My IS300 is an '01 so it was only available in E-Shift auto. Manuals are definitly more fun but the e-shift is better than a regular automatic. My car shifts extremely hard, enough that it jerks the car when you’re at WOT. Now the ISX50’s feel very soft and weak when you use the paddle shifters. I’ve never driven an M3 so I can’t speak for that. Overall if you’re looking for something performance oriented get a manual. I bought my car as a DD and have lived in cities that I’m always stuck in bumper to bumper traffic so I didn’t want a manual.