Yes I've got both 2.8 auto and 2.8 manual and they are very different driving experiences. The auto box is very smooth and quiet and fitted to the torquey 2.8 engine it is a very civilised drive. 0 to 60 is a very respectable 7.1 seconds (BMW figures). The 2.8 manual can be a bit of a hooligan car and it's dead easy to swing the back end round as many people on the forum have experienced a some time or other, some more frequently than others

I've never done it in the auto though.
You can still experience "spirited" driving if the mood takes you and if I had to sell one of my zeds, I'd keep the auto