I've had both a DSG and now a 6MT, I have to say that I am loving the 6MT, it's actually a very smooth driving unit. Enjoyed the DSG too, and in some situations(stop and go traffic) I miss the DSG, but 90% of the time I'm thrilled to have the stick.....come on man, it is fun to run through the gears, it's not a race car but still enjoyable. Not to mention the added benefit of increased fuel efficiency and lower maintenance costs.
Agreed, there is just a feeling you get from shaking your cars hand that you cannot get from an auto.
Jay Leno puts it in an interesting way when talking about newer super cars, He says "I have been reading in certain American car magazines how some people have been attacking the new Porsche Carrera GT clutch as being too hard to use. I mean, GROW UP. Try any vintage WO Bentley or try a car with any of the great gearboxes of the past. It is an art to master any of these. And when you execute a smooth change, you feel as if you have actually accomplished something.
Let's face it, no one can go 200mph on a public road, with maybe the exception of the Autobahn. The real joy of vehicles is operating them properly and nothing satisfies like a well-executed gearshift. With paddle shifters, by the time you have any sensation you are doing 180mph, you are in jail. There is a real choreography in learning how to execute a wonderful shift quickly. To me people bonded with their cars in the early days, especially with things like the MG's or TR2's or 3s. You found what we used to call the "sweet spot": You'd reach a certain rev and know you'd only have to apply the most minimal amount of pressure and the lever would move forward. There was a great deal of pleasure and accomplishment in doing that. As supercars become more and more practical, people buy them for more practical reasons.
A friend of mine wanted to buy a Porsche but he said: "I'm going to by the automatic because in traffic..." AARGH!!! It's like having a mistress who can cook. I don't want to eat dinner. I'm not going there to have dinner."
Now while the Passat is no supercar, there is a similarity here. I am buying this car for MPG's, so I'm gonna have the trans that delivers the best mpg possible, plus have fun at the same time. A manual trans makes cars that are not fast feel alot faster than they really are.