Automatic owners ever use "manual" shift mode?

That was the selling point when I chose automatic over manual. The area I live in isn't big city but its big enough for congestion in a lot of areas resulting in one person going 5 or 10 mph below the speed limit causing a huge bottleneck. This caused an issue where in my mustang I was constantly between gears due to the traffic flow it really took away from the joy of a manual. So when I started looking for a new car I was like yeah my left knee is going to be more than happy lol.

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Fortunately for me, my Cobra wasn't a daily driver. My left knee never would've survived that, and like you said, traffic congestion and manual transmissions just aren't a good mix. What made things worse was the fact that I was routinely NOT attending large enthusiast gatherings like Cruise Week in Ocean City, MD simply because my knee wouldn't survive all the traffic. That's really when I at least started to accept the idea of getting an automatic. Grudgingly! After driving my first manual-equipped Challenger last year, I began to think that I could deal with a manual since the clutch was far lighter than my Cobra but lack of availability so late in the year convinced me to go with an automatic.
If you drive two equally equipped Challengers, one with the M6, the other with the A8, you'll find that the two cars have completely different temperaments. The A8 seems so energetic that it's almost too touchy. By contrast, the M6 feels much more laid back. I actually like it better.

 

That's Me, laid back, but IN FULL CONTROL
I didn't want to rely on a "PlayStation Controller" to shift my muscle car

 

No doubt about it, I've always enthusiastically supported manual transmissions over automatics. Unfortunately, since I have bad knees, and there were no Widebody Scat Packs available in Octane red with a manual trans. Luckily, the A8 is an extremely well sorted out trans with a real good manual mode.

 

Add me to the list of A8 manual shifters. I do it for the fun of it, plus I miss having a manual sometimes. The last manual car I had was a 4 speed Nova SS that I sold in 2009 because of lower back issues... was getting too hard to use the third pedal in traffic.
I don't use the paddle shifters, I use the console shifter. At times when I want the "full experience" and be like 70_426_10-SRT, I'll engage and disengage my imaginary 3rd pedal when shifting.
It's not like having a true manual but its fun to hold upshifts and hear the exhaust rumble when downshifting. Something is better than nothing.

 

That's another good point. I started using the paddle shifters but quickly changed over to the console shifter. It's just a little counter-intuitive though having upshifts backward and downshifts forward. Still, at least you can shift while turning the steering wheel more than a few degrees, and it utilizes the normal right hand shifter operation. The only player left out is your left foot!

 

Manual shift mode love it! Unless in drag mode, then automatic does everything perfect, only issue is the trans “learns” my driving style after a while it’ll hit 7k before shifting. Then I have to pull the fuse to reset.
Cant get the hang of paddle shift tho keep hitting wring one.
Both manual and drag kill the eco crap which I can’t stand... I bought this for power not economy and would have been happy to pay gas guzzler tax.
Before getting this I had the 3rd peddle and wasn’t sure I’d be happy with auto. Actually feels like a manual so much so that my left foot twitches sometimes

 

Maybe it's called body wore out? i am speaking for my self though.....

 

Love the automatic "manual shift". After driving a "stick" for over 50-years, muscle cars through the 60s and 70s, played drag racer doing fun runs at the Hollywood Sportatorium raceway on the weekends (remember cheater slicks?)...... I decided to retire the clutch when I retired several years ago. However, I missed my muscle car days (second childhood), so for my retirement vehicle I bought a new Challenger and had the top cut off, as I always had convertibles growing up in Ft. Lauderdale. Long story short, the automatic manual shift was the only way to go. I still get the feel and sound of driving a stick, and can still hit my old shift points by the frequency/rumble of the exhaust, but now a days in City traffic, it is the only way to go.