The main thing to note is the difference between Auto and Semi-auto. My car is a VW with DSG automatic, and with the radio turned up and the rev counter covered you do not feel the gear change. Apparently it's sub 0.2s per change. Our motorhome is a Fiat comfortmatic so semi-auto. This means it depresses clutch and auto moves the gear lever. So the gear change is leisurely at best. Whilst it may only be a couple of seconds, feels like an age compared to the car.
The result of this is that the driving styles need to be changed to suit the gearbox. To increase speed in the car you just depress the clutch as quick as you feel and off it goes. In the van it all has to be much gentler. If you floor the pedal the comfortmatic will change down 2 gears, going into the intermediate gear, the net result is that flooring the pedal will reduce the speed of the motorhome followed by an uncomfortable jerk as it re-engages the clutch. A gentle push on the pedal till it changes down one gear gives smooth acceleration. Similarly, if the revs are a bit high, lifting your foot right off the pedal will generally cause it to change up.
Personally, love automatics and think all vehicles should be auto. Very few people can beat a VW DSG auto off the line when using launch control! just don't mention the emissions.
