For me the advantage of a MT transmission is less maintenance, faster shifts and better control of the diesel engine power + torque. An automatic is more suited for congested city driving (like EDSA) and for those who find it hard to use a clutch (like my wife). An automatic also requires frequent change of the ATF for quality performance.

In the USA, about 85% of personal vehicles are automatics now. Some brands like Honda have excellent automatics, while Ford has experienced some reliability problems with their automatics. This is why i am most interested in the overall reliability of the Isuzu automatic transmissions.