I like my MT just fine. We were thinking about the CVT because my wife doesn't like driving manual, but 95% of the time she drives her own car.
I have no regrets. The manual was cheaper and I trust manual transmissions to be more reliable and to be cheaper to fix if/when they break. I also relish the feeling of control the manual gives. The Impreza is not a sports car but it is still fun to drive with a stick.
I do agree that the MT in the Impreza is a little bit "vague" in that it's not as obvious when the clutch is starting to catch as in some other cars. But I got used to it after a couple of days.