Guys, I intended to have the discussion comparing an Altis MT with a Civic MT purely from a philosophical point of view. I am a proud owner of a Toyota, a Honda and (in the past) a Suzuki. I like to call a spade a spade.
Frankly, like @saadleo, @airomerix have already pointed out, the Civic is a very driver-centric car -- it's like having your own personal Cessna. It is a pure driving pleasure, from the futuristic design of the cockpit to the double-wishbone suspension on the rear wheels. And of course, there is the sportier-on-demand i-VTEC engine, but I won't go into that right now. The DBW in a Civic has a much shorter lag (in my opinion) when compared to the electronic throttle of an Altis. Similarly, an Altis has its own set of advantages over a Civic which people have debated in this thread and others (e.g. softer/more comfortable rear suspension, and less cramped back seat among others). And according to @mani1, an Altis Cruisetronic is more fuel efficient than a Civic PT (by 2 or so km/l).
But what interests me personally is: how does an Altis MT fare when compared to a Civic MT in terms of fuel consumption?