Auto or manual transmission, and why?

I’ve always chosen a manual because of the extra control given by a more direct engine to gearbox connection (particularly useful for engine braking where an auto tends to ‘run away’).

I’ve chuckled at new car ads for “smart autos” that can ‘sense’ your driving mood and adapt accordingly (isn’t my left arm & leg team better attuned to my varying driving moods?).
I’ve further commended myself on a good choice after my brother overheated his auto when towing a small van along a flat road (even after the addition of an aftermarket oil-cooler) whilst on the other hand, the temperature gauge didn’t even budge when my fully-loaded manual towed the same van up Macquarie Pass in the heat of summer and with the a/c running.
I’ve read, with great bewilderment, some years ago of an extensive project to convert a Troopy to auto (surely it would have been easier and cheaper to learn to drive the manual?).

But when I look at upgrading/replacing our 4WD, it’s difficult to find a good manual in the second-hand market (the choices are almost limited to ex-fleet vehicles - most of which have likely had a hard life). And in new-cars, shopping for a manual axes the 200-Series ‘Cruiser, the upper-spec Prados, Patrols & Pathfinders and a whole swag of other vehicles (probably the entire Rangie and Disco line up as well as the petrol-powered Jeeps).

So I find myself questioning why are so many other consumers opting for autos when this one wants a manual?
Is it my recollection of early autos that were clunky, almost resulting in neck whiplash at each gear change
or the experience of smaller autos that refused to change down ‘automatically’ unless you really stuck a spurred-boot in hard (somewhat akin to getting a horse going)
or perhaps the vague feeling autos where you squeeze the accelerator, hear the engine speed up but still never really know when the car will actually start moving (not so good for entering into busy traffic)
or is it that feeling that I’m wasting fuel (sometimes I feel like I’m not using the accelerator at all, just controlling the vehicle speed with the brake, especially during the first 5min/warm-up cycle)
or maybe I just have this perception that it’s somehow more masculine to do the cog swapping myself. :)

There is no disputing that auto technology has come a very long way (even in my short span of driving years) but I still find myself asking:
Why do there seem to be so many Forumites telling us that they're driving autos?
Why are so many people handing over extra $$$ to 'upgrade' to an auto?
Why is Toyota so confident that all consumers buying the 200-Series will want an auto?
Am I now in the minority for still wanting control over this part of the car?
Should I accept that the manual transmission is not more manly but rather an old, and perhaps crude, technology? :)
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