It depends on the character of the vehicle. Manual transmission can be fun, but also frustrating when badly implemented (speaking from experience - the fun one in my example is an Italian hot hatch and it would greatly suck with automatic.)
For luxury vehicles on the other hand I prefer automatic, greatly calms down the experience unless you cross the Alps all the time.
And let's not forget paddle shifters and dual- and multi-clutch transmissions, where you also have a degree of manual control. Did not have a chance to try that yet. Would it not be fun to try Koenigsegg's Light Speed Transmission with Ultimate Power On Demand?
Because each gear pair has a clutch, switching from one gear to another with the LST simply requires simultaneously opening and closing the respective clutches. It’s like a dual-clutch that never has to predict which gear comes next; it’s ready for whatever the driver wants. Koenigsegg calls this ultimate power on demand, or UPOD. The goal is to put you in the optimum gear for acceleration without hesitation.
UPOD works by giving the driver two shifting options. Pull the paddle shifter back one notch, and you shift one gear. Pull it all the way back, and the LST downshifts to the ideal gear for maximum acceleration. It works with upshifts as well, putting you into the highest gear possible without bogging down the engine. A console-mounted shift lever performs a similar function.
I don't know that I have ever driven a luxury vehicle, unless a 1990s Buick counts? lol. Can't form an opinion on that one. Why is it that luxury vehicles, in particular, may not be enjoyable with a manual transmission?
That Koenigsegg transmission is interesting, but it seems to just be cheating even more than regular paddle shifters. Are there any paddle shifters that work in conjunction with a clutch pedal? I suppose of all of that type, I would probably prefer the Koenigsegg setup, as opposed to screwing around with repeatedly pulling levers for a single spurt of acceleration, but I can't imagine I wouldn't still infinitely prefer a stick shift. I have never driven a car with shifters of that sort though either.