[Potenza]

Originally Posted by Aditya

auto-wipers ahead of auto-headlamps as they are a big boon in the 4 monsoon months when you have to continuously switch the wipers on or off, fiddle with the speed, intermittent setting etc. In an hour of varying levels of rain, one would probably change the wiper setting a dozen times!

The above sentences are crucial.

I’ve recently moved from a car that only had auto-wipers to a car that only has auto-headlamps and I clearly prefer auto-wipers. The thing is that with headlamps even if you need to do it yourself it’s generally only a couple of switch-ons and switch-offs during a drive.

With wipers one needs to fiddle with the settings constantly and that’s very irritating. That’s one thing that i miss from my previous car.

Hence auto-wipers for me ten times out of ten.

[deepak_bajaj]

I voted for Auto Head Lamps as wipers are very rarely used in my daily usage. Also, as mentioned in the OP, wipers are required for a very short duration (driving in rain) while head lamps are used on daily basis. This adds convenience to me. Also, I normally set my wipers to single speed and able to manage it without issues 80% of the time. For balance 20%, I change the speed.

So due to my usage and the how much a feature gets used during the ownership, I voted for Auto Head lamps. Although, both are preferred.

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by Aditya

GTO and I prefer to have auto-wipers ahead of auto-headlamps as they are a big boon in the 4 monsoon months when you have to continuously switch the wipers on or off, fiddle with the speed, intermittent setting etc. In an hour of varying levels of rain, one would probably change the wiper setting a dozen times! The monsoon has just withdrawn from Mumbai and from my innumerable drives during the season, I can safely say that a well-calibrated rain-sensing wiper setup would have reduced my effort considerably.

Compare this to auto-headlamps which you usually just switch on once, at the time of sunset. On the flip side, the headlamps of a car are used throughout the year whatever the season, while wipers are not.

Agree completely to this. I sorely miss auto wipers in Creta SXO; I have to keep fiddling with the settings as rain frequency/ intensity changes. Auto headlamp is a one time setting and not much useful.

[Shitij]

I would vote for Auto Wipers!

What is interesting is that my 2013 model i20 had both of them at significantly lower price than what currently it is offered at. Those Rain sensing wipers were a boon.

[gadadhar]

My vote is for auto wipers since the intensity of rain keeps varying, whereas Headlight switches doesn't need frequent changing while driving

Even my 2021 Fortuner doesn't have the auto wipers, and it is a feature I am missing badly after the Beemer days

[rachitarora1985]

Originally Posted by vb-san

I would say Both. But if the selection must be one, then it would be Auto headlamps. I find it super useful especially when getting into a basement carpark, tunnel, etc.

I echo with "both". Having driven a Ciaz with excellent response time for auto headlamps, entering / exiting basement parking was super easy.

I will also admit that I am lazy in continuously changing wiper speeds as per rain intensity and an auto function is the solution for me.

[WizSatish]

Voted Auto-Headlamps. Although I find both quite useful.

Auto headlamps are a boon on daily drives. Auto wipers on the other hand wipe once upon starting if it is turned on, scratching the windshield if there are any debris on it.

I usually turn on the wipers in case of rains(Albeit in auto mode).

[src]

Very interesting take and everyone will have their own preferences which is obvious.

Essentially I would only want Auto Headlamps since I hate Auto Wipers for the reason if the windscreen is not clean it will put scratches unnecessarily.

Often the windscreen is not clean enough and at times am lazy to do and in drizzling rain it is not required to use the wipers.

[prajnya]

My vote is for Auto wipers.
It eliminates alot of fiddling with the wiper control stalk and makes the drive more comfortable.
Two of my card have Auto Headlamps also, Octavia and Ecosport.
Im used to switching the headlamps On/Off on the Octavia. The dials are not illuminated full time, so its easier to get to know when the lamps need to be switched on.
How ever on the Ecosport the dials are always illuminated, so the moment i start the car i switch position to Auto even if its during the day.
I prefer the at least some part of the meter console to be connected with the headlamps just that its easier to realise that the lamps are off.
Im aware that here is a small headlamps symbol glowing in the Ecosport when its On, but still i fell its easier if the dials send out that info for us.

[sidpunjabi]

I have a car that has both.

Personally, prefer Auto Headlamps over Auto Wipers.

At Startup / Shutdown, I never have to worry about switching on/off the lights when they're on auto. The system just switches everything on / shuts it down automatically.

That first swipe on engine startup followed by the ear-deafening screech made me shut it off on day 2 of ownership. It's a nice feature to have when light showers turn to torrential storms and vice versa. But otherwise, it stays off.

[BudgetFailure]

Slightly subjective, would mention two scenarios, and then would answer in absolute fashion from my perspective, given I can not vote yet.

My subjectivity lies in two situations, highway cruising and city commuting. On highway, I would prefer to have auto wipers in my car as at relatively high speeds and with less traction available on road, I would rather not be controlling the wiper speed manually, instead would like to focus on road. Headlights i can simply control on my own.
Whereas in a city, usually speed is not a concern for me, and if it rains I don't mind controlling the wiper on my own. But leaving headlight on the same toggle for days without actually worrying when it goes on and off is something I personally like. In fact the feature that it stays on for a while while I go up strairs from my dark parking and then auto switches off is actually a very convenient feature. Firstly it lightens the dark areas, and secondly I dont need to worry to remember whether I forgot to switch of the headlights or not.

To answer, I would go with auto headlamps if only one can be chosen.

[kaushikduttajsr]

Auto headlamps anytime.

There are tons of underpasses that are dark. Most accidents happen because someone was lazy to turn on the lights. Also, auto sensors does away with the subjective sense of a sunset.

My freestyle has both features but I feel the auto headlamps are more useful. The rain sensing wipers are good but frankly, I like adjusting the speed as per my liking. Thr question really should be static single speed auto headlamps vs. static single speed auto wipers. I'll still choose auto head lamps.

[rajeshrajan]

Auto Wipers for me.
I still remember my sheer amazement when i used them for the first time.
In a place like Bangalore (earlier days is suppose) or in the hills of Tamil Nadu and Kerala ( ooty, kodai, munnar, thekkady) i have seen how much of a life saver they are. One less thing to do when you are enjoying your drive or navigating
a difficult terrain.

[dust-n-bones]

Both these features are 'nice to haves' for me.

What I would prefer is the 'auto swiveling headlamps'. The kind that illuminate a dark corner you are turning into. Especially useful on curvy, dark highways, but you never know even in our cities what lies beyond the corner - a pothole, a jaywalker, something fallen from a trash carrier, or an animal.

[supertinu]

I am actually quite surprised to see how balanced the poll results are towards both of the options. I have both on my XUV500 and based on my experience I am heavily skewed towards auto wipers. I dont mind having or NOT having the auto headlights but certainly cannot live without auto wipers now.

This is primarily based on the usage and need. Headlights need to be turned on only once when it gets dark and post that its a constant turned on till you switch off the car. However while driving through rain, the intensity of the rain keeps altering and that requires continuous adjustment of wiper speeds manually. This gets even more distracting if you are driving at high speeds on highway. I have had situations like water getting splashed on the windscreen by other cars and getting totally blinded for an instant, but wipers kick in immediately. Its almost a panic situation and driver will fumble to turn on wipers or alter speeds.

Auto headlights are more of feel good convenience and show off feature but not something that you cannot live without.