I agree with pretty much everything said. Having grown up on automatics, I was always interested in manuals and have owned many. Also being a biker, choosing the right gear for the situation is second nature. The biggest hassle were hill starts but that is resolved on the CX5. I don't understand the argument about having to work the clutch in traffic. I find it's easier to maintain a constant pace with a manual. Automatics will gradually increase speed when idling at a roll. Even in my Suburban I manually hold gears so I'm not constantly on the brake.
Another argument for a manual is the chance for less distractions. It's hard to talk on the phone, eat a sandwich and shift while going around a corner. Not impossible but you gotta pay attention. I also believe that it's safer driving in snow in a manual. You can easily downshift and spin the tires without getting crazy. I do this to find out how slippery it is out and adjust for the conditions. You can't easily do this with AWD either.
My last argument for preferring a manual is I tend to keep my cars for 100+k miles. My goal for the CX5 is 200k, I'm at 61k now. The complexity of automatics (twin-clutches, CVT, 8 speeds) is much greater now. If I lost a transmission, the replacement cost would come close to the value of the whole car. A manual, while using better materials is still very similiar to older designs and can be rebuilt at a more reasonable cost. But I've never had to even replace a clutch.
On the conversation of the 2.0 vs 2.5. I haven't driven the 2.5. I did test drive a 2.0 auto awd since the dealer didn't have a manual on hand. It was a dog and very appliance feeling. I was uninspired. With my cx5, I do have it floored more often than previous and current cars, (Suburban, Mazda6s, Corolla, Volvo v70) but I have plenty of power for normal conditions. I do have to wind it out and plan for a pass on the highway but I save a lot of money on gas compared to the other cars (except Corolla, they're about the same).
Aren't car conversations fun?
