2013 Cadillac ATS Chicagoland Review By Larry Nutson
2013 Cadillac ATS
A new player in the sports sedan game
By Larry Nutson
Senior Editor, Chicago Bureau
The Auto Channel
The rear-wheel-drive 2013 Cadillac ATS is an all-new, 5-seat, compact-luxury sport sedan that is new to the Cadillac brand and new to the U.S. automotive marketplace. The ATS doesn’t replace anything in the Cadillac line-up. It was designed from a clean sheet and is intended to bring Cadillac some younger but still affluent buyers not only here in the U.S. but globally.
The target competitor benchmark was the BMW 3 series. Need I say more.
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The ATS is offered in a standard model and in Luxury, Performance and Premium Collection models. The engine lineup starts with a standard 202HP 2.5L four-cylinder, and a 272HP 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder and 321HP 3.6L V-6 are available. The 2.5L engine only comes in rear wheel drive and in standard or Luxury trim and the V6 is not offered in standard trim.
The 2.5L Luxury Collection ATS that I lived with for a week certainly proved satisfactory from an overall exterior and interior design as well as interior comfort standpoint. This engine coupled to the six-speed automatic has the best ATS EPA fuel economy ratings at 26mpg combined with 22mpg city and 33mpg highway. EPA numbers drop off with the other two engines and with AWD. This Luxury Collection model had a base of $37,590 and when you add in the Cadillac User Experience (CUE) & Navigation option plus Cold Weather Package and the Special Thunder Gray Chromaflair paint the price ran right up to $41,375.
The 202 horses coming from the engine did an alright job of moving the ATS around the local city streets and nearby Chicagoland expressways. I didn’t find myself feeling in the lurch although performance is a bit lackluster. I was left a little flat with the engine sound, not that it was bad, but just that it didn’t match the expectations in my head for a Cadillac. I would really like to drive the 2.0L Turbo back-to-back with the 2.5L to see if I still felt the same.
I wondered what percentage of all ATS sales will be with the 2.5-liter engine. GM like most all car companies doesn’t usually provide sales volume projections nor model-mix sales information. “Price leaders” don’t just exist in the lower priced car segments. In the Chicago Tribune the ATS with 2.5-liter is advertised for zero down and $299 a month on a 36 month lease at 10,000 miles per year. If I was shopping an ATS I would want to test drive all three engines.
The 2.0L Turbo starts at $35,795 in the standard model with rear drive. The V6 starts at $42,090 in the Luxury Collection model. All-wheel drive adds $2000 more with either of these engines. The Tremec 6-speed with the 2.0L Turbo comes with an $1180 credit.
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Noteworthy is that Esquire Magazine named the 2013 Cadillac ATS its Car of the Year.
© Larry Nutson