My M3 is older (E46, 2003) but once I tweaked the SMG by coding in the CSL blip and shift speed I absolutely love it and would never go back to manual. It’s faster, I can still easily drop a couple gears in one go for a quick highway overtake, and my left leg doesn’t get tired out in traffic. Lots or people slam the sequential gearbox without actually trying it. If they’ve improved the feel on recent ones to be as good as my 20-year old coded example, I’d say manual is not optimal.

May be true, but I know my E46 M3 gets a lot of attention everywhere I go. My kids (9 and 10) are already jockeying for who will inherit it!