ya you're right, manuals dont save on gas because they have the extra gear (or two) its because you can feel the shift... if you drive like a sane human being your car will shift low as it is, but obviously if you floor it at every stoplight the car in gunna redline or get pretty close

plus you are already saving gas because you dont have a turbo and you have the luxury of using 89 oct. instead of 93+