"I love the Automatic gearbox!!"

DeaneG said:

I've been driving my GS spyder CC in daily commute traffic for about 6 months. It works fine, although clearly a little out of its element in stop-and-go compared to an automatic or even a manual.

Just drove my boss' new AM V8 roadster with the newest Graziano (same as Maserati CC) gearbox. The behavior off the line is much improved over the Maser, more or less like you would achieve with a manual transmission (traffic light starts can be done at 1000rpm rather than 1200-1500 rpm slippage). Also, it doesn't boop-whoom-lurch through each gear 5-4-3-2-1 as you decelerate to a stop from 50mph.

The body is of course much stiffer than my GS Spyder, no shake at all. But it is not as involving to drive.

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ram77 said:

Auto is for chicks and girliemen.
__________________
2007 Quattroporte GT
2005 M/B Sl500
1999 VW New Beetle GLX

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xs10shl said:

I have a QP Auto with paddles. I think the biggest reason why you don't hear too much about it is that it's only been on sale in the states for a little while.

I'm not in love with it, but for my use, which involves a ton of stopping and starting in extremely heavy traffic, it's the only viable option. It changes gear fast enough for commuting, and works pretty well in manu-matic mode, which is my preferred way of driving it.

The biggest issue I've found from a mechanical standpoint is that the 430 derived engine is really not ideal for such a heavy car, but it does work.

Latest data from my local Ferrari dealer is that they're selling 9 Auto-boxes for every 10 cars, so I suspect you'll be hearing more comments as these cars are delivered to their new owners.

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