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Well, I actually owned a manual FR-S. When I was first going to get the FRS, I had only owned manual cars and felt that this car needed a manual and that the auto would suck. Then my boss got one with the automatic. When he told me how incredible the A/T in this car is, I decided to give it a whirl. The A/T in this car is truly a masterpiece and is unlike any other A/T I've ever driven. In Sport mode it outshifts me in a manual and even though I can heel toe an M/T pretty well, the rev matching and downshifting of the A/T is superior. This car is made for corner carving and the A/T in sport mode matches this car perfectly.
So, when my other FR-S ended up being a lemon, I got the A/T as my replacement and have not regretted it one bit. I generally drive it in manual mode with the paddles and it is my daily driver. On occasion when I'm feeling lazy, I'll put it in full auto, but it is pretty rare. The only other time I put it in full auto and Sport mode is when I'm hitting up my local canyon. There are literally 6 different ways to drive the A/T depending on your mood or driving style and that kind of flexibility is pretty impressive.
The only complaints I have about the A/T is the paddles are a bit small and the lock up on the converter is a little off in certain situations (like engine braking to a stop in manual mode). I can also feel the little extra weight in the corners compared to the MT. The A/T is not quite as spry as the M/T in this regard but unless you are really tuned in to the vehicle dynamics and have driven both versions extensively, I don't think the average driver will notice the subtle difference.
In closing, I think the A/T is an excellent choice for this car and the slight compromises in acceleration and cornering are well worth the advantages it affords.
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