The pro's and con's of the different transmissions have been hashed out several times here, so there's plenty to read from both sides of the argument.
I personally prefer the automatic transmission for my needs. I don't quite understand the talk about "greater versatility" or "more control" - the AutoStick feature works quite well if you think you need manual control over the transmission (which, it turned out for me, I normally don't), and the automatic transmission works much, much better for slowly crawling over an obstacle than continuously slipping the clutch - so there's versatility for you, too.
But in the end, it's all about how you want to use your Jeep that you've bought with your money. I can understand the fun feature of driving a stick quite well. For me, the lack of a low range and the fact I use my Patriot as a daily driver - and hence, sometimes am stuck crawling in traffic, which is something my knee does not appreciate doing with a manual transmission - made the manual transmission a poor choice. Your driving conditions may be different than mine.
I would suggest taking the CVT out for a test drive and really trying to understand the way it works, not just rejecting it because it feels different after the first two minutes of driving. Some people seem to be unable to accept the way the CVT works, others, it's more a matter of getting used to it and then it's fine. Try it out, and see under which category you belong.
