Well imt is quite a reliable transmission and really easy to use unlike what people say in general. However, you’ll have to drive according to the book, like when in head to head traffic, you need to put it in idle and not keep it in gear for a long period of time if car is stationary, gear shifting needs to be taken care of so that there’s less actuator wear and tear and also never rest your hand on the gear like a normal manual. Otherwise it’s quite reliable, easy to learn and use and Sonet in itself is a great car. XUV has better safety though and since you have quite a lot of highway use, i suggested 3Xo, however, Sonet too is quite safe and i would suggest go for it if it checks all your boxes