I agree. The fact that it was quicker, as well as the added challenge of it was what drew me in. Once I finally got used to it I was having more fun.. I went around to all my old records just to try to beat them. I dont know if its just me but it also seemed like it helped me out with braking, maybe it was just in my head. Also, I only use a game pad, so with that in mind it made it feel more immersive to me as I can relate it, somewhat, to actually driving a car with manual transmission.And it's actually kind of fun, once you get used to it.
^^^ Because it's quicker. It took some time to adjust to it, but I have no problem up or downshifting.
Swap clutch with handbrake in the controller settings.
A+B or A+X is very easy to accomplish. Just make sure to blip the throttle on those downshifts.