Oddly, mine seems just as responsive in D as it does in M. Perhaps because I seldom use D the PCM has learned to emulate the way I drive in M....I'm not sure. Bottom line is the car is surprisingly spirited in D, down-shifting at light throttle inputs and holding gears longer than I had expected.

There should be no acceleration advantage in M over D. Actually, in real-world driving you'll often be slower in M because you're more likely to bounce off the rev limiter. D will run right up there and shift without the loss of power that you get on the bounce. A drag racer on another forum stated that his best 1/4 mile times were in D with the T/C on.