RAT 5,
Many people talk about keeping their skills tuned by hand flying. Often what they mean is follow the F.D.
My experience with the 737 Classic is that even with the FDs on, one shouldn't just follow them blindly. The FDs are sometimes slow adjusting to speed fluctuations and wot not so even with the FDs one must see past such guidance to the actual situation on the primary instruments. Just following FDs, if the 737 is anything to go by, will mean dipping below VREF+x moving off GS/LLZ guidance (how ever slightly) from time to time as well as making adjustments too severe, which would could not be regarded as the best thing to do just to keep the FDs centred.
Maybe the Airbus is pretty good in that regard?