Topic: Head-to-Head Comparison Test: 2013 BMW 328i xDrive vs 2013 Cadillac ATS 2.0T AWD

[sailor723]

Can the article owner write if they recommend the ATS or not?  Clearly he is saying that ATS is slight better than the BMW, then he doesn't sound like he is recommending the ATS. 

BMW hasn't proven anything but not being reliable to own but only reliable to lease. 

To me, these article all say this.  ATS is good, but BMW is still the standard in this class.  So it doesn't really say anything new?  Then people will go buy the BMW anyways, because it screams "I made it, I own a BMW".

No, it screams "I am a good judge of cars and have good taste"   

[ChaosphereIX]

Can the article owner write if they recommend the ATS or not?  Clearly he is saying that ATS is slight better than the BMW, then he doesn't sound like he is recommending the ATS. 

BMW hasn't proven anything but not being reliable to own but only reliable to lease. 

To me, these article all say this.  ATS is good, but BMW is still the standard in this class.  So it doesn't really say anything new?  Then people will go buy the BMW anyways, because it screams "I made it, I own a BMW".

No, it screams "I am a good judge of cars and have good taste"   

or, "I bought BMW because that is what I am expected to do and the badge will get me a lot of...badge..." More than a few BMW owners I run into only bought it because of its status symbol and what it meant...some didnt even know if theirs was FWD or RWD...

[Fobroader]

Can the article owner write if they recommend the ATS or not?  Clearly he is saying that ATS is slight better than the BMW, then he doesn't sound like he is recommending the ATS. 

BMW hasn't proven anything but not being reliable to own but only reliable to lease. 

To me, these article all say this.  ATS is good, but BMW is still the standard in this class.  So it doesn't really say anything new?  Then people will go buy the BMW anyways, because it screams "I made it, I own a BMW".

No, it screams "I am a good judge of cars and have good taste"   

or, "I bought BMW because that is what I am expected to do and the badge will get me a lot of...badge..." More than a few BMW owners I run into only bought it because of its status symbol and what it meant...some didnt even know if theirs was FWD or RWD...

Friend of neighbours has a brand new X5....she actually told us that the only reason she bought it was because "well its a BMW, what other reason do I need"........ 

[ChaosphereIX]

Can the article owner write if they recommend the ATS or not?  Clearly he is saying that ATS is slight better than the BMW, then he doesn't sound like he is recommending the ATS. 

BMW hasn't proven anything but not being reliable to own but only reliable to lease. 

To me, these article all say this.  ATS is good, but BMW is still the standard in this class.  So it doesn't really say anything new?  Then people will go buy the BMW anyways, because it screams "I made it, I own a BMW".

No, it screams "I am a good judge of cars and have good taste"   

or, "I bought BMW because that is what I am expected to do and the badge will get me a lot of...badge..." More than a few BMW owners I run into only bought it because of its status symbol and what it meant...some didnt even know if theirs was FWD or RWD...

Friend of neighbours has a brand new X5....she actually told us that the only reason she bought it was because "well its a BMW, what other reason do I need"........ 

lol my point exactly. Have a neighbour who bought an X1 for no other reason than having the roundel, and another neighbour bought a 3-series because it would "earn him respect" - his words not mine - and yet he had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned touring car racing and its ancestor the E30 M3s...

[dkaz]

Not me, our freinds with kids, when they come they come with a car full, by that I mean SUV/truck/minivan because none of them have cars, to the gills. Thats just for an afternoon visit, couldnt imagine going on a week long trip........ 

95% of the time, my Mazda 5 was pretty empty. I eventually decided that it was too big and now that we were in the city with full access to minivans and other cars in a car sharing program or my dad's pickup truck, a compact sedan would work way better for us.

Once in awhile, I do regret not going for the 5 door Mazda 3.

I like the X1. It's basically a 3 series jacked up, still a sensibly sized vehicle. The X3 is also a good sized vehicle. The X5 is big, but somehow there's a certain allure to that vehicle. At least she didn't get the X6.

[ChaosphereIX]

Not me, our freinds with kids, when they come they come with a car full, by that I mean SUV/truck/minivan because none of them have cars, to the gills. Thats just for an afternoon visit, couldnt imagine going on a week long trip........ 

95% of the time, my Mazda 5 was pretty empty. I eventually decided that it was too big and now that we were in the city with full access to minivans and other cars in a car sharing program or my dad's pickup truck, a compact sedan would work way better for us.

Once in awhile, I do regret not going for the 5 door Mazda 3.

I like the X1. It's basically a 3 series jacked up, still a sensibly sized vehicle. The X3 is also a good sized vehicle. The X5 is big, but somehow there's a certain allure to that vehicle. At least she didn't get the X6.

now that you mention it, her husband has an X6M...lol

[Fobroader]

Not me, our freinds with kids, when they come they come with a car full, by that I mean SUV/truck/minivan because none of them have cars, to the gills. Thats just for an afternoon visit, couldnt imagine going on a week long trip........ 

95% of the time, my Mazda 5 was pretty empty. I eventually decided that it was too big and now that we were in the city with full access to minivans and other cars in a car sharing program or my dad's pickup truck, a compact sedan would work way better for us.

Once in awhile, I do regret not going for the 5 door Mazda 3.

I like the X1. It's basically a 3 series jacked up, still a sensibly sized vehicle. The X3 is also a good sized vehicle. The X5 is big, but somehow there's a certain allure to that vehicle. At least she didn't get the X6.

See the X6 is such a useless vehicle that it appeals to me. Only in the M version, the other one only a complete idiot would buy as the car is ugly, too high, doesnt work off road, doesnt handle like a sports car, cramped interior and no cargo room, but the X6M, goes like a banshee, has stupid wide wheels and from what Ive heard handles well for a soggy station wagon.

[rrocket]

^^Why spend the extra cheddar on the X6M when an SRT Jeep can do the same thing?  Or an FX56?

[Fobroader]

^^Why spend the extra cheddar on the X6M when an SRT Jeep can do the same thing?  Or an FX56?

The SRT is cool, but the X6 is more unique......and it sounds awesome.

[rrocket]

^^Why spend the extra cheddar on the X6M when an SRT Jeep can do the same thing?  Or an FX56?

The SRT is cool, but the X6 is more unique......and it sounds awesome.

It was the pace vehicle at the Indy MotoGP race.  Got to see it go full bore around the oval....

[Fobroader]

^^Why spend the extra cheddar on the X6M when an SRT Jeep can do the same thing?  Or an FX56?

The SRT is cool, but the X6 is more unique......and it sounds awesome.

It was the pace vehicle at the Indy MotoGP race.  Got to see it go full bore around the oval....

X6 or SRT8??

[rrocket]

[Fobroader]

Yeah....thats a proper UUV.....useless utility vehicle!!! 

[mmret]

That is awful.

[mixmanmash]

Yeah....thats a proper UUV.....useless utility vehicle!!! 

Lol.  That's a paradox.

[Bernie]

I wonder how much of the BMW "Taking the crown" was substance over it being the more  "prestigious" [i.e brag worthy] nameplate to own, because as Tom Sedens put it, it was an "upstart vs icon". Had the caddy better "bragging rights" would it have won?

[rrocket]

I wonder how much of the BMW "Taking the crown" was substance over it being the more  "prestigious" [i.e brag worthy] nameplate to own, because as Tom Sedens put it, it was an "upstart vs icon". Had the caddy better "bragging rights" would it have won?

Absolutely.  This was the same when the Infiniti would kick the crap out of the BMW in every performance category that mattered, yet would lose the comparo.

This is the case here it seems.

[tinnemeneer]

Good review and an enjoyable read although the title could have been: 

Head-to-Head-to-Head Comparison Test: 2013 BMW 328i xDrive vs. Ghost of Previous 3-Series vs. 2013 Cadillac ATS 2.0T AWD

You may have drawn more comparisons of the 328 to previous models than to the Cadillac. I think this is another example of how hard it is for BMW to live up to its own reputation.

BMW WAS a great company at one point. It was an enthusiast brand aimed at people who could discern the difference between a drivers car or a fat, overstuffed highway couch. Today....meh, like I said, I used to be a huge BMW fan, the screaming M3 V8, the E39 M5....now, there isnt a car in their lineup I would buy brand new, lottery win or not. Cadillac, hell yeah, 2L turbo, RWD and a manual, wooohoooo.

How would you rate the 328 if the M3 V8 and E39 M5 wouldn't be there ? I don't like or dislike brands for their previous lineup, I just look at the models I would have to buy/drive myself. From the current BMW lineup, I like a couple and dislike a couple as well. Cadillac is on the right track but, for me, not quite there yet (I need a trunk of at least 350 liters).


 


 

[whaddaiknow]

I wonder how much of the BMW "Taking the crown" was substance over it being the more  "prestigious" [i.e brag worthy] nameplate to own, because as Tom Sedens put it, it was an "upstart vs icon". Had the caddy better "bragging rights" would it have won?

Absolutely.  This was the same when the Infiniti would kick the crap out of the BMW in every performance category that mattered, yet would lose the comparo.

This is the case here it seems.

Completely 100% disagree.
Just go read James' Day 2 of the ATS. To save you some time, here are the quotes:

In regards to the size of the ATS, though… it is small. The exterior dimensions show that this vehicle is the same size as a BMW 3-series, but I do not know where the space has gone to. The interior is cramped, ingress and egress for the back seats is laughable...

...I’ve noticed the speedometer needle tends to shake on the highway, which is pretty odd. There are a few other oddities that have disappointed me: one is that the steering rack squeaks when it is cold out as you turn the wheel… squeak… squeak; and it sounds like there is a mouse in the air handler system as there is a irregular clunk clunk sound coming from it at times.

As other reviewers have mentioned, the CUE system can be a love it or hate it affair — the touchscreen works well enough, but the console buttons for fan speed, volume control and heated seats are horrible — they do not work with gloves and are unresponsive at times. Worse than that, though, are the steering wheel controls with a large rocker switch that you push in to select — that works only half the time… if you’re lucky.

That's on a brand new car.
I know I am beating a dead horse here, but some reviewers tend to judge a car by the first impression. Once you get to live with it for a while, things change. It's the little details that kill it.

Meet a gorgeous looking girl with perfect face and figure who is a great dancer and then get her to bed to realize she can't control her flatulence and has zits in all perculiar places. That's ATS for ya.

[greengs]

It's interesting that both engines produce similar HP despite a big difference in HP ratings.