After five years of development and countless Nürburgring Nordschleife hot laps,
Cadillac engineers finally handed over their new ATS to us for a few hours of
road driving and instrumented testing. One day with GM’s first Alpha-platform
car was enough to confirm that the ATS is the real deal—a true compact sports
sedan with the size, specs, and speed to run with the segment’s aristocracy,
especially BMW’s 3-series.
The ATS offers three engines, two transmissions, rear- or four-wheel drive,
four trim packages, half a dozen wheel and tire combinations, and a tempting
list of infotainment options capable of lifting the $33,990 base price above
$50,000. Because the turbocharged 2.0-liter stick-shift ATS we begged for wasn’t
ready, we tested what Cadillac’s vehicle line executive Dave Leone considers his
hot setup: a rear-drive, 3.6-liter ATS equipped with 18-inch summer run-flat
tires, Brembo brakes, and adjustable magnetic-ride-control dampers. The top
engine, a $3605 option, comes standard with a six-speed automatic. Loaded with
Premium Collection trimmings, including Cadillac’s new CUE (Cadillac User
Experience) center-stack interface and heated seats and steering wheel, our test
car’s sticker read $48,190.
With or without traction control enabled, the ATS bolts from rest with a
growl. The 3.6-liter, DOHC V-6 makes 321 horsepower (21 more than a 335i) and
267 pound-feet of torque (33 less than the BMW’s turbocharged 3.0-liter six).
The Hydra-Matic transmission upshifts crisply at the engine’s 7000-rpm redline,
pushing the ATS to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 14 flat
with a trap speed of 102 mph. Those figures are dead even with the Infiniti G37
Sport’s and within a couple of tenths of the aforementioned 335i’s, though well
behind the performance of the torque-and-traction-rich Audi S4. The ATS tops out
at a governed 152 mph, which is within a couple of ticks of the key incumbents.
Circling GM’s perfectly smooth, 300-foot-diameter skidpad, the ATS ran out of
grip at 0.88 g with the same juddery understeer we’ve seen in the F30-generation
3-series. Modulating the throttle helps tighten the line by sticking the front
tires, but that technique works only up to a point. Likewise, a heavy foot on
the gas won’t swing the tail. While the grip levels provided by the ATS are a
touch lower than major competitors’, every last bit of its lateral traction is
within easy reach, bolstering real-world confidence.
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door
sedan
PRICE AS TESTED: $48,190 (base price: $37,595)
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve 3.6-liter V-6, aluminum block and heads
Displacement: 217 cu in, 3564 cc
Power: 320 hp @ 6800 rpm
Torque: 267 lb-ft @ 4900 rpm
Power: 320 hp @ 6800 rpm
Torque: 267 lb-ft @ 4900 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 109.3 in
Length: 182.8 in
Width: 71.1 in Height: 55.9 in
Curb weight: 3561 lb
Wheelbase: 109.3 in
Length: 182.8 in
Width: 71.1 in Height: 55.9 in
Curb weight: 3561 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 5.4 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 13.3 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 25.0 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 5.7 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 3.1 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 3.8 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.0 sec @ 102 mph
Top speed (gov ltd): 152 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 158 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.88 g
Zero to 60 mph: 5.4 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 13.3 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 25.0 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 5.7 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 3.1 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 3.8 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.0 sec @ 102 mph
Top speed (gov ltd): 152 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 158 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.88 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway: 19/28 mpg (mfr's est)
EPA city/highway: 19/28 mpg (mfr's est)
