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I've noticed this with hyundais as well.
Lock up torque converters have been around a long time, so i don't think it's an efficiency thing. Instead, I suspect that some clever marketer decided it would be a good idea to make slushboxes look more appealing so folks would buy them over manuals.
I have an '09 Sonata 5 speed and one thing that annoys me is the rather short 5th gear. I can drive it at light throttle on flat ground at 30 mph. Anything over 40 and it will pull moderate hills. In other words, it would do perfectly fine in 5th gear at highway speeds with 500 rpm knocked off.
Nothing is more annoying than finding yourself reaching for another gear at 50 mph....and there ain't one.
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