Topic: Day-by-Day Review: 2013 Cadillac ATS 3.6; Day 1

[Autos_Editor]

After a week indulging in one of the best sports cars on the planet, will the dynamic Cadillac ATS ease the transition back to reality for James?
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[Frontier1]

I love the looks of that car, thread carefully with your praise, else the GM haters will be right along to straighten you out   After all it's not a Lexus

[dragonfly]

 Or a , urp, Honda...Hehe  Lovely car..Jack

[ChaosphereIX]

fantastic car. Too pricey for me and I will probably never be able to afford one unless it is 6 years old with 80kms on it, but I would pick it over a BMW or a Merc. But really I would save a little more and get an S4...

[carcrazed]

fantastic car. Too pricey for me and I will probably never be able to afford one unless it is 6 years old with 80kms on it, but I would pick it over a BMW or a Merc. But really I would save a little more and get an S4...

S4... 

I still haven't seen one on the road yet.  I need to get out more.

[whaddaiknow]

After a week indulging in one of the best sports cars on the planet, will the dynamic Cadillac ATS ease the transition back to reality for James?
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No doubt it's the best looking Caddy in a long time.
My question for James would be on the CUE system. Does it really work as promised and is it easier and more intuitive than BMW's iDrive in the 3-series. I've read mostly critical reviews of the CUE system but some seem to like it.

[Solstice2006]

How many ATS reviews do we need?  We had one in December (3.6), another one two weeks ago (3.6 AWD), yesterday (2.0 AWD), today the comparo with bmw, and this one, a week with the ATS.  So thats over 5 (not including any first drives.  To give you an idea the ratio of reviews, there are only 2 test drives with the BMW 328, only that engine, and 2 test drives of the Honda Accord (one 4 cylinder, the other a V6) which makes sense. 

Yes I know, you can't control the test drives you get, but it seems like GM week, once you add the GMC Acadia as well!

[Noto]

I was going to search GM's website to explain why the luxury package shouldn't be the one to opt for because the base car with the 2.0T and RWD or AWD is sufficient...but it's convoluted and stupid, so I quit.  They need a simpler strategy, and they'd have some better cost savings if they offered fewer versions.

This is what Dodge is doing with the Dart - and they're failing.

[Blueprint]

I was going to search GM's website to explain why the luxury package shouldn't be the one to opt for because the base car with the 2.0T and RWD or AWD is sufficient...but it's convoluted and stupid, so I quit.  They need a simpler strategy, and they'd have some better cost savings if they offered fewer versions.

This is what Dodge is doing with the Dart - and they're failing.

I've only seen two Darts on the road so far...and one is a fleet car with corporate logos. Looks like a very tepid start.

[Blueprint]

I sat in this car and it presents a case of reverse-Fit: Looks huge outside, is waaayyyy cramped inside. Trunk is smaller than most (if not all) compacts on the market.

[Benhaze]

Glad to see ground clearance is better than on my CTS. I never thought about that until the first big snow storm: my CTS is so low to the ground that I ended up plowing my residential street up to the first major intersection. It is no laughing matter because every time you come across any kind of snow pile ahead of you you wonder if you will loose the front deflector or perhaps even the bumper. Don't even think going through a small snowbank. But so far so good.

I still love my CTS and would buy it again without hesitation.

note: interesting the EPA rating is exactly the same for the 2013 ATS 3.6 AWD than my larger and heavier 2010 CTS 3.6 AWD...

[Solstice2006]

Glad to see ground clearance is better than on my CTS. I never thought about that until the first big snow storm: my CTS is so low to the ground that I ended up plowing my residential street up to the first major intersection. It is no laughing matter because every time you come across any kind of snow pile ahead of you you wonder if you will loose the front deflector or perhaps even the bumper. Don't even think going through a small snowbank. But so far so good.

I still love my CTS and would buy it again without hesitation.

note: interesting the EPA rating is exactly the same for the 2013 ATS 3.6 AWD than my larger and heavier 2010 CTS 3.6 AWD...

I know you have only had the 2010 CTS a couple of years.  But when the 2nd generation came out, I was considering buying the last model year of the 1st generation.  But after going through used car reviews, there seemed to be quite a few issues.  Not sure if people were nit picking or what.  How has yours been so far?  How many kms?  I know the 3.6L is a pretty good engine, but I prefer better fuel economy, not sure if the 3.0L is much better in terms of fuel economy.  And not sure how good it is, it's not used as much as the 3.6L.

[Benhaze]

Glad to see ground clearance is better than on my CTS. I never thought about that until the first big snow storm: my CTS is so low to the ground that I ended up plowing my residential street up to the first major intersection. It is no laughing matter because every time you come across any kind of snow pile ahead of you you wonder if you will loose the front deflector or perhaps even the bumper. Don't even think going through a small snowbank. But so far so good.

I still love my CTS and would buy it again without hesitation.

note: interesting the EPA rating is exactly the same for the 2013 ATS 3.6 AWD than my larger and heavier 2010 CTS 3.6 AWD...

I know you have only had the 2010 CTS a couple of years.  But when the 2nd generation came out, I was considering buying the last model year of the 1st generation.  But after going through used car reviews, there seemed to be quite a few issues.  Not sure if people were nit picking or what.  How has yours been so far?  How many kms?  I know the 3.6L is a pretty good engine, but I prefer better fuel economy, not sure if the 3.0L is much better in terms of fuel economy.  And not sure how good it is, it's not used as much as the 3.6L.

Yes the first generation had some issues and the second generation was such a leap forward that I feel bad for any old generation owners. Mine so far has been very good; it has 49,000 km. Lately the keyless access system has been acting up at times (need to use the key to unlock driver's door) so I will need to bring it in but other than that no issues. On a side note, I have the sport package II (the mid level one) and rev matching (like infiniti's) is part of the package, something very rarely mentioned. The stability control is much less intrusive in sport mode and if you know what you are doing a lot of fun!

I had a 2012 loaner with the 3.0L once. I was pleasantly surprised by it in the city: it accelerates well with a nice growl. But it is no match to the 3.6L at highway speeds or when driving in a spirited manner. My driving habits are not particularly oriented toward fuel economy and my CTS AWD guzzles gas like a SUV in the city at the rate of ~16.6L/100Km; I averaged about 15L with the 3.0L RWD.  On the highway at steady speed the CTS is like many GM vehicles, surprisingly good; once I got 8.0L/100km. I am sure the highway fuel economy difference is marginal between the two engines as long as you don't drive like Mario Andretti.

[bombastic]

Why in the article whenever it mentions the engine it shows only HP not the torque numbers? For me they are as much important as the HP.

[wing]

Cause I'm too lazy to look them up, it's like 275

[sailor723]

I sat in this car and it presents a case of reverse-Fit: Looks huge outside, is waaayyyy cramped inside. Trunk is smaller than most (if not all) compacts on the market.

That's what I thought when I saw one for the first time. Lots of body on the outside but not much space inside.

[sailor723]

Glad to see ground clearance is better than on my CTS. I never thought about that until the first big snow storm: my CTS is so low to the ground that I ended up plowing my residential street up to the first major intersection. It is no laughing matter because every time you come across any kind of snow pile ahead of you you wonder if you will loose the front deflector or perhaps even the bumper. Don't even think going through a small snowbank. But so far so good.

I still love my CTS and would buy it again without hesitation.

note: interesting the EPA rating is exactly the same for the 2013 ATS 3.6 AWD than my larger and heavier 2010 CTS 3.6 AWD...

I know you have only had the 2010 CTS a couple of years.  But when the 2nd generation came out, I was considering buying the last model year of the 1st generation.  But after going through used car reviews, there seemed to be quite a few issues.  Not sure if people were nit picking or what.  How has yours been so far?  How many kms?  I know the 3.6L is a pretty good engine, but I prefer better fuel economy, not sure if the 3.0L is much better in terms of fuel economy.  And not sure how good it is, it's not used as much as the 3.6L.

Yes the first generation had some issues and the second generation was such a leap forward that I feel bad for any old generation owners. Mine so far has been very good; it has 49,000 km. Lately the keyless access system has been acting up at times (need to use the key to unlock driver's door) so I will need to bring it in but other than that no issues. On a side note, I have the sport package II (the mid level one) and rev matching (like infiniti's) is part of the package, something very rarely mentioned. The stability control is much less intrusive in sport mode and if you know what you are doing a lot of fun!

I had a 2012 loaner with the 3.0L once. I was pleasantly surprised by it in the city: it accelerates well with a nice growl. But it is no match to the 3.6L at highway speeds or when driving in a spirited manner. My driving habits are not particularly oriented toward fuel economy and my CTS AWD guzzles gas like a SUV in the city at the rate of ~16.6L/100Km; I averaged about 15L with the 3.0L RWD.  On the highway at steady speed the CTS is like many GM vehicles, surprisingly good; once I got 8.0L/100km. I am sure the highway fuel economy difference is marginal between the two engines as long as you don't drive like Mario Andretti.

Not wishing you bad luck in any way but 50-60,000 kms was about when my SRX started it's self destruct sequence of serial part failures. 

[Ex-airbalancer]

Glad to see ground clearance is better than on my CTS. I never thought about that until the first big snow storm: my CTS is so low to the ground that I ended up plowing my residential street up to the first major intersection. It is no laughing matter because every time you come across any kind of snow pile ahead of you you wonder if you will loose the front deflector or perhaps even the bumper. Don't even think going through a small snowbank. But so far so good.

I still love my CTS and would buy it again without hesitation.

note: interesting the EPA rating is exactly the same for the 2013 ATS 3.6 AWD than my larger and heavier 2010 CTS 3.6 AWD...

I know you have only had the 2010 CTS a couple of years.  But when the 2nd generation came out, I was considering buying the last model year of the 1st generation.  But after going through used car reviews, there seemed to be quite a few issues.  Not sure if people were nit picking or what.  How has yours been so far?  How many kms?  I know the 3.6L is a pretty good engine, but I prefer better fuel economy, not sure if the 3.0L is much better in terms of fuel economy.  And not sure how good it is, it's not used as much as the 3.6L.

Yes the first generation had some issues and the second generation was such a leap forward that I feel bad for any old generation owners. Mine so far has been very good; it has 49,000 km. Lately the keyless access system has been acting up at times (need to use the key to unlock driver's door) so I will need to bring it in but other than that no issues. On a side note, I have the sport package II (the mid level one) and rev matching (like infiniti's) is part of the package, something very rarely mentioned. The stability control is much less intrusive in sport mode and if you know what you are doing a lot of fun!

I had a 2012 loaner with the 3.0L once. I was pleasantly surprised by it in the city: it accelerates well with a nice growl. But it is no match to the 3.6L at highway speeds or when driving in a spirited manner. My driving habits are not particularly oriented toward fuel economy and my CTS AWD guzzles gas like a SUV in the city at the rate of ~16.6L/100Km; I averaged about 15L with the 3.0L RWD.  On the highway at steady speed the CTS is like many GM vehicles, surprisingly good; once I got 8.0L/100km. I am sure the highway fuel economy difference is marginal between the two engines as long as you don't drive like Mario Andretti.

Not wishing you bad luck in any way but 50-60,000 kms was about when my SRX started it's self destruct sequence of serial part failures. 

But would the end results been better if you had it from 0 km?

[Benhaze]

Glad to see ground clearance is better than on my CTS. I never thought about that until the first big snow storm: my CTS is so low to the ground that I ended up plowing my residential street up to the first major intersection. It is no laughing matter because every time you come across any kind of snow pile ahead of you you wonder if you will loose the front deflector or perhaps even the bumper. Don't even think going through a small snowbank. But so far so good.

I still love my CTS and would buy it again without hesitation.

note: interesting the EPA rating is exactly the same for the 2013 ATS 3.6 AWD than my larger and heavier 2010 CTS 3.6 AWD...

I know you have only had the 2010 CTS a couple of years.  But when the 2nd generation came out, I was considering buying the last model year of the 1st generation.  But after going through used car reviews, there seemed to be quite a few issues.  Not sure if people were nit picking or what.  How has yours been so far?  How many kms?  I know the 3.6L is a pretty good engine, but I prefer better fuel economy, not sure if the 3.0L is much better in terms of fuel economy.  And not sure how good it is, it's not used as much as the 3.6L.

Yes the first generation had some issues and the second generation was such a leap forward that I feel bad for any old generation owners. Mine so far has been very good; it has 49,000 km. Lately the keyless access system has been acting up at times (need to use the key to unlock driver's door) so I will need to bring it in but other than that no issues. On a side note, I have the sport package II (the mid level one) and rev matching (like infiniti's) is part of the package, something very rarely mentioned. The stability control is much less intrusive in sport mode and if you know what you are doing a lot of fun!

I had a 2012 loaner with the 3.0L once. I was pleasantly surprised by it in the city: it accelerates well with a nice growl. But it is no match to the 3.6L at highway speeds or when driving in a spirited manner. My driving habits are not particularly oriented toward fuel economy and my CTS AWD guzzles gas like a SUV in the city at the rate of ~16.6L/100Km; I averaged about 15L with the 3.0L RWD.  On the highway at steady speed the CTS is like many GM vehicles, surprisingly good; once I got 8.0L/100km. I am sure the highway fuel economy difference is marginal between the two engines as long as you don't drive like Mario Andretti.

Not wishing you bad luck in any way but 50-60,000 kms was about when my SRX started it's self destruct sequence of serial part failures. 

Yes I remember your misfortune... Right now I am not worried about long term reliability. I like this car so much that I am even ready to deal with less than perfect reliability. Odds would have the same if not worse  with a German car that would be more expensive to upkeep.

[sailor723]

Glad to see ground clearance is better than on my CTS. I never thought about that until the first big snow storm: my CTS is so low to the ground that I ended up plowing my residential street up to the first major intersection. It is no laughing matter because every time you come across any kind of snow pile ahead of you you wonder if you will loose the front deflector or perhaps even the bumper. Don't even think going through a small snowbank. But so far so good.

I still love my CTS and would buy it again without hesitation.

note: interesting the EPA rating is exactly the same for the 2013 ATS 3.6 AWD than my larger and heavier 2010 CTS 3.6 AWD...

I know you have only had the 2010 CTS a couple of years.  But when the 2nd generation came out, I was considering buying the last model year of the 1st generation.  But after going through used car reviews, there seemed to be quite a few issues.  Not sure if people were nit picking or what.  How has yours been so far?  How many kms?  I know the 3.6L is a pretty good engine, but I prefer better fuel economy, not sure if the 3.0L is much better in terms of fuel economy.  And not sure how good it is, it's not used as much as the 3.6L.

Yes the first generation had some issues and the second generation was such a leap forward that I feel bad for any old generation owners. Mine so far has been very good; it has 49,000 km. Lately the keyless access system has been acting up at times (need to use the key to unlock driver's door) so I will need to bring it in but other than that no issues. On a side note, I have the sport package II (the mid level one) and rev matching (like infiniti's) is part of the package, something very rarely mentioned. The stability control is much less intrusive in sport mode and if you know what you are doing a lot of fun!

I had a 2012 loaner with the 3.0L once. I was pleasantly surprised by it in the city: it accelerates well with a nice growl. But it is no match to the 3.6L at highway speeds or when driving in a spirited manner. My driving habits are not particularly oriented toward fuel economy and my CTS AWD guzzles gas like a SUV in the city at the rate of ~16.6L/100Km; I averaged about 15L with the 3.0L RWD.  On the highway at steady speed the CTS is like many GM vehicles, surprisingly good; once I got 8.0L/100km. I am sure the highway fuel economy difference is marginal between the two engines as long as you don't drive like Mario Andretti.

Not wishing you bad luck in any way but 50-60,000 kms was about when my SRX started it's self destruct sequence of serial part failures. 

Yes I remember your misfortune... Right now I am not worried about long term reliability. I like this car so much that I am even ready to deal with less than perfect reliability. Odds would have the same if not worse  with a German car that would be more expensive to upkeep.

Glad you're so happy with your choice....a friend I sail with bought a CTS last summer and he's very pleased so far.