Driving flat roads i feel no need to take off in first. I take off in second usually in my auto. So we only really need 4 gears right. But its good to have 6 because different drivers have different needs. City drivers might not get to sixth gear. Maybe they do 2,3,5.
The auto can't really be compared. You won't like taking off in 2nd in a manual Sonic.
That said, I rarely use 5th. I most often go 4-6 and back down the same way. There ARE a few instances where I do use 5th. There is a very long highway on ramp, that splits off a 55 mph service road. The highway is posted at 70, and I don't twiddle my thumbs before merging - I punch it, find a gap and get in, rather than try to make someone else accommodate me. In this case, I always use 5th, which places me in a good sweet spot when accelerating at around 70 mph.
There are a few situations like this.
Bottom line is, if the Sonic had a 5-speed with 5th being today's sixth and other ratios being the same, people would complain about too big of a gap in ratios. Guaranteed.
