To Shift or Not to Shift
02/18/2003
Unanimity of opinion is rare among automotive critics. So I found it especially unusual when just about all the respected automotive writers panned the Cambiocorsa gearbox offered in the new Maserati Coupe. While they all agreed that it was excellent at the track and great fun when ripping canyon roads, they felt, for an automatic, it was noisy and rough in traffic. Most of them observed that smooth automatic shifts can be achieved with practice, but that such a degree of driver involvement was not acceptable for the paddle-shift system. I disagree.There are many fine automobiles requiring skills that might be of limited use when driving a Mercedes or a Lexus. This is what makes them sporting cars, not two-door sedans. The Maserati GT Coupes and other sporting counterparts are purchased because they are involving, out-of-the-ordinary automobiles, and they don’t cater to just any motorist. We commonly refer to these as “driver’s cars.”
The optional Cambiocorsa gearbox—pioneered by Ferrari and currently installed in the 575M and F360—replaces the Maserati Coupe’s traditional gear lever and clutch pedal with F/1-style shifting paddles mounted on the steering column. A standard 6-speed manual rear-mounted transaxle coupled to a computer-controlled clutch and electrohydraulic sequential gearchange system (where gears are accessed in sequential order only) provides either fully automatic operation or the lightning-quick manual paddle shifts, Ferrari F/1-style. While many complain that the Cambiocorsa transmission makes seamless part-throttle shifting virtually impossible, this is not necessarily the case. In a very short time, smooth automated or manual shifts can become second nature to the Maserati driver, if he realizes that it is not the clutch that makes a smooth gearshift: It is the throttle.
A driver must also understand that the Cambiocorsa is not an automatic transmission that can be manually shifted. It is a manual transmission that may be automatically shifted. It was designed from the outset for quick, accurate shifts—not as a vacation for the driver’s clutch foot.
The automatic nature of the system is quite unlike that of any of the “manumatic” automatic transmissions with a manual gearchange option. Accelerating the Maserati from rest is smooth, but there is the sound of the engine and clutch working together as though an enthusiastic and skillful poltergeist were working the controls for you down in the tunnel. Shifts, both automatic and manual, are quick and abrupt at first. With experience, drivers will quickly begin to understand this unusual transmission, and in the automatic mode will be able to smooth and prompt shifts with a slight lift of the throttle. This small amount of driver involvement—even in the automatic mode—is what the Maserati is all about. It involves the driver, just as a Porsche or Ferrari does, rewarding smooth driving technique with smooth operation.
Manual shifts are accomplished through the use of steering column– mounted paddles actuated by a flick of the fingertip. Flick the right paddle, and a higher gear is selected. Flick the left, and an expertly executed downshift is accomplished. Pull both paddles back, and neutral is selected. Indication of the selected gear is displayed in the center of the instrument cluster.
Column-mounted paddles are better than buttons mounted on the steering wheel spokes (as with Porsche’s Tiptronic), since drivers should always have their hands at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock, even when cornering. This puts the transmission controls handily within reach. In the manual mode, shifts are lightning quick and not unlike those of an F/1 racecar if the throttle is held to the floor. For a smoother part-throttle, in-town, or automatic shift, the Maserati invites your involvement. With a little throttle modulation, these quick shifts can also be smoothed to invisibility. If executing a part-throttle shift, for example, the throttle has to be feathered during the shift so that engagement occurs at the specific rpm necessary for the chosen gear and road speed. Even though there is a computer-controlled clutch, expert shifting skill is still rewarded for those who understand throttles and gear levers. Downshifts, both manual and automatic, are computer synchronized with the throttle and clutch, and with each drop in gearing, the throttle blips, just like Schumacher’s F/1 car. Heel/toe technique while braking into a slow corner is still rewarded as the driver flicks the gear paddle, and the computer matches revs and clutch to the driver’s input. Here, control is not lost, but enhanced.
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Driving the Cambiocorsa smoothly is no more difficult than figuring out how much throttle it takes to operate any high-performance automatic car, and far easier than learning how to tune the radio on BMW’s new 7 series. True, Cambiocorsa may be an acquired taste, but it enhances the enjoyment of the car once it is understood. It is the ideal transmission: automatic when in heavy traffic, quick shifting and rewarding to operate for pleasure driving. Of course, purists can still specify the standard 6-speed manual, and shift for themselves all the time. But they shouldn’t dismiss out of hand the potential satisfaction of mastering the Cambiocorsa. (Click image to enlarge)Thanks to Irwin Glanzl at The Auto Gallery, Woodland Hills, Calif., for the generous loan of the Maserati GT.