s feet are useful for visibility if you ever drop something in your vehicle.
The accent does do a good job of highlighting important parts of the interior though, so even though this lighting is mostly decorative, it’s also downright useful. There are a few customization options as well.
Chevrolet Camaro
Like most vehicles, the Chevrolet Camaro usually only comes with ambient lighting if you get an optional upgrade. However, the Camero’s already sleek looks really benefit from the interior lighting package if you choose to get it.
This lighting package is available in a range of colors and styles, each with its own unique flavor to bring to your vehicle. Whether you’re just looking to accent some key parts of the vehicle or want to drive bathed in a sci-fi style ambient light, the Chevy Camaro has good options.
However, it’s important to note that the lighting package is only compatible with versions of the Camaro that have a touchscreen, which means you’re limited to the most recent models.
Kia K900
The Kia K900 might use basically the same lighting system and style as the Soul, but it’s become more of a standard feature.
The colors of the K900 are what really stand out about this system. Inspired by colors you find in nature, and the particular moods and moments they evoke, the K900 ambient lighting feels a little softer than a lot of the options on the market. More classy and less sci-fi saturated.
That said, they’re still beautiful, and the K900 offers a full spectrum of color, so you won’t feel like you’re at all limited in your options.
Hyundai Sonata
Like a lot of vehicle manufacturers, by 2020 Hyundai knew that they needed to bump up the interior features to help attract and interest more buyers. The 2020 Sonata comes with a sleek and understated ambient lighting feature for just that reason.
The colors are customizable, the system is easy to navigate from the home screen, and it’s quick and easy to make changes.
Plus, Hyundai has also done a good job of keeping the ambient lighting system from interfering with the driving system.
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Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is a vehicle that started having ambient lighting earlier than a lot of other vehicles, and Ford is one of the top innovators in ambient lighting. In fact, a lot of Ford vehicles have optional upgrades to add this feature.
The Mustang in particular stands out though because they’ve done a fantastic job balancing the appearance of the vehicle with the ambient lighting and overall design.
Volkswagen Jetta
The Volkswagen Jetta is one of those models that’s been around a long time and performed pretty well the whole time. But more recent models, especially the 2019, have snuck in some serious upgrades that make the vehicle feel more interesting and new than the older versions.
Specifically, the Jetta now offers a 10-color customizable ambient lighting system that really looks and feels fantastic while you’re driving. If you’re looking for sleek lights and mood lighting for nighttime drives, this system is fantastic.
Ford F-150
The Ford F-150 is a fantastic vehicle and one of Ford’s most iconic options. But take it a step further with the ambient lighting system, and you’ll enjoy the comfort of the vehicle in a soft colored glow that makes it feel a bit like you’re driving around in a sci-fi movie.
Lincoln Nautilus Black Label
The Lincoln Nautilus Black Label has a lot of incredible features that help give it both a modern and classic feel, but we’re going to focus on the proximity-activated ambient lighting.
Yes, that’s right, proximity-activated. As you approach the vehicle the ambient lighting system will kick on, illuminating the interior in the color of your choice.
While this lighting system is more subtle than many, it’s also one of the most useful, with lit cup holders, dash, foot, and door lights, and a good system for providing gentle light in the back.
Mercedes-Benz A220 Sedan
If you’re looking for a highly customizable ambient lighting system in a luxury vehicle, this is the option for you. The A220 ambient lighting system is well styled and moderate, which helps it feel natural on the interior of the vehicle.
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But what really stands out is the 64 different color options in the LED lights. Yes, that wasn’t a typo, the A220 offers 64 different color options that let you control lighting and intensity.
So not only does your ambient lighting help make it easier to navigate the inside of your vehicle at night, but there are also pretty good odds that your favorite color is an option with this system.
Bentley Continental GT
The Bentley Continental line is one of those vehicles that you really can’t talk about ambient lighting without mentioning. It’s worth noting that this line doesn’t offer ambient lighting, which they call mood lighting, in every single version, it’s an optional feature on some of their vehicles.
However, despite making it only an option instead of a standard feature, Bentley has one of the more customizable mood lighting options out there. It might not have as many options as the Mercedes Benz we were just talking about, no 64 color options here, but still with 8 options for your main color and accent color, there are plenty of choices and a lot of combinations.
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