If I lived in a built up area and used the F as a daily, I suspect I'd just stick in auto. However, as I drive the F mainly at weekends, when I do I drive it, I want to enjoy the drive, and being in control of the gear selection is part of the fun.
I totally agree that there is no substitute for a manual box, and that if you use all 8 gears it is easy to forget which gear you are in. I recall either @Rusty Crobar or @emjay82 saying that it is best to drive it as a 5 speed, thinking of 6th, 7th and 8th gears as being there for economy. That works well for me.
I'm a big fan of the F, but I've never found a gearbox setting that is perfect. In a ideal world, I'd like to be able to set the following combinations -
Manual gear selection ON + Sport ON + Smooth up change.