[PaleMelanesian]

You'll find many here who agree. Even a stupidly short geared manual can do better mileage than an automatic with only minimal effort.

One exception: Prius. It's not a normal auto, though. It's something entirely different. The hybrid system IS the transmission. All that's in there is one engine, two electric motors and a couple planetary gears. They give and take power as needed, store the excess for later, add extra power as needed, and run the engine at optimal efficiency all the time. It's almost magical how well it works.