Looking for a 4200

[mjheathcote]

Having a DSG Vw currently (OK coupled to a soot chucker), you never feel like driving it in manual, auto all the time.
As said, you drive the cambiocorsa just like you would a normal manual but use the paddle change instead. You still 'drive it' and rarely does it overrule, unless you are lazy coming to a stop.

 

[wifedrivestheclio]

I was also puzzled by the comments on the suspension. I think the skyhook in the GS is a great system. I’ve never looked back to the 996 with M030 I had before.

 

[GeoffCapes]

I think the comments are from someone who didn't quite have the car long enough to 'get it'.

The Cambiocorsa is a robotised manual. It's the nearest you get to having a manual without having a gearstick.
All others are fancy autos.

 

[safrane]

My thoughts on the CC box and why it is criticised.

When you are a passenger in a manual car you feel the changes far more than the driver because unless you are looking at the drivers feet you are not braced for the change.

The driver is controlling the gear and clutch engagement and knows when the bite will take, and as they are using their legs and feet are already bodily braced for the forward and back as momentum ebs and flows.

 

[CatmanV2]

Exactly my feeling, Peter.

C

 

[Contigo]

Baffling really but it takes all sorts.

I've driven the Evora and how it can be something to aspire to after a GS I just don't know. Each to their own.

 

[sparkplug155]

I'm obviously easily pleased as I think the CC gearbox is very good and certainly seems quick enough to me.

Certainly much faster than me with the manual Alfa 75's with the rear transaxle

 

[hashluck]

It changes gear a **** bit quicker than I could!

 

[rockits]

I agree with most here that the CC box is a great gearbox & don't get the criticisms or issues with it. It is a strong & robust box with lightning fast changes at full tilt in Sport. It is not an auto so why should it drive like one. It is a manual.

If you drive a conventional manual with a 3rd pedal & a stick badly it will not be smooth. Why would the CC be any different? Don't understand it.

The same with the SMG box in an E60 M5. I had no issue with it & though it was a great box. Only issue was a lack of hill start assist which made pulling out of an uphill turning or parking on a slope trickier. The CC is better in this regard as has hill start assist.

Some people want their cake and to eat it with a gearbox that is a great paddle shift manual one minute and then a super smooth auto the next. Just have an auto that is a great auto or a manual that is a great a manual. Any box that tries to be both often falls short in either case and ends up sitting in between.

I hated the S-Tronic in the TT Quattro as like the rest of the car it was dull, uninvolving and boring. The CC is so much more involving and interesting.

I don't want to drive a car like a PlayStation game. I want to be the driver....to drive it & control it.....not it control me.

 

[FIFTY]

Just for a contrasting opinion... I'm not a fan on the CC box but I only used one on a test drive... I don't like how dumb it is at slow speed and reversing is tricky. I prefer my manual over a CC box in any scenario other than driving in anger on a track when you want both hands on the wheel.

With the manual you naturally hold on to gears longer and I think it really accentuates the grand tourer twineed with a race engine concept the M138 is based on (just by removing the racing gearbox!)

As for the suspension ... I understand what they were trying to achieve which is a compromise between ultimate comort and total performance at the flick of a switch... unfortunately it doesn't do either mode very well and the handling is best described as floaty on the entry and twitchy on exit (obviously GS is a bit better on the 19s and go tweaks). I am pretty sure that next year I will rip out the skyhook and replace with KW adjustable coilovers and the skyhook shocks will go into storage

 

[jack.pe]

Thanks Jack...gearbox...well I had to comment. Its all about the set up. If you get it setup they are lighting quick.

From your video, it appeared you were not in SPORT with I am sure you were which leads me to believe your PIS point was not set well and led to laggy changes.

All the best, get the Evora (red one) it made me look twice. As nice as the AMG is, its just a German Taxi and that interior of the Cayman....well, one only a mother could love.

Matt, you may well have a point there. The mechanic who did the PPI pointed out that he felt the clutch was lacking ‘bite' somewhat and perhaps the adjustment you mention would improve it.

To all the others here who are bewildered by my comments on ride and gear change here are my thoughts:

1. I am an amateur car reviewer, I am not a professional.. these are real world views from an enthusiast who does not pretend to know it all. It's way I feel and not a definite judgment
2. It's possible the gearchange on my car needs adjustment.. I did drive another 2 cars and both left me underwhelmed though
3. On the ride.. it feels like the GS and 4200's in general ride over bumps as opposed to dealing with them. It's not that it's too stiff, it's that to me it feels wrong. You can set up suspension so it controls body movement but still has suppleness, look at most Lotuses for an example of that. The Maser is not terrible in that respect but neither is it as good as I think it could have been.

Of course you can dismiss my experience by suggesting I don't know how to drive and maybe you're right! In any case I'm made up I owned a Maserati and will miss it.

 

[CatmanV2]

I'm obviously easily pleased as I think the CC gearbox is very good and certainly seems quick enough to me.

Certainly much faster than me with the manual Alfa 75's with the rear transaxle

This. Full on

C

 

[CatmanV2]

It changes gear a **** bit quicker than I could!

And this!

C

 

[jack.pe]

Thanks Jack, for the car and the videos. I've just had the tracking done and it feels a bit more steady now. Starting to really like driving it after a few days of hesitation. Good luck with Number 9.

Glad you're getting into it Jeremy! Was great to meet you!

 

[CatmanV2]

Just for a contrasting opinion... I'm not a fan on the CC box but I only used one on a test drive... I don't like how dumb it is at slow speed and reversing is tricky. I prefer my manual over a CC box in any scenario other than driving in anger on a track when you want both hands on the wheel.

With the manual you naturally hold on to gears longer and I think it really accentuates the grand tourer twineed with a race engine concept the M138 is based on (just by removing the racing gearbox!)

Reversing was never tricky on mine. I have to wonder at the set up on the one(s) you drive. In manual mode you can hold onto the gears as long as you like. One of the thing that irritate me about the ZF

C

 

[rockits]

Matt, you may well have a point there. The mechanic who did the PPI pointed out that he felt the clutch was lacking ‘bite' somewhat and perhaps the adjustment you mention would improve it.

To all the others here who are bewildered by my comments on ride and gear change here are my thoughts:

1. I am an amateur car reviewer, I am not a professional.. these are real world views from an enthusiast who does not pretend to know it all. It's way I feel and not a definite judgment
2. It's possible the gearchange on my car needs adjustment.. I did drive another 2 cars and both left me underwhelmed though
3. On the ride.. it feels like the GS and 4200's in general ride over bumps as opposed to dealing with them. It's not that it's too stiff, it's that to me it feels wrong. You can set up suspension so it controls body movement but still has suppleness, look at most Lotuses for an example of that. The Maser is not terrible in that respect but neither is it as good as I think it could have been.

Of course you can dismiss my experience by suggesting I don't know how to drive and maybe you're right! In any case I'm made up I owned a Maserati and will miss it.

I disagree about the box but do agree about the suspension. It is ******* the road but on a track far too soft. It doesn't absorb bumps or really do much in the way of soaking anything. I've driven plenty of cars that were more comfortable, more pliant such as the E55K for example. Plenty do it better. That being said there is plenty of mechanical grip, plenty of front end turn in & grip so it works well in that regard. Steering is a smidge light & a little too fussy/quick off centre.

There are sooooo many more positives than negatives though.

 

[FIFTY]

Reversing was never tricky on mine. I have to wonder at the set up on the one(s) you drive. In manual mode you can hold onto the gears as long as you like. One of the thing that irritate me about the ZF

C

The dealer had a manual CC and GS.... As the GS was up for 20k more than the others I didn't get a drive in that sadly but he let me road test the other two in my budget through an entire afternoon... (worked for him as i impulse bought a maser lol) one I drove must not have been set up very well it lurched around at low speed I found it infuriating in traffic, to get it going in reverse I had to stab at the throttle and it felt almost out of control... I'm not a fan of autos to be honest and I wanted a manual N/A V8 coupe

What I meant about holding on to gears is that it's easy to flap a paddle and shift up but in a manual I tend to stay in lower gears more

 

[wifedrivestheclio]

Can adjustments be made to the skyhook as the comments don’t resonate at all with with me. I’ve recently had an elise and the 996, and my wife currently has a Mito also with active suspension, and we both agree the GS is the most comfortable of the lot. It also handles well and predictably (but never tracked it).

 

[Jnismith]

Can adjustments be made to the skyhook as the comments don’t resonate at all with with me. I’ve recently had an elise and the 996, and my wife currently has a Mito also with active suspension, and we both agree the GS is the most comfortable of the lot. It also handles well and predictably (but never tracked it).

I seem to remember that your GS felt a bit smoother than Jack's, both in terms of the ride and the gear change. Not a lot in it on the gear change. I've just had the tracking done which has made a bit of a difference and will be putting new tyres on it. Paul at McGraths said that the Michellins will give a better ride too. I test drove 4 or 5 GS's and the ride was ******* all of them. but it depends on the road. On a smooth road, its fine.

 

[wifedrivestheclio]

Thanks Jeremy. Perhaps it’s just down to tracking and tyres.