[JonnybravoM3]

Hey everyone. Im thinking of exercising my "buy-back" deal with my Maserati dealership and replace my '05 QP (Mileage: 9000km) with an '06 thats got the upgraded transmission.

I will trade in my QP and pay the difference for the newer one as I hear that they have made some great changes on the '06 tranny in that the shifting is less wobbly, smoother and quicker...

Is this info correct? Maserati of Minneapolis maybe since ur a dealer, you can advise me.

Thanks all.. all advice welcome.

 

[M!]

johnnybravo, exactly what is your buyback deal?
if they allow a direct trade in of your entire purchased price of your 9000km used 05 QP for a new 06 QP Sport GT for the difference, then it is an absolutely stunning deal.

 

[JonnybravoM3]

johnnybravo, exactly what is your buyback deal?
if they allow a direct trade in of your entire purchased price of your 9000km used 05 QP for a new 06 QP Sport GT for the difference, then it is an absolutely stunning deal.

yes that is the deal exactly... just trade my '05 into the dealers and pay the difference...

what i wanted to know, is they tell me that the '06 has got a brand new tranny upgrade which is smoother, less wobbly when shifting, and quicker shifting.. etc.. which is why i was tempted in the 1st place... but is this info correct? because i know very well how auto dealers like to stretch the truth a little..

 

[Frankie P]

Let's make sure we're comparing apples with apples. As an enthusiast of all things Maserati, I haven't heard of any upgrades to the DuoSelect electro-hydraulic transmission, which is the driveline you have now, which is called the CambioCorsa in the coupe and spyder models. However, there has been talk that Maserati will introduce a traditional automatic transmission in the QP. Whether that becomes optional, or the only transmission available, remains to be seen, as does when it will be available. Thus, you may wish to inquire with your dealer and elsewhere whether in describing this improved transmission they are talking about a software upgrade to the DuoSelect electro-hydraulic transmission you have now, or the upcoming traditional automatic.

As an aside, being more sport oriented, I have always eschewed automatic transmissions. In addition, we in the sporting community always knew our manual transmissions were faster than an automatic in the same car. NO LONGER TRUE. Check out the stats for the new Porsche Turbo. The automatic is FASTER than the manual shift, and as far as I can tell, it's just an evolution of their standard automatic with the TipTronic feature. It is not an electrohydraulic system such as ours and BMW's, nor is it the dual clutch system used in some Audis. While Porsche has talked about licensing the dual clutch system (probably the "Transmission of the Future,") the new Turbo does not yet have it. With the increasing number of gears and electronics to shift it fast, the automatics for sure are closing the performance gap as compared to manuals. FYI.

 

[M!]

on the contrary, the official maserati site and its press releases says this on the Sport GT:
"From an engineering point of view, the gearbox has been given the most radical overhaul; the Sport button allows the driver to signi?cantly cut gear changing times (which are now 35% faster on average), thanks to a development in the electro-hydraulic transmission system’s CPU."

on the autoweek article it says no mechanical change but only electronic change.
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060410/FREE/60403020&SearchID=73243646873423
"The same six-speed DuoSelect transaxle operated via steering column-mounted paddle shifters remains, though the electronics running it now make the gear changes quicker than before. "

nothing is said about the regular QP.

 

[willie]

Guys,

They upgraded the hardware on the mini computer that controls the transmission.

a faster processor can compute multiple calculations in a shorter time, by that the software is able to adapt quicker and make the appropriate changes in timing and response.

it is really very simple, the faster the brain the more changes it can control/adapt/initiate.


i think it is a good idea to go for the new model, think of it as a new laptop with a new pentium chip vs. last year model.
-willie

 

[JonnybravoM3]

wow! some brilliant replies. thanks for all your helpful words! I think I will go for the upgrade and take on the Sport GT (as my QP is the regular '05 model purchased before they divided the range in 2 parts: ExecutiveGT and SportGT). I believe that the Sport GT tranny is the one they were on about with the 35-odd% improvement in shifting,etc...

thanks again all

 

[maserati of minneapolis]

There are no changes in the base QP 05-06 in transmission. The change is from base to Sport GT, and for anyone that wants a SPORTS CAR that just happens to have four doors, that is the car for you. The transmission is about 35% faster, but still slightly subdued compared to the GranSport. I'll keep the rest of my comments on the car to its dedicated thread. But keep in mind, along with the transmission you get 20" wheels, and re-tuned suspension. The car drives flatter than a 911, and that isn't an exaggeration.

- Mark

 

[Toffe]

Mark - this has been asked many times in different threads, but is there a mechanical difference in the DuoSelect Sport compared with the Exec or 2004/2005 DuoSelect? Apart from market segmentation, is there a reason why a non-Sport QP couldn't be upgraded in software to have this "35% faster shifts" version? thanks,

- Toffe

 

[maserati of minneapolis]

To be honest, I'm not sure.

The software setup necessary to make the full change cannot be done by a dealer.

The installed software and editable parameters are far more subtle than the factory upgrades to the Sport GT.

Now as to whether there is an actual mechanical difference - nothing external that I am aware of.

Assuming the electrohydraulic system has the extra capacity for 35% speed increase, this would mean more that it has been detuned for the standard QP shifts. If the system in the base QP is tuned to its highest efficiency it would make sense to make mechanical upgrades to match the software reprograms - like putting a short shift kit in a standard transmission.

All speculation aside, the Sport GT's gearbox is setup how it should have been from the start for sport mode, and I personally wish these set-ups were more user or at least dealer-editable.

- Mark