HP is HP. The engine is the only determining factor on how much horse power you get or have. The manual transmission will give you more seat of the pants feel of power because of the lower gears due to having 5 gears instead of 3 (or 4 if overdrive). It will depend on you if you want manual or auto. I prefer manual over auto on a car I want to feel performance from, but auto on my truck. It is all on preference and how much money you have.