I use gears as a form of cruse control. I like the mild braking action letting off the throttle you get from a stick shift. Even in my automatic insight I shift to sport mode to use more engine braking in heavy traffic or for sudden acceleration.
Someways I like to think of it as a slack stick from the 70s automatics.
All we need with 3 on the tree is a button on the floor for the head lights and starter.
