ATS delivers entry-level luxury
To appreciate the 2013 Cadillac ATS, you have to understand what came before.
Remember the Cadillac Cimarron? It was a ill-fated effort to take GM’s J-body small-car platform and give it an upscale twist. Think of it as a fancy Chevy Cavalier. Built from 1982 to ’88, it didn’t make the dent in the entry-level luxury market that Cadillac expected.
Then there was the Cadillac Catera, introduced in 1997. Once again, GM tried to dip into its corporate pool and use a little fluff and shine to fill a luxury niche. It went overseas and drafted the Opel Omega from Europe. The American public yawned. It didn’t have much Cadillac style, and problems with reliability didn’t help.
So when the Cadillac ATS was unveiled last year, there was plenty of reason to have doubts. But Cadillac got a solid hit. The ATS was named the North American Car of the the gas-mileage department, as the turbo should get 21 mpg city and 31 highway. My mixed use for one week averaged about 24 mpg, which is good for this type of car. The power is respectable but not overwhelming. It has a slight lag when you stomp on the accelerator, which I attribute to the transmission. Still, it was a solid performer.
Cadillac also offers a 3.6liter six-cylinder engine that pumps out 321 horsepower. You actually don’t lose much mileage (19 mpg city/28 highway), but the base price jumps to $42,090.
Inside, the first thing you have to accept is that it’s not an all-out luxury car. I had the Luxury edition; it was nice but not over the top. But then, you’re not paying an over-thetop price. The seats were comfortable, although it took me awhile to get a good driving position. The Premium comes with performance seats.
The dash has a nice sleek look to it. There are no dials or knobs on the center section. It’s all high-tech pressure- touch switches. Similar to the Chevy Volt, it takes a little getting used to. The only thing I didn’t adapt to was the touch buttons for the volume, so I just started using the steeringwheel controls instead. I liked the display in the center of the instrument cluster. It has three parts and you can customize each portion.
The CUE navigation system is solid. It’s one of the better ones I’ve tried. The display also can show a weather map, which is cool. You can also install apps such as Pandora.
The ATS also has a Bose noise-canceling system that creates sound waves that counter road noise. I didn’t notice anything special, but then maybe that’s the point.
About the only real downside to the interior is the back seat. It’s small. I mean, small. It’s OK in a pinch, but there isn’t enough leg room for an adult to be comfortable.
The car drives great. My test car had both a sport and comfort mode, but I really couldn’t tell much difference driving around town.
The ATS delivers Cadillac style, and entry-level luxury. If the car can hold its resale value, then Cadillac may finally have the entry-level luxury sedan it’s always wanted.