On this week’s episode of Head 2 Head, Motor Trend’s Mike Febbo hits the road to find out if Cadillac or BMW can make the better tuner car. Representing Bavaria is the European Car-tuned BMW 335i, while Motor City is covered by the D3 Cadillac ATS 3.6.
BMW is well-represented in this Head 2 Head by the BMW 335i project car of European Car. The magazine has made a few effective modifications to its 3 Series in an effort to address some of the problems we’ve had with the car in previous comparos. European Car starts with a BMW M Performance Kit, which is an ECU re-flash available at Bimmer dealers. Next up, they fit their car with Bilstein coil-overs, big brakes, HRE wheels, Nitto Invo tires, and a Borla catback exhaust.
The D3 Cadillac ATS 3.6 is lightly modified compared to European Car’s BMW. D3, haven’t changed the ATS’ powertrain much, instead opting to change the six-speed auto’s shift points and sharpening throttle response. Other changes include a D3-designed coil-over kit, TSW wheels, and an axle-back exhaust.
So which car comes out on top? Watch as Febbo takes each car to the dyno, the track, and to the canyons to find out.