QaWelcome
1 - 6 out of 10 of the cars I've had are Italian, don't ever believe the reviews - often biased, uneducated ramblings copied from each other. I'm on my 2nd car with this type of box. The box can be jerky but after time you can make it smooth as mentioned. It's better than a Smart. It's also more obedient to driver override in auto mode than a VAG DSG box ('I know best attitude').
2 - Gearbox updates have been mentioned, but I've found no evidence of this and I think engine performance is more of a factor than gearbox software. Coincidently some sources mentioned an update for cars with the SS kit was fitted - again I'm not fully convinced. I think it's setup to change gear based on torque output. The jerkiness is a combo of gear ratio, and difference in engine torque output between gears. I've come to the conclusion that the box is best suited to SS/595 or a remapped car with higher outputs and a different torque curve based on forum feedback. When I had the TMC box fitted to my A500c SS, gear change was even smoother, supporting my thinking that its less to do with gearbox software, and more to do with the output characteristics of the engine. The 595 may be smoother as it has an updated map, and I think, a flatter torque curve than SS.
3 - If you want the MTA, best to go for SS/595 (or 695 as Lloyd mentioned), or consider a remap after purchase for smoother changes. Turismo and Competizione have a firmer ride, Comp has a louder Monza exhaust and skinny Sabelts that need a Sabelt arse to fit.
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