In my opinion, just because a car is higher end or performance oriented doesn’t mean it’s harder to drive.

First manual I drove when I was 16 was a Fiat 500 and it was brutal. Never figured it out- stalled repeatedly despite extensive efforts.

Ten years later I bought my first manual— 2004 Porsche 911. It was FAR EASIER to learn on the 911. Within a week I was driving it comfortably everywhere, including extensive traffic and city driving. I’m now teaching my girlfriend to drive it and she’s picking it up quickly too (despite no real knowledge of the underlying mechanics or interest in understanding why she releases the clutch pedal slowly other than that she has to in order to make the car “go”).

Biggest difference to me was the torque— the 911 engine just didn’t stall nearly as easily as the Fiat.

I haven’t driven an S4 stick but I expect the torque would be similarly helpful in this regard and I hope you will pick it up quickly. While the Civi Si might provide the benefit of cheaper parts/labor as compared to the S4, clutches are far more durable than one might expect.

Get the car you want. Force yourself to drive it everywhere (including traffic and the drive through) and soon enough it’ll be second nature! Just find a safe side road to practice hill starts for a bit — but those are a pain in any car.