I tried both before purchase and liked them both. However, if you have to reverse park into a tight space every day, you may have issues with the MC Shift - it is doable but very jerky and takes a bit more time and effort. This may not be an issue for you but is for me...
The gearbox software in the 4.7 Auto is very different to the 4.2 Auto. In sports mode manual, I cannot imagine needing a faster shift unless I was on the track (again this may be a factor for you). Personally I tend to drive in sports mode in manual (normally) or auto (if in traffic).
EXACTLY that! Well described rd993. 'MC Auto Shift' completely transforms the car, c/w the base 4.2 Auto.
It now includes the following:-
'
MC Start Strategy' (aka launch control) - active when in Auto-Sport mode with MSP (traction control) off.
'
The Gear keeper' - active when in Manual-Sport mode, meaning the car stays in gear
even when reaching Red Line! This is great, as it encourage you to change gear yourself, in the same way that a Manual gearbox does. This gave me back the driver-car interaction I was missing when I had my base GT. Yes it's not as rewarding as a heeling and toeing in a traditional manual transmission (with a pedal clutch), but it allows you to engage with the car more. In the base GT I used to take it to Red Line and it would just change for you, so you go what's the point in the paddles then?!?
RPM indicator - A digital display right in the centre of the instrument panel, just above where it says what gear you're in. On the very latest versions it now includes an up-shift indicator (tiny little green arrow) to signal when it is recommended to change up a gear if you wanted to drive economically. You can ofc choose to ignore that if you like LOL.
Down-shift double declutch - In both Sport modes (Manual or Auto) the transmission perform double de-clutch down shifts resulting in faster gear changes.
Cars with the MC Auto Shift transmission also get the longer
'Maserati Active Shifting' 'Trofeo design' gear-shift paddles as standard, which really made a massive difference to me as well. As when I was going round a bend in my old base GT, I couldn't change gear as my fingers would not be able to reach the short paddles (which are fixed to the steering column, and hence don't rotate with the steering wheel.).
The new Auto really does transform the car. It gives you the best of both worlds - smooth gear changes like a traditional Auto and faster changes like an sequential automated manual gearbox. Although it's different technology, in reality the net result is it 'behaves' similarly to a dual clutch gearbox. I've driven Porsche's latest gen PDK and BMW's latest gen DCT, and the MC Auto Shift responds and behaves in a similar manner (albeit just uses a different method to get there).
But as others have said. Best thing to do is test drive them and see what
you prefer. Hope that helps.
T