[Supernaut]

I drive a manual transmission car every day and I'm bemused by your reference to "having to think about changing gears". For an experienced and competent driver, registering and acting upon the need to move up or down a gear usually requires no conscious thought whatsoever. The mechanical process itself literally takes a split second. By contrast, in my one experience with an automatic transmission, it proved to be a constant distraction from the business of steering the car and enjoying the drive. That was because it was never in what I considered the appropriate gear, refusing to change up in a proportionate manner as I accelerated, or to change down quickly enough on upward inclines. It was teeth-grindingly irritating. Admittedly, that was 10 or 11 years ago, and perhaps the state of the art has improved since then.

[Piskvorrr]

Certainly it has. Having converted to automatic transmission recently, shifting is one less thing to keep in the back of your mind (even if it was second nature to me, after many years of driving stick). With the kickdown button, you don't even have to worry about getting enough power in emergency situations ("have I downshifted low enough?").

Even so, the stick driving reflexes only get dulled temporarily - within five minutes of driving stick, you're back up to speed again (pardon the pun).

[lucaspiller]

I agree it's not something you really think about (I used to think automatic was for lazy people), but when you don't have to think about it, it's a load off your mind. This is exactly my point though - it's a habit that people are used to, and don't see why (or don't want to know why) changing it might be beneficial.