[Isaac Zachary]

My 2 pennies:

• CVT is possibly the best, at least in theory. But many gears may make it too close to tell.
• For a manual and automatic to be comparable, the manual needs one more gear since it doesn't have a torque converter that multiplies torque acting as a lower 1st gear when taking off from a stop. But today it's far more prevalent to see manuals with fewer gears than automatics. Anyone else want an 11 speed manual in their minivan? (I do).
• Computers have come a long way, but a very knowledgeable and conscientious driver with a manual should be able to match or even possibly exceed the efficiency of a modern day automatic. This is because an automatic tries to be as economical as possible yet give the drive the performance it think he's looking for. Sadly, the best engine efficiencies tend to be right at the point automatics start downshifting thinking you want more power when all you want to do is slowly accelerate with about 90% throttle and low RPMs, hence why you may be able to beat an automatic with a manual.