I did a lot of research on this topic before I got my auto SE. I have always been a die hard manual tranny wheeler and the X is the first auto I've ever owned. After going through countless virtual pages of virtual BS, the only downside I could find with automatics is a slight lack of control when going downhill due to the shift points being set by the tranny and not the driver. So, you learn to compensate - no big deal.

I am an "American" driver and do not consider myself lazy or incompetent, nor do I have anything to prove by shifting my way through rush hour traffic. And I DO take my truck offroad. My X does just fine both on and off-road and I do not regret my choice (except for my friend Nick who constantly rags on me about going over to the Dark Side and joining the "herd" of automatic drivers after listening to me say over and over "I"ll never own a 4WD automatic...")

I suppose this thread could go on forever, but it's a lot less of a pain in the ass for it to go on with an automatic