No, gargarny is right. Using Tools>Import folder you used to be able to make a list of various individual folders to import before hitting the Import button, now you have to do them one by one.. I miss this feature too.
Actually, in MC11.1 it was File > Library > Import Media...
However, the Auto-Import tool has been designed to offer similar functionality. You can add the same folders to the Auto-Importer and let it run in the background or start it manually when preferred.
If you want to control when it runs just untick the "Run auto-import in background" option. Tools > Run Auto-Import Now will run the import process similarly like the old importing system did.
The Import Folder tool has been preserved as an easy tool for one-time importing from one location. Though, this tool has an option for adding the used folder to Auto-Importer's folder list.