My dealer test drive to determine if I wanted a 6 speed or auto made it easy for me to go with the auto. The 6 speed was a bear. It just doesn't shift smoothly or have a positive feel.

It is amazing to me that a European car company would build cars with such a weak transmission/shifter. This is especially surprising as most European cars have a manual transmission. However, the auto transmission is entirely different. It has a "performance" feel compared to the typical American auto.