MTA gearbox on 595
Discussion
Just picked up a 595 Turismo for the wife with the MTA gearbox. Love the car but the gearbox seems really unusual so want to check it's normal.
When cruising slowly around town/traffic the gear shifts are noticeable - takes at least a second (maybe two) to change - but not too bad. When accelerating hard(ish) particularly in sport the shifts involve a fair lurch as the power is disengaged the shift happens and the the power comes back on. As a consequence when trying to have fun it seems to take away the edge a bit. Especially because the shifts are soooo slow.
Admittedly I've been driving DSG gearboxes for years and I know the MTA is a totally different beast. But it feels like it's not really possible to drive the car down a country lane and have some fun without making the ride awkward and so the drive becomes a bit unenjoyable
It's only got 20 miles on the clock so hasn't been run in yet but the dealer told me that they no longer need running in and are good to go strait from the factory!
Is this normal, will it improve significantly as it runs in, or is there a fault?
When cruising slowly around town/traffic the gear shifts are noticeable - takes at least a second (maybe two) to change - but not too bad. When accelerating hard(ish) particularly in sport the shifts involve a fair lurch as the power is disengaged the shift happens and the the power comes back on. As a consequence when trying to have fun it seems to take away the edge a bit. Especially because the shifts are soooo slow.
Admittedly I've been driving DSG gearboxes for years and I know the MTA is a totally different beast. But it feels like it's not really possible to drive the car down a country lane and have some fun without making the ride awkward and so the drive becomes a bit unenjoyable
It's only got 20 miles on the clock so hasn't been run in yet but the dealer told me that they no longer need running in and are good to go strait from the factory!
Is this normal, will it improve significantly as it runs in, or is there a fault?
I picked up a 2nd hand one of these yesterday, so these observations are only based on about 300 miles worth of driving.
The gearbox is very slow witted in fully automatic mode, and noticeably jerky. It doesn't seem to matter too much with regards to throttle position and it is most noticeable 1st to 2nd and vice versa.
It's not helped that in normal mode the throttle response itself is muted.
In sport the throttle response is almost too sensitive for the auto box. It's very much all or nothing and hard to modulate.
Like you I thought these general issues were really detrimental to getting a move on.
However all is not lost.
Taking control with the paddles is 100% better, in either normal or sports mode. It does respond well to a slight lift of the throttle for smoothness, but if you keep it pinned in sports mode and change up you do get a very juvenile (but amusing all the same!) popping and banging.
I found the more I paid attention to throttle weight and rev range it made the gear change much more pleasurable (so in those respects it's just like a manual and you can cock it up, whereas DSG or pure autoboxes don't notice driver input so much.)
I've driven it today in normal mode with manual paddle control and found it pretty good with a sensitive right foot. Driven like this as I was just going A to B as I generally would and I was not out for a hoon.
Sadly I think my ideal set up isn't configurable as it is (take the throttle response of sport and dial it back a bit, but keep the gearbox setting in quicker), so I'm thinking of some improvements.
TMC do a gearbox software flash update that seems well reviewed that speeds up changes by around a third. They also do a throttle module that can be mapped to your preference.
Finally the paddles themselves are not the most tactile. Much searching later I've found longer anodised metal ones on EBay.com. Search for Fiat Viaggio (no, I've no idea what one of those is either but the paddle dimensions are identical, and the extensions screw directly on.)
I think with these issues resolved I'll enjoy the car much more.
The gearbox is very slow witted in fully automatic mode, and noticeably jerky. It doesn't seem to matter too much with regards to throttle position and it is most noticeable 1st to 2nd and vice versa.
It's not helped that in normal mode the throttle response itself is muted.
In sport the throttle response is almost too sensitive for the auto box. It's very much all or nothing and hard to modulate.
Like you I thought these general issues were really detrimental to getting a move on.
However all is not lost.
Taking control with the paddles is 100% better, in either normal or sports mode. It does respond well to a slight lift of the throttle for smoothness, but if you keep it pinned in sports mode and change up you do get a very juvenile (but amusing all the same!) popping and banging.
I found the more I paid attention to throttle weight and rev range it made the gear change much more pleasurable (so in those respects it's just like a manual and you can cock it up, whereas DSG or pure autoboxes don't notice driver input so much.)
I've driven it today in normal mode with manual paddle control and found it pretty good with a sensitive right foot. Driven like this as I was just going A to B as I generally would and I was not out for a hoon.
Sadly I think my ideal set up isn't configurable as it is (take the throttle response of sport and dial it back a bit, but keep the gearbox setting in quicker), so I'm thinking of some improvements.
TMC do a gearbox software flash update that seems well reviewed that speeds up changes by around a third. They also do a throttle module that can be mapped to your preference.
Finally the paddles themselves are not the most tactile. Much searching later I've found longer anodised metal ones on EBay.com. Search for Fiat Viaggio (no, I've no idea what one of those is either but the paddle dimensions are identical, and the extensions screw directly on.)
I think with these issues resolved I'll enjoy the car much more.
agreed. i took it out for a hoon yesterday and using the paddles and lifting the accelerator pedal at the same time removed the jerkiness completely, even when not hooning it also helps. i wonder if the MTA 0-60 time is a fair bit slower than the manual though because of the slowness of the gearbox.
For my wife it's fine though, her style of driving means she barely notices the jerks in the upshifts and downshifts seem very smooth anyway.
I am a little surprised that FIAT/Abarth consider this gearbox fine in today's market given that so many other manufacturers have gearboxes that are a lot smoother. I genuinely thought the gearbox had a serious fault when i first drove it.
For my wife it's fine though, her style of driving means she barely notices the jerks in the upshifts and downshifts seem very smooth anyway.
I am a little surprised that FIAT/Abarth consider this gearbox fine in today's market given that so many other manufacturers have gearboxes that are a lot smoother. I genuinely thought the gearbox had a serious fault when i first drove it.
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