of course now alot of times the car might have a 5 or 6 speed manual and maybe a 5 or 6 speed auto as well. but where as a honda doesnt really have any torque anyways, that wide spread 4 speed auto that lets the revs drop way too much into the next gear, thats also a huge problem. even if the hondas auto could shift as fast as a human and stole the same amount of power as the manual, the auto would still be slower.
Downhill, uphill, tailwind, into the wind, full tank of gas, 1/4 tank of gas, fully gutted, passengers, new tires, bald tires, slipping trans, ****ty driver ----- all kinda makes a difference.