MC Shift vs MC Auto Shift

BuckRog64 said:

I know the MC Shift vs Auto on the GTS has been done to death but does anyone have experience of trying both the MC Shift and the MC Auto Shift back to back?

I've just test driven an MC Shift and, as someone who prefers a manual box, really liked the way the car makes you drive it in manual sport mode. Felt like I was in control in same way as a manual and the blips on downshifts was a fun bonus. Don't think I would want to drive the car in auto mode though.

I've also tried a 4.7 Auto with sport pack, which I believe has the same box as the facelift MC Auto Shift, but at the time it still felt like an auto with option of overriding computer controlled change points. However, the test drive was a few months ago, quite short, and I didn't get to play with the gearbox in manual sport mode much. Wonder what conclusions others came to. I like the idea of having a box to play with and option to just put in "proper" auto if feeling lazy, but not if the manual mode is too much of a compromised driving experience compared to the MC Shift. Obviously not having cost of clutch change is a bonus and I guess a 4.7 auto with sport pack would be a few grand cheaper to buy than an MC Shift.

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Ewan said:

The later, facelift auto GT-S cars with the MC auto-shift software are much better (more responsive) than the earlier original 4.7 GT-S Autos. I have that earlier gearbox and system in my 2008 QP GTS and it is chalk and cheese (even when using the paddles) compared to the MC-Shift of my 2011 GT-S. Don't be thinking that the gearbox set-up and drive of a pre-facelift auto is the same as the later cars - it's not.

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bigbob said:

Was the QP a 4.2? If so then the auto box set up is completely different to the 4.7 in manual mode with the 4.7 having much more manual control.

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Ewan said:

Agreed. The additional point I was making is for the OP not to mistakenly think that the MC Auto Shift set up of the later GT Sport cars as being the same as the auto set-up on the early 4.7 GT-S Auto cars. The auto system on the later cars makes a far better fist of being a manual when in manual mode.

If you compare driving a (for example) 2010 year MC-Shift with an equivalent 2010 Auto but in manual mode, there is a big difference. But if you compare that same 2010 MC-Shift with a much newer, facelift, GT-Sport MC Auto Shift (in manual mode), the difference is far less.

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Ewan said:

Agreed. The additional point I was making is for the OP not to mistakenly think that the MC Auto Shift set up of the later GT Sport cars as being the same as the auto set-up on the early 4.7 GT-S Auto cars. The auto system on the later cars makes a far better fist of being a manual when in manual mode.

If you compare driving a (for example) 2010 year MC-Shift with an equivalent 2010 Auto but in manual mode, there is a big difference. But if you compare that same 2010 MC-Shift with a much newer, facelift, GT-Sport MC Auto Shift (in manual mode), the difference is far less.

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JonW said:

Ewan - that's really interesting for me. Do you know if the changes to the auto gearbox only apply to the facelift cars, or do they apply to any auto that has the MC Auto Shift? For example, mines a 2012 pre-facelift, but it has the Sports pack which brings with it the MC Auto Shift gearbox...

Pete - depending on where you're based, I'd be happy to see if we can arrange a time when you can come and have a drive of mine, and see for yourself what the driving experience is like when you're really trying to drive it hard in Sports and Manual

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BuckRog64 said:

Thanks very much for the swift and helpful replies gents. The Maserati will mostly be the weekend car but will find itself on the M25 in a jam on occasion.

Jon, like you, I was under the impression that the 4.7 Auto with the Sport pack had the same box as the facelift MC Auto Shift. Thank you very much for your kind offer. I'm just south of Tunbridge Wells in E Sussex.

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bigbob said:

I think Jon's assumption is correct but the sports pack was only available as an option for about a year so a rare car. Also you could get the bodykit option that is part of it for longer so there is the chance that a car is advertised as having a sports pack when it only has part of it and not the gearbox bits.

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JonW said:

Pete - I've done this, and I own a 2012 Auto with the Sports pack that includes the MC Auto Shift software.

My view is my car, when in Sports and Manual mode gives me at least 95% of the experience of driving a MC Shift. The gear changes are as quick, the feeling of being able to really push it is there, and the blips on downshift, and the crackle on the overrun, are all there...

It also gives me the option of being a pure Auto and being able to just jump in and drive it without thinking if I can't be bothered, and it means I don't have to worry about clutch percentages or getting stuck in traffic jams on the M25 for example..

I'm sure many will say it has to be a proper MC Shift to get the best driving experience, but I found the difference to be so marginal it wasn't worth the downsides of a robotised manual, given what I use my car for...

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murph7355 said:

+1

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Ewan said:

The auto may not give the 100 millisecond shift time that you get with the MC-Shift (when warmed up, in sport mode, above 5500rpm and with the additional 10bhp) but it has advantages all of its own. Mine was bought purely as a weekend, country lane toy, so for me it had to be an MC-Shift or Strad, but I can see why for most people, especially those using it to commute, the auto could be more convenient.

Also, for a car of the same year, spec and mileage, the auto is a few £k cheaper to buy as well as to run (no clutch).

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