Category Archives: Cadillac Models

Cadillac ATS Roadtrip Test — ATS vs Gigantor

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The new Cadillac ATS is designed to be a lean, mean sports machine.  It is a smaller car than the CTS, XTS, or my STS-V, by which it gains agility, handling, acceleration, and fuel economy.  But now it must face the Cadillac ATS roadtrip test — is it a capable touring sedan?

Cadillac ATS roadtrip test — ready for anything

Is it too small?  A Cadillac needs to be a capable touring car.  This can mean a couple of different things in my family — there needs to be enough rear seat room and comfort for a 20-something passenger, and the trunk needs to be large enough for Gigantor.

Cadillac ATS Roadtrip Test — 6′ tall rear passenger

For the first test, I invited my 20-something son to dinner and put him in the back.  I asked him to test for leg room, comfort, and sleep-ability.  This last is a test if the ATS would work well for him on long trips which he tends to spend with a laptop & headphones or asleep.  The ATS does have center rear air flow, which I have come to believe is very desirable for rear comfort.

After careful consideration, Son ruled the Cadillac ATS is approved as a family touring car.  The leg room was fine with the passenger seat pushed up to where his Mom would sit, and was also just enough for him at 6′ if he sat behind the driver’s seat with it in my preferred place.

Headroom is good in the front and the back.

Cadillac ATS vs Gigantor

Cadillac ATS Roadtrip Test — ATS vs Gigantor

 

Cadillac ATS Touring Test — ATS vs Gigantor

Gigantor is my nickname for my Wife’s oversize suitcase — shown above.  We have to keep an eye on it or it tends to eat the other luggage.  Although they seem small by comparison, the black and red luggage next to it are full size roller bags — designed to hold 3-5 days of gear for trips.  Gigantor is around 50% larger in both dimensions as compared to a normal roller bag.

The Gigantor Test — can the ATS hold both Gigantor, and 2 normal roller bags all in the trunk?

Cadillac ATS swallows Gigantor

Cadillac ATS swallows Gigantor

This photo shows all three suitcases in the trunk, and I could easily close the trunk.  Success.  The trunk space is formed by the rear wheel hubs, but has a nice space in the center that fits Gigantor, and enough room besides to handle the two rollers and leave plenty of other room for miscellaneous other.

Cadillac ATS Roadtrip Test — Conclusion

We knew coming in that the Cadillac ATS has good fuel economy and performance.  It passed these family touring tests with flying colors.  If the ATS is small enough to be agile and sporty, but big enough to be a good touring sedan, it certainly seems a good fit for a wide audience.

Crest Cadillac

My thanks to Crest Cadillac of Plano for providing me with the ATS to test.  Please also see my ‘First Impressions‘ article for this test drive.

 

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.