maserati in auto mode

She will definitely notice a difference -- mine certainly did, and never grew accustomed to it. Not trying to downplay the CC / AutoMode feature, but it's just the nature of the beast by design. Paddle shifting was better in my opinion as you can feather the throttle during the shifts to make it much smoother.

I'd recommend a testdrive just to get a personal feel.

 

It's a full manual transmission w/ an electronically controlled clutch. No torque converter is present, thus you will feel the "jerkiness" of a manual when it shifts.

 

I think that the new Quattroporte has a "fully automatic" mode, so you can in fact just treat the car as you would a regular automatic. This was not the case with the CC that came with the Coupe and Spyder, though it is possible that the CC has been updated to the QP version in the 2005+s. Check this out at a dealership.

In the 2002-4 (at least) cars, even when leaving the CC in "auto" mode, I think you have to paddle it into gear from each full stop, when it downshifts itself into neutral. And that downshifting is a pain in the neck, literally, because it's jerk, jerk, jerk, jerk, jerk, jerk. Most CC drivers soon get into the habit of double-paddling the thing into neutral the moment they know they will be coming to a full stop, then coast to it with the brakes only.

Another incidental: The paddles do not move with the steering wheel. So if you're zooming around mountain curves, when you would think the paddles would really be useful, you often have to take one or both hands off the wheel to get to the appropriate up/down paddle.

With these powerful Ferrari/Maserati engines, one might like to skip gears for smooth, routine driving. Can't do that with a paddle system, although you can double-blip it fast. It will still go through each gear.

I can see why paddles are a good thing for F1 cars, but for road cars my guess is that they will be a passing fad. A really good tiptronic automatic is much better to live with.

 

I'd suggest that as the sequential shifters move to dual clutch units like Audi and the upcoming PDK unit....from Porsche...

The torque convertor automatic in sports sedans will no longer be needed..

Till then? Its hard to say although BMW SMG III is supposed to be pretty impressive.

 

Apparently the QP will be moving to full automatic next year. And use a Fiat motor i believe.