Quick, agile and good on gas
I have to admit I was never a big fan of the first Cadillacs I encountered in the 1970s. They were too big and handled poorly compared to what was coming out of Europe, this caused sales to diminish over the years in the luxury car market. Since 2002 Cadillac has been doing a lot to shake this image when it introduced the CTS, and now they have taken one step further with the new smaller ATS.
This new smaller Cadillac is aimed at the high-end sport sedan and coupe market and after having spent a good amount of time with the new model, I have to say they are spot on. The ATS comes as either coupe or sedan, either rear-wheel or all-wheel-drive and with a four cylinder or V6 engine configuration. My test car was the rear-wheel-drive 2-litre 4-cylinder turbo model with a 6-speed manual transmission.
The 4-cylinder turbo in the test ATS makes this car a treat to drive and couple that with the 6-speed manual transmission and you have one exciting combination. The engine is, as you might suspect, a double overhead cam model with nicely matched turbo that makes for smooth acceleration unlike turbo lag experienced in the past. Power output is an amazing 272hp. and torque figure of 295lb.ft. which makes this 1550kg (3418lb.) quick without being too hard to control. General Motor’s engineers have balanced the car with a 51/49 front rear weight bias, which I found excellent for quick cornering and good handling. When needed, the engine can and will pull extremely well when encountering step inclines with minimal effort.
As my car was equipped with the manual transmission,this really enhanced the enjoyment I got from driving this car. Shifting gears was effortless and worked well with no missing of shifts and if you didn’t down shift, the torque of the engine easily pulled well in the higher gear at low speeds. Stopping was, as you might imagine, top-notch, with more than adequate Bembo disc brakes at all four corners.
My test car was equipped with a very stylish optional leather interior, which didn’t look that cosy at first glance, but turned out to be quite comfortable when I put a lot of kilometres on the car. I found the rear seating more suited to smaller people or children and getting in and out of there was a little challenging with winter coats due to its design. But once in the back, the rear seating is not too bad for moderately short trips by adults.
The dash was easy to read and all controls were undemanding to reach and in most cases simple to operate without having to read the manual. My test car had the optional Navigation system witch I did like, as it too is easy to read and equally simple to operate. One optional accessory I really loved was the heated steering wheel. When switched on the wheel warms almost instantly, which is perfect for Canadian winter drivers, and believe me, it really is a joy in the cold.
If you haven’t guessed by now, I really liked this car. It was all the things I like about smaller cars, quick, agile and good on gas. This is one car I would seriously consider buying myself when the time comes to purchase a new one.
HIGHLIGHTS
Base price: $46,285 as tested $52,390
HP: 272 @ 5500rpm
Max. Torque: 295 @ 3,000 to 4,600rpm
Fuel Consumption 11.1 L/100km city and 7.9L /100km. highway