Hi Tom,

Is hybrid the future? That depends on how far away you reckon the future us. Ultimately, cars are going to have to become entirely electric, but that's a process that could take decades. In the meantime, the likes of a Prius, Yaris, Auris, or C-HR hybrid is a pretty good way to get started on the electric car ladder. They're smooth to drive, very refined at low speed and terrific in town. Older models tend to be noisy and thirsty on motorway runs but newer versions have sorted that issue. 

As for automatics being better than manuals, in a word; yes, they are. They're more efficient (the newer ones are, anyway) and are often better at keeping an engine in good shape because they change gear when they need to. The downsides are extra maintenance and complexity, and the loss of that physical connection with the driving process.