Fog Lights Inside Main Headlamps, the Best Configuration
I am of the opinion that most fog lights do very little for visibility, they are too low to light up anything more than a few feet in front of the car. Many people will argue that they must be mounted low as the idea is to light up the pavement under the fog, but that point is moot since on most cars the fog lights won't turn on without the low beams being powered. Add to that the fact they are often underpowered with H3 type bulbs and you have a recipe for an ineffective device that serves more as an exterior enhancement than a safety feature.
I'll take my "fog lights" higher up, thank you very much. Here is a list of a few modern cars with the fog lights mounted in the headlight assembly. It is non-exhaustive and you are more than welcome to comment if my missed any. Only more recent cars (starting MY 2000+) are included, and LED headlamp setups are excluded)
2004-2006 Acura TL
The 3rd generation Acura TL follows the legacy of its 2 predecessors (and what used to be an Acura feature up until the facelift of this model) of having the fog lights inside the headlights. The TL used a bi-xenon projector for low/high beam duties, and the spot usually reserved for high-beam was instead used for a fog light, not only that but it was also a 9006 bulb which is normally used as a low beam bulb on many cars. (American models. Canadian models unfortunately used a different reflector with a 9005 bulb as DRL, puzzling). The headlamp mounted fog lights got the axe in the 2007 facelift and were relocated to a more conventional location lower in the bumper.
2003-2005 Mazda 6
Early Mazda 6 models with the fog light option had a small H3 projector located between the turn signal and high beam in the headlight assembly. Mazdaspeed 6 models had the spot for the projector replaced by a blank cap, with the fog lights relocated in the lower corner bumper vents. Facelifted cars starting in 2006 also got the same treatment and gone were the headlight mounted fogs.
2003-2007 Infiniti G series
On the early models, the fog lights were located below the HID or H1 (depending on trim level) low beam reflector using an HB2 (9003) dual filament bulb which shared its duties with the high beam function, which is fairly unusual. This was the case for both coupes and sedans.
On the facelift models the coupe (2005-2007) version used a reflector below the bi-xenon projector unit, this time using an H1 bulb while the sedan (2005-2006) continued to make do with the dual filament fog/high beam reflector, though this time the bulb was replaced by an H4 (also 9003 virtually the same).
2007-2009 Infiniti G series
The 2nd generation Infiniti G (G35 and G37) had an interesting combination of fog lights in their headlamps for both, the coupe and sedan versions. Early sedans (starting 2007) had a small reflector below the turn signal for their fog lights, which used an HB4 (9006) bulb, a bulb normally used for low beam duties. The coupe (2008-2010) also used a small reflector, this time located where you would normally expect high beams to be, using an H1 bulb.
Sadly, by 2011 all Infiniti G series had bumper mounted fog lights.
2004-2006 Nissan Maxima
Nissan's 6th generation Maxima had small H3 projectors inside the headlamps on the inner side next to bi-xenon low beams. The lights seen lower in the bumper are cornering lights.
2005-2006 Infiniti Q45
2003-2007 Mitsubishi Evolution VIII/IX
Some models of Mitsubishi Evolution VIII and IX - namely those equipped with HID headlights - came with fog lights in the main lamp unit. The bulb used was an H11 mounted inside a reflector. Non HID equipped models such as the RS had a cap where the fog light would be.
2005-2008 Maserati Quattroporte
Where on a normal car you would find the low beams, on the QP5 you will find an H3 projector for the fog lights. In this generation Quattroporte the outer projectors serve as fog lights while the inner ones are bi-xenons serving as low/high beams.
2002-2010 Lamborghini Murciélago
The Murciélago's headlights remained the same throughout its production run. Inboard to the larger bi-xenon projectors are smaller projectors with vertically fluted lenses, which look similar to Hella's Micro-DE fog lights. Unfortunately it is almost impossible to find what bulb is used in this application, but if the fog lights are indeed Hella Micro-DE fogs, then the bulb is probably H3. This page will be updated if I can ever get my hands on an official source that lists the bulb type.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
2005-2014 Ford Mustang
Ok ok they aren't headlight mounted but they are still up there literally. The GT and some other Mustang trims had factory 9145 bulbs in fog light reflectors mounted in the grille, reminiscent of the Mustangs from the 60s and 70s.
2017+ Ford F-series Super Duty
The OP sounding QUAD DUAL BEAM of the Ford F-series (F250) Super Duty is exactly that, four dual beam lamps. Using two-filament H13 bulbs four times (two per headlight) the Super Duty Ford F-series effectively provides four low beams and four high beams. Ford proudly states that the four low beams provide more light than the previous model's high beams.
If I missed any or you have conflicting information please feel free to leave a comment.
Best.
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