The first question for the upcoming 2013 Cadillac ATS is: do you want the 272hp 2L Turbo 4 — starting at $35,795 — or the 321 hp 3.6L DI V6 starting at $42,090?
The all-new Cadillac ATS navigates through the turns and straightaways at Atlanta Motorsports Park during performance testing Tuesday, May 8, 2012 in Dawsonville, Georgia. The Cadillac ATS is engineered to be the lightest compact luxury sports sedan, reducing weight through the use of advanced materials - but not at the expense of performance. (Photo by Sam Sharpe for Cadillac)
Right behind that choice however — and the 2L Turbo is likely to be the price / performance silver lining — will you want the 2L Turbo Performance Package (1SJ), or Premium Package (1SL)?
In Cadillac parlance, the Performance Package generally includes the key performance options in an easy selection. The Premium package however often adds features — at a price — that are desirable even for hard core performance enthusiasts. There is also a ‘Luxury’ model available (1SG) that combines more luxury oriented features that non-performance Buyers may prefer.
The 2L Turbo Performance package looks like this:
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Performance Package, includes
- (T4F) HID headlamps with Adaptive Forward Lighting,
- (GGC) Midnight chrome accented grille,
- (HD7) Illuminating outside door handles,
- (JF5) sport alloy pedals,
- (AHE) performance seats,
- (A6E) fixed seat back with armrest and pass-through,
- (ATH) keyless access passive entry,
- (UDF) Ultrasonic Front Park Assist,
- (UD7) Ultrasonic Rear Park Assist and
- (KB7) steering wheel-mounted Paddle Shift Controls (not available with [M3L] 6-speed manual transmission)
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and the Premium package adds the full color heads-up display (!), steering wheel paddle controls for the auto trans, FE3 performance suspension, limited slip differential, and Magnetic Ride Control:
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Premium Package, includes
- (T4F) HID headlamps with Adaptive Forward Lighting,
- (HD7) illuminating outside door handles,
- (JF5) sport alloy pedals,
- (AHE) performance seats,
- (UV6) full-color head-up display,
- (KB7) steering wheel-mounted Paddle Shift Controls (not available with [M3L] 6-speed manual transmission),
- (FE3) performance suspension (not available with [M3L] 6-speed manual transmission),
- (V03) performance cooling system,
- (G80) Limited Slip Differential and
- (F55) Magnetic Ride Control
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The Premium package also has navigation standard, while the Performance package has Nav as an option.
Suspensions — generally Cadillac grades suspensions from FE1 to FE3 or FE4 as the capabilities move from standard to highest performance. The Magnetic Ride suspension on the Premium model is the most desirable setup.
The grill and parking assist items on the Performance Package list but not on the Premium Package list are a bit of a red herring, since they are standard on the Premium Package and part of the Luxury Package:
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Luxury Package, includes (GGC) midnight chrome accented grille, (UDF) Ultrasonic Front Park Assist, (ATH) Keyless Access passive entry and (AM9) split-folding rear seat |
The other BIG feature standard on the Premium and optional for the Performance will be the Cadillac User Experience (CUE) system. The 2L Sport model can be optioned up to include the HUD as well.
Both the Sport and the Premium package get the seating package standard, which adds power memory seats and rearview backup camera:
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Seating Package, includes leather seating surfaces, (AE8) 10-way power driver and front passenger seats including 2-way power lumbar, (A45) Memory Package, (DR2) heated outside power-adjustable mirrors with auto-dimming driver side, (DD8) inside rearview auto-dimming mirror, (UG1) Universal Home Remote, (BTV) Adaptive remote start (not available with [ML3] 6-speed manual transmission), and (UVC) Rearview backup camera |
Summary:
How will you option out your Cadillac ATS? Will you keep it clean and disciplined and stick to the Performance model, or will you write a check for the Cadillac ATS 2L Turbo Premium?
