I didn't even know Toyota had hill start assist until after I got rid of the Matrix and Prius.

Nah its a traditional auto, CVTS are even worse, hate the things, don't care how clever or efficient they are, they ruin cars full stop! The one in her new car is also a conventional auto but with optional flappy paddle gear shifters too.

I've just driven back from Cardiff in a brand new Audi with a DSG box, that wasn't a nice experience either, I'm really struggling to see why these gearboxes are becoming popular other than high traffic situations or medical reasons, but each to thier own I guess...

I love traditional hydraulic automatic transmissions. I started with a Carlton, back in 1990, then a Cavalier, then the Volvo S40. 25 years in all, before going back to a manual. The Vauxhalls had a Sport button, which I seldom used. I would have loved to have used it all the time but it drank petrol in that format. I was not averse to using the gear lever when circumstances required it, but most of the time I just left it in Drive. But no doubt about it, in a slow moving queue of traffic (often a couple of miles to cross the Forth bridges), an automatic is worth its weight in gold.

& a CVT is even better in stop & go traffic.... also, works well on mountain passes with a wide variety of slopes. As my CVT aged, I said I don't want big bills if & when the CVT quit. As you did, I went back to two manuals...an Hyundai Accent & an Elantra.

I tried a Honda Jazz CVT and I found it too "busy" for my liking. It was only a test drive, so things may have got better with experience. I like the old style hydraulic transmission, with a torque converter. The two GM motors I owned had that set up, as did my Volvo. I did over 250,000 miles with no issues, and the two GM cars had over 100,000 miles on the clock when I acquired them.

That's hilarious! My aunt in Austria told me once that automatics are for "old and disabled people". Yeah, she's a blunt one.

I've found that it's most often helpful to stay in the highest gear possible.