2013 Cadillac ATS Review - Video

Topping out third gear I’ve got just enough time to think about grabbing fourth when the first braking marker is past my front tire and I’m pushing hard on the four piston Brembos. The lightest car in its class, it slows with ease as I downshift to second, applying prodigious amounts of throttle as I crest the right-hander. The rear steps out slightly as I continue to roll on the throttle and then it happens… stability control.

FAST FACTS

1. Base 2.5L 4-cylinder models make 202 hp and 191 lb-ft of torque, with the 2.0T rated at 272 hp and 260 lb-ft and the 3.6L V6 at 321-hp and 275 lb-ft. 2. 0-60 times for each motor list at: 7.5, 5.7 and 5.4 seconds. 3. Fuel economy is 22/32 mpg for the 2.5L and 2.0T, or 19/28 mpg for the V6. 4. Optional extras include Cadillac’s CUE system, lane departure warning and forward collision alert with the vibrating safety seat, as well as adaptive cruise control, a heads up display and front and rear auto braking. 5. ATS models start at $33,990 for the 2.5L, $35,795 for the 2.0T and $42,090 for the V6.

Quickly headed down the next short straight I’m pointed forward, not by my own volition, but the machine’s. Now confident in the car’s capabilities, not to mention my knowledge of the 14 corners of a track I’ve never heard of, let alone driven on, it’s time to step beyond Cadillac’s “Competition mode”.
Heading out of the pits at the super new Atlanta Motorsports Park I approach the same sequence with equal enthusiasm and this time it happens. The rear comes out, and keeps on coming, and then… well, I lift lightly and it steps back in line, the rear-wheel drive ATS sports sedan showcasing its balance, precision and ease of use.
But the impressive attributes of Cadillac’s new BMW 3 Series fighter don’t stop there, earning it that title and the honor of being legitimately classed in the same league as the German four-door that for decades has defined the term “sports sedan.”

LIGHT WEIGHT, POWER-DENSE ENGINES

 

There are many reasons for the ATS’s impressive driving dynamics, though it begins with light weight. Cadillac has boasted since the car’s reveal six months ago that at 3,315 lbs it’s the lightest vehicle in its class. Hardly an apples-to-apples comparison, that base curb weight for the ATS is for an entry-level 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, a model well below what any of the German competition would even consider offering. A fair matchup comes with the Cadillac’s mid-range 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injection engine, and surprisingly the Cadillac retains the title, weighing 3,403 lbs – or less with the automatic transmission.