I originally thought that about the gear lever too, and thought I would have preferred one, HOWEVER….
Today my car has been in for a new antenna, I was given a Passat estate DSG as a courtesy car, it was a 71 reg and is basically a 7.5 golf interior without the digital cockpit… it felt so old fashioned after getting used to the golf 8. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with it and you’ll never miss what you’ve not had, but it did make me appreciate how things have moved on.
The thing I find most annoying on the 8 is not what’s missing from the centre, it’s what’s there…. the AC vents, I find them too low down and a little tricky to get the correct angle and the air flow seems so aggressive. I just get them set how I like them after 5 days of little tweaks, then my missus gets in on a Saturday and adjusts them