2013 Cadillac ATS Performance

Cadillac engineered the ATS sport sedan from the ground up, starting with extensive work on its new Alpha rear-wheel-drive platform, a luxurious interior with the touch-capacitive CUE infotainment system, and a handsome exterior. Smaller than the CTS, the ATS takes direct aim at the heart of the luxury sport sedan market—the Audi A4, BMW 3-series, Infiniti G37, and Mercedes-Benz C-class.

General Motors put all of its engineering know-how into the new Alpha platform on which the rear-wheel-drive ATS is built, and, in fact, the new lightweight vehicle architecture will go on to underpin the next-generation Chevrolet Camaro and Cadillac CTS. To bring home the message that the ATS will be a driver’s car, Germany’s famed Nürburgring served as a key development ground. Powering the ATS are three available engines. The base powerplant, which is quite smooth, is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder rated at 200 hp. The most powerful is the same 3.6-liter V-6 found in the CTS and other GM products that is known for its strong and smooth power delivery; here it is rated at 320 hp. The third engine is all-new and was specifically developed for the ATS: a 2.0-liter turbocharged in-line four-cylinder that produces a BMW 328i–besting 270 hp. Manual and automatic transmissions are offered, both with six speeds. Rear-wheel drive is standard, as befitting a performance-oriented sedan; all-wheel drive is an option. As far as styling goes, Cadillac’s Art & Science design language has been toned down here with fewer angles and more traditional proportions, but the ATS is still unmistakably a Cadillac—and one that proves to be very entertaining to drive, as well.