The dealer experience- I don't usually review this, but the folks at Masstria GMC, Cadillac, Buick in Raynham, MA were fantastic. I was right on time for my appointment and they had the keys ready to rock and roll and honored my request for a turbo with a 6 speed manual transmission. Jim, the sales professional (a term I don't usually use!) was assigned to me. We walked around the car a bit, talked about the body lines, the design, what he liked about it and was LOADED with information about the car- from the roof line, mirror shape, lower rear diffuser, and more- he knew it all. In my opinion, this is a very rare trait in a car salesman. We got in, he pointed out simple things like the laminated windows, sound deadening (noting that the exhaust can still be heard), and how to use the infotainment system. I turned the car on (weird starting a manual transmission car without a key) and noticed we were nearly out of fuel. He quickly got some cash and we hit the gas station. Instead of a measly couple of bucks, he filled the tank half way- again, not typical of a car salesman. We went for the drive and while I was enjoying the acceleration, braking, and handling, he put up no protest to my driving style. I asked and told him what I was going to do before it happened, but he never once suggested that I not do this or that. During the drive he pointed out the differences between the ATS and the 3 series and the people he's sold the ATS to who have traded in 1-2 model year old German vehicles. After the drive, I told him I was off to check out the competition (not really), but he didn't urge me to sit and try to sell me the car, but instead took a no pressure approach, told me that it looked like I really enjoyed myself in a Cadillac and if I decided to come back, to give him a call. Hassle free! if I were able to buy a new Cadillac, this would be the guy I'd get it from.
Alright, now to the good stuff-
Exterior- 8/10
Stunning car in person, especially in Opulent Blue Metallic. Its sharp, aggressive, and has its proportions worked out very well. The rear end is a little high, but there is a ton of trunk space if you needed it. It kinda keeps the Cadillac style of yesteryear with the pushed back cabin and long hood, accomplished by a strongly raked front windshield and gentle curve to the rear glass. The sides are high, but thats due to the stupid new restrictions on safety. With the ATS parked next to my Miata, my head would barely be as high as the side glass. Wheel gap is perfect, no excessive blank area, great fitment.
Interior- 9/10
I'm in love with the symmetry. The only other marque who does as good of a job is Infiniti. Nearly every surface is wrapped in leather. Stitching was fantastic. The seats were supportive without being annoyingly firm. The seat back is a little slender in regards to width, which isn't a problem for me, but would be for a fat dude. I liked the way it held me in place. Lighting in the cabin is cool and unoffensive and the accent colors for gauges and displays were a perfect contrast. In regards to infotainment, I'm not a huge fan of a car that can tell me the weather (I have eyes and ears for that), able to update my Bookface, or even have digital climate controls, but thats just a personal opinion. I would rather have buttons and dials any day since they're more reliable and (IMO) less complicated and take less attention to use while you're driving. Though the screen was big and legible, I'm driving, not fussing with the touch sensitive digital displays for the radio and climate control without a physical button. Again, personal preference. Thankfully Jim knew exactly how to work the entire system in its entirety. He showed me all the features and also explained the noise canceling technology that leads to a quieter ride.
The one technological advancement I really did like though was the Bose system. Let it be known that I hate, hate, hate Bose anything. Quantity does not generally equal quality. However, in the cabin of the ATS, the stereo had excellent highs, mids, and bass while listening to Hotel California while waiting for Jim to get back from paying the cashier at the gas station. The part that impressed me was the sound functions. There were infinite adjustments to the stock sound system- where the highs came from, the balances, where the bass is being loaded into which speakers, etc. There was an awesome option to change what I'm going to call the listeners sound stage. You can change between your own custom setting, an 'entire car' setting, and a 'drivers' setting. Toggling between each will yield very, very different sound from the speakers, and dare I say that they nailed the 'driver' setting. I presume it assumes that its just a solitary person in the car and directs the sound stage straight at the driver. The center channel on the dash makes a hell of a difference, too. Very impressed. Its almost as good as my home entertainment system.
The steering wheel has one of my favorite GM designs- the gentle protruding numbs at 10 and 2 that make the steering wheel a little more meaty there. Though I normally hate 3 spoke wheels, this one allowed me to rest my fingers at the bottom left and my left elbow on the arm rest for maximum comfort; likely due to the telescoping and tilting option. It could block the speedometer a little, but the HUD made that a non-issue.
The driving experience- 10/10
The first thing you'll notice is A LOT of dead space in the clutch pedal. It feels like a good foot (exaggerating) before it actually does any engaging. If you're not used to it, it'll take a little while to get used to making a smooth takeoff. After a few minutes, it became a non issue, but if I were driving the car on a track, it'd get old really quickly. After coming off the clutch and mashing the gas, the ANALOG tach needle will swing through DIGITAL (a cool feature, IMO) display and it'll be time to grab another gear to hear the exhaust sing again as you effortlessly and smoothly accelerate. The engine was a little raw, but I like the feedback. Though luxury buyers may not agree with me. Stats say 60 will come up in about 5.5 seconds with the 2.0 turbo, which is plenty fast for me. The shifter is outstanding. Gates are easy to find, the throw is short, and there is an affirmative feel letting you know you're in gear. Its not as good as a Miata, but still fantastic and not far off from being a match. There is power all over the rpm band and downshifting to pass on the highway isn't even necessary. Overall, the drive train is SOLID and I was never left wishing there was more power.
While the engine and transmission are very good, my favorite part about the car has to be the handling. I only drove the car in "sport mode" which is what I'd do if I owned it anyway, but the fly by wire steering and magnetic ride suspension work amazingly well together. Lets start with the steering. While it was light, easy to turn, and effortless- which would normally translate into a numb feel- BUT, there was LOADS of feedback from the tires and the feedback from the wheel was outstanding. I was never guessing where the wheels were and what they were doing. This went for long sweepers, tight corners, and even a patch of water on the highway. Easily the best electric steering I have yet to have the pleasure of turning the wheel of, the engineers nailed it.
The handling. Where do I start? Wow. First, the car weighs about 3,370 lbs. Lots of light weight materials combined with the fantastic, (no, actually, its outstanding) magnetic ride control suspension. I took a 4 door sedan around on ramps and off ramps at higher than acceptable speeds that I'd be just as comfortable with in my Miata. The chassis feels confident and just breezes through the corners, never protesting or giving up any feelings of uncertainty. I'm a believer and can't wait to try this out in a Corvette. I don't think zeee Germans can come as close to mastering this perfect balance of comfort and performance. Riding down the highway or a poorly maintained road yields a comfortable ride without being aggravating. I'd be just as happy commuting to work in the ATS and then bringing it to a track the next weekend. The brakes are very good, but I didn't work them very hard but considering the rest of the car is up to snuff, I wouldn't expect anything less of the brakes.
Overall, the ATS is an awesome car. If I had a family and needed a sedan and could only have one car based on what I could afford, this would be high on the list. The ride was very quiet, but also up to the task of hard driving. To hell with the 3 series, Cadillac is back to being "the new standard of the world."
