A must read for future and current ATS owners! Post your thoughts below.


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.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-cadillac-ats-36-instrumented-test-review