Don't know how anyone could say an automatic is better.
I drive a manual, and in the snow, it's much better to have a manual, instead of an automatic, because pulling power away from the engine is better than braking.
No automatic I've driven can shift at the appropriate time either. My truck takes forever to shift with the slightest slope, which surely wastes gas, and if I need power, I can control that.
Perhaps things have changed but it used to be cheaper to have a manual, plus it saved gas better.