The last time a Cadillac compact sedan was sold in America was the Cadillac Cimarron, which was produced from 1982 to 1988. It was a major flop. Cadillac had a compact car for the European market from 2005 to 2010 called the Cadillac BLS, which was a heavily styled Saab 9-3. In 2012, Cadillac started production on a new compact luxury sedan called the ATS. The ATS comes available with either as a four-door rear-wheel drive car or as a four-door all-wheel drive car.
I first saw the ATS at the 2012 Houston Auto Show. I love the sleek side profile. The car was on a turntable, so I was not allowed to sit in the car. The rear of the car is similar to that on a Cadillac CTS and it works for both cars. My one issue with the styling of the ATS is the front. The headlights are not flushed with the front. There is a noticeable gap between the front end of the car and where the headlights are.
The ATS is available with a few engines and comes with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. The ATS is available with a base 2.5L I4, paired only with the six-speed automatic transmission, that produces 202 hp and 190 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 130 mph and is only available in rear-wheel drive. Prices for the base 2.5 I4 start at $33,990. The turbocharged 2.0L I4 engine, paired with either a manual or automatic transmission, produces 270 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds. Prices for the 2.0L I4 turbo start at $35,795 and is available with either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The 3.6L V6, paired with the automatic transmission, produces 320 hp and 267 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds and reaches a top speed of 152 mph. Prices for the 3.6L V6 ATS start at $42,090 and is available with either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. For a luxury sedan, the ATS has good performance and at a reasonable price.
The ATS has been featured on Motorweek.
Final Thoughts: GM has another winner in the luxury compact sedan class. I am very impressed with the Buick Verano and I am impressed with the ATS. Compared to the BMW 3-Series, the ATS is cheaper. Cadillac has announced that there will be an ATS-V for the 2014 model year. I am very interested in seeing how the ATS-V competes against the Audi RS4, BMW M3, Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG, and Lexus ISF. As far as which engine to go with, you can skip the base 2.5 I4 engine and go with either the 2.0L turbo or the 3.6L V6.
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