There's a really, really big chasm between steptronic and what you'd find in F1. Steptronic is essentially an automatic tranny in which the user can control the shift points - that's all, and nothing more. It's something of a gimmick, though not entirely without merit for some or in certain situations. But make no mistake, nothing like it is used in any form of racing - at least not that I'm aware of. Manual shifts can be made *much* more quickly and precicely. SMG and systems like it are much more like F1 in that they have physical clutches which are controlled via a combination of electronics and hydraulics. Over the past few years, however, F1 has even moved beyond these systems to develop dual clutch setups.

So for those who want to bother with shifting in an SUV, a manual transmission offers much more precision, quickness, control, and direct feel than steptronic ever can.