My '89 Civic was manual, and I liked it. When I got the Prius I kind of missed the fun of shifting, but quickly got used to the easier driving style.
It's not uncommon for people to ask questions about the Roadster, and one of the things I like to tell people is how quiet it is. Occasionally someone asks me to rev it up so they can hear it. I explain that the motor is always connected to the wheels, so the motor won't turn without the wheels turning, but some folks just don't get it. The idea of a car without a clutch is just too foreign for some people. I think they trip up on the idea of a car that can do zero to 60 in under 4 seconds, and do 120 mph, without shifting gears.
OTOH, the Prius is even harder to explain: The car can move with the ICE standing still, or the ICE can turn with the car standing still, and the car can even go backwards while the ICE turns forward, and yet there's no "reverse gear." No "shifting" of gears at all, and no component ever disengaged. Just the electronic manipulation of electricity to and from the two motor-generators and gas (or not) to the ICE.