Cadillac has added this comparative info to the ATS site:
The BMW 328i uses the N20 engine (2L, 4 cylinder turbo) and appears to be clearly under-rated from the factory, making around 226-240 hp at the wheels in dyno tests. That makes it a 280+ hp engine as delivered; compare to the 270hp from the ATS LTG. Some test drivers prefer the 328i to the 335i because the 328i has better balance and similar power.
Meanwhile, the upcoming ATS engine is a brand new 2L turbo version of the new 2.5L normally aspirated 4. But if the new ATS engine (LTG) is as tunable as its LHU and LNF cousins, it will quickly be tuned to 300+ hp as they are. Of course the BMW engine can be tuned as well.
Same weight, similar engine power, BMW has an 8 speed transmission, while the Cadillac ATS arrives with the 6-speed because the 8-speed isn’t ready yet.
What about the Premium ATS and the BMW 335i?
On paper, the 318 hp Cadillac ATS engine also appears to have more power than the 3L Turbo 335i’s engine which is rated at 300 hp. On paper.
Be sure that the BMW 335i’s engine output is also suspect, and likely makes 320+ hp. The 335i uses the N55 3L V6, with a dual-scroll turbo instead of the dual turbos from the N54 3L V6. In comparative tests, the 335i’s N55 V6 made 276 hp at the wheels on the dyno, or 320+ hp at the crank.
DETROIT – The all-new 2013 Cadillac XTS, the most technologically advanced production car the luxury brand has ever offered, introduces an advanced active safety and driver assistance system, a significant milestone toward the development of self-driving vehicles.
Coming this fall to XTS, the available Driver Assistance Package is the first General Motors system of its kind to use sensor fusion, which enables integration of a broad range of sensing and positioning technologies that can alert drivers of road hazards and help them avoid crashes.
The system’s use of radar, cameras and ultrasonic sensors enables advanced safety features, including:
Rear Automatic Braking
Full-Speed Range Adaptive Cruise Control
Intelligent Brake Assist
Forward Collision Alert
Safety Alert Seat
Automatic Collision Preparation
Lane Departure Warning
Side Blind Zone Alert
Rear Cross Traffic Alert
Adaptive Forward Lighting
Rear Vision Camera With Dynamic Guidelines
Head Up Display
“We believe sensor fusion will enable future active safety systems to handle a greater number of inputs to provide 360 degrees of crash risk detection and enhanced driver assist features,” said Bakhtiar Litkouhi, GM Research and Development lab group manager for perception and vehicle control systems.
“A system that combines the strengths of multiple sensing technologies and expertly manages those inputs can provide advisory, warning, and control interventions to help drivers avoid collisions and save lives,” Litkouhi said.
Sensor fusion also is a building block in the development of semi-autonomous and fully autonomous vehicles, which are designed to maintain lane position and adapt to traffic environments. It is envisioned that more sophisticated self-driving technology, that could enable semi and fully autonomous driving, will be available by the end of the decade.
GM’s leading-edge work on sensor fusion draws on its experience with The Boss, a fully autonomous Chevrolet Tahoe developed by GM, Carnegie Mellon University and other partner companies, and named for GM R&D founder Charles F. “Boss” Kettering. In 2007, The Boss navigated 60 miles of urban traffic, busy intersections and stop signs in less than six hours to win the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Urban Challenge competition.
Sensor fusion development also is bolstered by GM’s work on the EN-V, three semi-autonomous electric concept vehicles unveiled at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. By combining GPS with vehicle-to-vehicle communications, distance-sensing and object detection technologies, EN-V can be driven both manually and autonomously, the latter allowing it to automatically select the fastest route based on real-time traffic information.
Among the technologies that GM is looking to develop for future active safety systems is LIDAR, a light detecting and ranging technology that can measure the distance to a vehicle or object by illuminating it, often using pulses from a laser. Although LIDAR is no replacement for driver vision, it can become another set of eyes when visibility has deteriorated due to inclement weather or darkness. When combined with radar, cameras and ultrasonic sensors, LIDAR has potential crash avoidance capability.
A more advanced positioning system, using more accurate GPS and digital mapping, also is expected to play an important role on future active safety systems because it helps locate vehicles in relation to one another. While GPS effectiveness can be limited in urban canyon environments where high-rise buildings can interfere with satellite signals, the technology is still considered an asset when “fused” with other sensing and positioning technologies.
“No sensor working alone provides all the needed information. That’s why multiple sensors and positioning technologies need to work together synergistically and seamlessly,” Litkouhi said. “Sensor fusion will help facilitate that.”
DETROIT – The all-new 2013 Cadillac ATS is being exhaustively developed to achieve excellent driving dynamics – and that performance focus extends to the sounds it makes.
While designers define how a car looks and engineers develop how it feels, other experts carefully craft how a luxury performance car should sound. Kyle Stanforth, noise and vibration engineer on the Cadillac performance team, said the ATS is engineered to enhance the performance-tuned sounds for each of the three available engines, while minimizing unwanted noise in and around the car.
“Cadillac customers expect a level of refinement beyond what most cars have. Yes, it’s quiet, but it’s more than that,” Stanforth said. “They also love to hear that sound of refined power when they ask for it. So when you open it up, you not only feel the power, you hear it too.”
ATS engineers carefully shaped the intake system to allow the engine to breathe-in fresh air, while minimizing unwanted engine noise. Similar designs to the exhaust system ensure maximum engine performance, while lowering the sound levels at idle and cruising speeds.
Inside, the ATS uses technology to further refine the sound. Bose Active Sound Management technology continuously monitors the sound inside the cabin and generates a cancellation signal to reduce unwanted engine noise. In addition to helping create optimal sound quality, this approach reduces the need to add acoustical materials – which supports the ATS’s estimated curb weight of less than 3,400 lbs.
The all-new 2013 Cadillac ATS is being exhaustively developed to achieve excellent driving dynamics – and that performance focus extends to the sounds it makes.
“The ATS sounds distinctly like a Cadillac should. We’ve created a signature sound that expresses Cadillac power, refinement and luxury – and we make it sing,” Stanforth said.
