6 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Ghia was top spec before being replaced by Titanium (although both were on sale together briefly at the end of Mk2 PFL).

Sadly it does add a lot of cost to production...  It requires a completely different windscreen, different GEM/BCM, expensive sensor, wiring, light switch, rear view mirror, mirror cowling and wiper stalk...

However I personally wouldn't buy a daily without auto lights/wipers/dimming mirror now!  Can't remember the last time I switched away from AUTO...

This, when I first got my Focus, I was a bit skeptical, as i'm one of these people even if it's slightly grim and miserable I have my lights on, just for other people to be able to see me more than anything, but after a few weeks of monitoring the auto-headlights to make sure they're on in situations i'd have turned them on, I found they always were on in situations I would have manually turned them on, to the point now they never come off Auto and I don't even really think about them.

Strange, your experience is the opposite to mine, mine too is a Titanium and same year as yours although the petrol variant.  I find auto position doesn't always set them correctly, and unless you check every time there is always a possibility of error, so I manually switch mine.

25 minutes ago, Jaiimez said:

This, when I first got my Focus, I was a bit skeptical, as i'm one of these people even if it's slightly grim and miserable I have my lights on, just for other people to be able to see me more than anything, but after a few weeks of monitoring the auto-headlights to make sure they're on in situations i'd have turned them on, I found they always were on in situations I would have manually turned them on, to the point now they never come off Auto and I don't even really think about them.

I don't know about the Mk 3, but on mine if I start the engine in the dark the auto headlights with old style bulbs would come on as soon as the ignition is turned so the battery is having to work harder to power the lights and the starter motor at the same time.  Thats one reason I don't use that setting.

 

I think all cars do this now. Always thought it was a strange thing to change. Most cars now also have an auto light setting but is not a fixed setting.
I've often thought that since it has the sensors, then if it's on manual but it senses its dark. Maybe a warning shoukd appear on dash to alert. Especially when cars have drls so driver might see enough light to think they're on.

I had a Renault before and had the same problem as it had auto lights,but soon got used to this poor mans car.