Even the semi's are mostly automatic these days. Its really getting to be where the only holdouts still buying new manual trans class 8 trucks are specialized very high margin outfits and owner/ops that care more about their manliness than the bottom line.
I know that most semis are automatics now, and like anything there are pros and cons to that. I take issue with your last note, though.
When I bought my Ram in 2017 (the whole reason for this thread) I received a number of questions from people asking me why I didn't get one of the automatics? After all, both automatics came with (insert manly grunt):
Indeed, the manual transmission had the least horsepower and the least torque of the options for that Ram, by something like 20-35 HP and a few hundred lb-ft. Sure, the 0-60 times are better. Fine, it shifts instantly and more smoothly. Yes, I know that the engineers have figured out the optimal RPM for power and efficiency, meaning that the automatic wins the John Henry contest against me. And yes, if I owned a company that had employees paid to drive, I would probably want automatics because it's harder for them to screw that up and fact is - most people can't drive a manual worth a damn.
I test drove the automatic truck, and I absolutely hated it. It didn't do what I wanted it to when I wanted it to. Yeah, it had a manual mode, but it wasn't very useful of one. It revved the engine too high. I didn't get that visceral satisfaction of clicking the transmission into gear, the transmission whine. There was no driving enjoyment whatsoever. In reality, I liked my 2003 F-350 (which had its own problems, see the other thread) better and probably would've just fixed it up if that was it. I have never liked an automatic, it has only ever served varying levels of dislike for me; the best an automatic has ever placed for me is "acceptable." This one, I did not like at all.
I'm a holdout. I like the man-machine interaction, where the machine feels like an an extension of me rather than just something that I am an operator of. I want to hear the engine, the turbo, the transmission. On my truck (thanks to the solid shift lever I put in) I can hear the input shaft spinning up if I use the synchros to downshift, but a double-clutch is oh so satisfying to have the shifter just slip into gear.
I don't reject all technology, but I do reject technology that removes me from the operating experience of a vehicle. I don't begrudge the fact that most people don't share my preferences, but it saddens me that the world is moving in the direction that makes it harder and harder for people like me to get vehicles that we want and enjoy driving. It's been that way since before I started driving (having obtained my learner's permit in 2000) but it's only continued to get harder as cars continue to lose their passion, while improving their numbers on paper.
To me, the people who are going after their manliness are the ones who care more about what's on paper - the 0-60 time, the horsepower and torque numbers, the maximum towing weight that they'll never use. Sure, all of those have their value, but bragging rights over "my truck has 100 ft-lb more torque!" when you already have a truck with more horsepower than semi trucks used to haul 80,000 lbs back in the day isn't about getting the job done, it's about puffing up your chest and bragging rights.
Life's about more than numbers.
