Didn't buy; awkward shifting?

[drmitch]

Hey all

Well, I did not get the Yaris hatch this weekend. I test drove the red 5 spd and once again was struck by how awkward the shifting is, compared to the Miata. It's not that the shifter itself isn't good; it's just that the reach is odd, especially into 2nd gear. I suppose one could get used to it but...does anyone else find the shifting awkward? In the hour stop-and-go daily commute home, that could get old fast. For that reason, I'm reconsidering the A/T but...not sure. A local dealer had the A/T for $11,988 this past weekend but I didn't know about it until this a.m.

I'm also considering the Smart ForTwo...I'd love to have a back seat after 7 yrs in the Miata but...the Smart has such a fun, unique look and the word is it's going to achieve close to 50 mpg fwy, 40 city...official numbers are 40 fwy but general consensus is it'll do better than that.

Thoughts?