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I am still of the mind that in general automatics score pretty close to manuals on fuel efficiency. I would chalk up the usual recored fuel advantage to the fact that most people driving manual effectively know how to drive the vehicle at least 'slightly' better than your average automatic user. That and the fact that you have more control and it is easier to keep your engine in the optimal area.

The weight difference that was stated likely won't matter much, at least not to people in my area. My vehicle generally has a total of 900 lbs in the vehicle that I am toting around... on average. On a busy day I probably got close to an extra 3/4 of a ton or so. And I still get better gas mileage than any of my fellow explorer drivers in the area. Anyways just to quote my fuel economy. Ford Explorer 2000 6 cylinder engine and on a trip to columbus and back(used a full tank of gas and went through most types of driving so I figure it is a fair approximation of 'average' gas mileage. I got an average of roughly 23-25mpg. And as I said we did a bit of each type of driving. It was about a 4 hour trip and I spent about 1 hour and 30 minutes city driving, about 1 hour on the highway, and the last roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes on country driving. My model of explorer is rated at 17-19mpg, and the manual ones I have found get about 21-22 mpg average[or so their owners tell me]. But I drive 'weird' according to my mother. Anyways, I'll admit it is a pain to drive when the dumb thing won't shift at the point I want it to... So I can end up doing 35 or so for quite a while until it finally gets the hint and shifts[which is actually the reason that manual interests me... the control is definitely a bonus].

Also I don't know where you guys drive that you have to constantly appy brakes but even in Columbus, Ohio I didn't do much as much braking as my mom said I would. I will admit that I am anything except an aggressive driver if that would affect it.

As for that article's statement that it would 'reduce' cell phone use. HAHAHAAHA. I know stick drivers who still use a cell phone while driving. In contrast I who drives an automatic will only answer/call once I find a place to pull over. It sometimes annoys passengers in my car, because I will ask the passenger to answer rather than pick it up myself. And I actually know a couple other(albeit very few in comparison to the number of automatic drivers) automatic drivers who fallow the same ruleset.
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