No, manual was not an option on this particular trim level. But, we wanted an automatic anyway. Since we can keep two cars, I wanted one to be automatic in case of emergencies.

I don't know why we didn't consider the Forester from the beginning. I guess it was because we didn't realize that Subaru had improved their MPG so much. And that AWD makes this thing a dream to drive. It's got a better turning radius than our MINI!