Auto/manual debates in regards to modern cars always puzzle me.
I feel that it's similar to the anti FI (NO MAN U NEED MORE CYLINDERS TO BE FAST IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW FAST UR TURBO IS IT ISN'T THE SAME!!!!) crowd.

I like whatever gives the best results. Sometimes FI on a smaller engine is faster than an old fashioned bigger one, and these days auto is almost always faster than manual.
Yes, you may lose some of the 'boy-racer' fun, but at the end of the day you'll perform better, so who cares?