Category Archives: ATS / Alpha

Cadillac ATS First Impressions

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This fine Saturday morning I picked up a new Cadillac ATS 3.6L from Crest Cadillac in Plano, Texas for a weekend test drive.  The Cadillac ATS is the newest Cadillac, still reaching showrooms in numbers.  It promises to be the best-selling Cadillac — and best value — of this generation, so let’s take a close look.

Cadillac ATS First Impressions — ATS is the BMW of Cadillacs

The Cadillac ATS is light and nimble.  By light I mean it weighs around 3,400 lbs versus my STS-V at 4,200 lbs.  By nimble I mean that it goes where you point it, in a hurry.  The lighter weight makes the 3.6L V6 seem more muscular than it does in other Cadillacs — it is more than capable in the CTS, but in the ATS it takes on a whole new attitude.

Cadillac ATS First Impressions – Head on

My test car is a 2013 Cadillac ATS in light blue metallic.  It is a luxury model, with navigation and driver awareness package.  These bring the sticker up to $44K.

I was concerned that rear seat room might make the ATS too small for my family use — but it looks as if it would work fine, and has just enough room for touring.

Cadillac ATS First Impressions — rear

 Cadillac ATS First Impressions — 2L Turbo or V6?

I have argued that the 2L Turbo engine will be the sweet spot for the ATS performance versus value, but if your budget allows the 3.6L is certainly an excellent choice.  It has a healthy growl that is quite charming, and just the right note for a performance Cadillac.

Crest Cadillac

My thanks to Crest Cadillac of Plano for providing me with the ATS to test.  The staff is always ready to help, and I enjoy visiting with other Cadillac fans.

More to follow — I like to get a ‘first impressions’ out on pick-up, then I will add articles through the weekend.

Cadillac ATS in production at LGR

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The Cadillac ATS is rolling out of Cadillac’s home factory at Lansing Grand River.  Here is a gallery of first-day baby shots for the new Cadillac ATS.

[click on any image to go into slide show mode]

The Cadillac ATS is in production and is arriving at a Cadillac dealer near you soon.

Full Release:

DETROIT – The first 2013 Cadillac ATS compact luxury sport sedan intended for public sale was built today at the Lansing Grand River assembly plant in Michigan, culminating a massive design and development project.

Arriving in U.S. dealerships in August, ATS is Cadillac’s all-new entry into the most significant global luxury segment, featuring a new rear wheel drive-based architecture targeting nimble, quick and fun driving performance.

Cadillac’s Lansing Grand River plant, also the production site for the CTS Sedan, Wagon and Coupe and V-Series performance models of each, underwent a $190 million upgrade for ATS production. A second shift was added, creating or retaining 600 jobs.

In total, the award-winning plant that opened in 2001 now has 1,643 salaried and hourly employees.

“The new Cadillac ATS represents an investment in Lansing and our workforce,” said Tony Francavilla, Lansing regional plant manager. “A successful launch needs a great process and a great product, but at the heart of it all are the people, and the care they put into each and every vehicle.”

The ATS expands Cadillac into the highest volume category in the luxury automotive industry. Following the initial start of production in Lansing, distribution to U.S. dealerships will begin in August. Exports to international markets will begin later this year.

“This is a car with a big mission, and it’s been comprehensively prepared for that mission,” said Don Butler, vice president of Cadillac Marketing. “The new-from-the-ground-up ATS creates a new entryway into the Cadillac brand for luxury car drivers, and a compelling new challenger to the status quo among the top luxury sport sedans.”

The all-new ATS was custom-built using a new lightweight vehicle architecture featuring advanced materials and techniques to ensure precise driving dynamics.  ATS includes a host of exclusive advanced-tech features, including Magnetic Ride Control, the Safety Alert Seat, and CUE, a new in-car user experience for connectivity and control using industry-first capacitive touch and natural voice recognition systems.

The ATS hits the airwaves during the television broadcast of the Opening Ceremonies of the Summer Olympics on Friday.

Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. In recent years, Cadillac has engineered a historic renaissance led by artful engineering and advanced technology. More information on Cadillac can be found at media.cadillac.com.

Cadillac ATS-V Turbo V6 or Supercharged V8

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The Cadillac ATS-V needs to bring the power to put the BMW M3 away.  The Cadillac ATS-V will bring an exciting engine for the new Cadillac track star — we just don’t know which one yet.

Cadillac ATS Exterior

Cadillac ATS Exterior

The Cadillac CTS-V uses the LSA supercharged 6.2L V8.  This engine makes 556 hp in the CTS-V.  The Camaro ZL1 uses a modified version of the LSA engine, tuned to 580 hp.  We may reasonably see this modified variant in next year’s redesigned CTS-V as well, at 580 hp.

2010 6.2L V8 SC LSA LoR

 

The Camaro ZL1 is down on power compared to its arch rival the GT500, which makes 662 hp.  The ZL1 is a better overall package, but I am hoping GM Powertrain brings the power for the next iteration of the LSA and hits 700 hp.  A powered up CTS-V also gives more head-room for a powered up ATS-V.

Cadillac ATS-V – Turbo V6?

The ‘missing’ engine is the Turbo 3.6L coming as an engine for the 2014 CTS.  We don’t know the exact output for this engine yet, and it will likely arrive in several states of tune.  Rumors have been all over the place — 450 hp for an initial show car, down to 425 hp for production, and up to 475 hp.

A maximum effort ATS-V version of a turbo V6 engine could be tuned for 480 hp and still leave room for a slightly heavier CTS-V  with a 580 hp V8.  But besides avoiding  sibling rivalry, will that be enough for the Cadillac ATS-V?

Sizing the Competition

How much power does the Cadillac ATS-V really need?  The 2014 BMW M3 is the logical target.  The current M3 uses a 414 hp V8.  The next M3 is rumored to equip a tuned turbo V6, for 430-450 hp.  BMW manages to under-rate their engines; so when matching it is best to plan for an extra 25-35 hp for equivalent.  A good target for the Cadillac ATS-V powerplant then is BMW 450 +30 equivalent + 50 better or 530 hp.

And ding ding we have a 556 hp LSA engine available that can be slotted for the ATS-V.  Give the CTS-V a power-up to a 650-700 hp version that the Camaro ZL1 needs, and there is head room to give the ATS-V the current LSA.

If GM Powertrain can bring the same power range (500-530 hp) in the Turbo V6 of course, all the better…