I still love the simple art of changing gear- matching the revs for a perfect downchange.
The R53 & R56 have perfect pedal placement, and such a sweet gearchange that without it I'd really miss it.
The ZF 8 speed box is great at what it does, but I can't help feel that 8 gears are just too many. I tried it in a 420d, and with it's narrow 4-pot derv torque curve it was changing gear all the time. I suppose on a petrol with a flatter torque curve it might be better.
But hey, it's the way the world is going