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I went from a inline 6 BMW diesel manual engine I drive for 10 years to my current Mazda 6 2.5L with automatic. Its easier and more luxurious to drive the automatic, but when I going for drive enjoyment I still have the habit of grabbing the shift lever when downshift is needed, and I often miss the feel and control of the manual when I edging it on curvy roads, even when my automatic has shift paddles, its just not the same.
But in a traffic jam in a city, for sure I will any day take an automatic over manual...
wow nearly the same as you I went from a in-line 6 diesel series 5 bmw manual from 1997 (it felt like driving a mix of a bus and tank) to a Corolla hybrid hatchback automatic. I miss shifting gears sometimes but it's such a relaxing experience especially when in a hybrid. I actually generally prefer driving now and I believe that those two vehicles are actually comparable in the sense that they are both not built for speed but rather comfort/fuel economy and the Toyota beats it in both aspects. (although the seats in the bmw were like sitting in a sofa).
The early automatics were a nightmare though. It took like almost a full second for them to react to pushing the acceleration pedal.
And when you are waiting for an opportune moment to merge onto a highway lane, a second could mean the difference between life and death.
So glad this isn't the case with any EVs though. It is just push and go.