I use engine braking as well when I can, flick the paddle down a gear
, I too have been driving for 30 years. This though is my first auto, after all manuals, apart from hire cars. I still don't like autos, no fun, but then driving in the South East is no fun anyway. Sad to say in this day and age, it's all about making it easier getting from A to B for me. Now if I lived further north, and could enjoy the peaks or lake district for some spirited driving, then that would be different.
I deliberately specced a car, I left an outdated A3 for the A4 to enjoy some new tech. Yes it's about emissions, is that a bad thing? The environment is in a crap state already. I'm not a tree hugger by any means, in fact I work in the oil and gas industry, but anything we can do now to improve the future, we should be. Currently working in Saudi, emissions checks don't exist, clouds of diesel smoke everywhere, and it is bad, almost makes breathing the UK air worth it.
I reckon we should all just enjoy driving the car, when we can, using whatever tech we chose to use. I've got matrix lights, hopefully when I get home I am confident enough in the tech to leave them on, and let them work their magic.
At least the OP knows his car is faulty