It's always nice to read a review.
Mirage77, concerning the gearbox being jerky, it's a known issue complained by many people and alot of them eventually didn't purchased the Quattroporte just because of the jerky gearbox.
Maserati is currently developing a new normal auto gearbox which should get rid of the jerkiness.
The currently existing flappy pedal gearbox will still exist so the new auto gearbox won't be a replacement but rather an option you can choose out from.
So if your dad wouldn't mind waiting, he could option/equip his Maserati Quattroporto in the future with a much more smoother gearbox and eventually a smoother and refined ride.