It should be noted that there's a difference between the old-tech viscous coupling approach and the cutting edge dual-clutch sequential transmission. The old-t

It should be noted that there's a difference between the old-tech viscous coupling approach and the cutting edge dual-clutch sequential transmission. The old-tech viscous coupling was lossy and difficult to control. Even when you can manually tell the trans to shift (as on a 2009 Mazda5), there is a time delay in the shifting, then you wait for the hydraulic system to confer torque and finally drive the wheels/engine brake. The modern DCT that high-end cars are using is a direct mechanical connection and uses robotic shifting to do so instantaneously. Shifting is faster than a human can shift an H-gate, and the PID controls on gear selection have better programming etc. due to both the high end nature of the cars and the better systems they're being integrated into. There is a world of difference between what we colloquially term an "automatic" (slushbox torque converter) and the modern DCT.