"Very similarly" ? The M starts out at 1X, if a magnified view is wanted, press the front button, toggle the rear dial to 5X or 10X, manipulate focus, 1/2 press the shutter release button to check composition, press front button again for a magnified view to adjust focus... repeat and rinse and needed. Nothing too automatic about that.
The user experience is further complicated by Leica's choice of button placement. While while the M with the right hand, the index finger needs to push the front button and thumb needs to rotate the rear dial. Those two finger are pretty important for the gripping business, so pulling double duty with button pushing isn't the smartest implementation - especially with the front button being difficult to access.
Inherently, holding the M with a telephoto SLR attached is not easy; the Multi-Function grip may help in that particular regard. However, how Leica implemented live view and placed buttons make the process harder than it need be. If working on a tripod and the desired focus is something like a F8 landscape, this is all do-able. Anything beyond that, this is not a realistic R solution.