2014 Cadillac Ats 20 L Turbo Luxury Awd Review
The Machine Connection Skilful Review
Editorial Director
August 18, 2014
Likes
- Powerful, fun turbocharged iv and Five-half dozen engines
- Balanced, crisp treatment
- Intelligent interior design
- CUE's step-ahead infotainment
Dislikes
- Somewhat snug dorsum seat
- Modest trunk
- Less distinctive than some previous Cadillac pattern efforts
Ownership tip
features & specs
4-Door Sedan 2.0L Luxury AWD
iv-Door Sedan 2.0L Luxury RWD
four-Door Sedan 2.0L Performance AWD
The 2014 Cadillac ATS puts the Germans on observe in handling and performance, while hit high marks in quality and comfort, as well.
The 2014 Cadillac ATS is a relative newcomer on the market; but that's not the simply reason why it manages to stand out. Among compact sport sedans, the ATS has come closest to unseating the Germans, and particularly the benchmark BMW 3-Series.
With brilliant handling, excellent cabin quality, and plenty of high-tech gadgetry, the 3-Series' position as the de facto leader is in jeopardy. That's non to say that other cars, including the Mercedes-Benz C Course, Audi A4, and Infiniti Q50, aren't besides making their ain leaps forward.
The exterior of the 2014 Cadillac ATS is hitting merely not controversial, every bit it blends modernistic Cadillac design with a wider-spectrum appeal. Inside, it'southward more of the same, with well-baked lines and sleek curves meeting quality materials in a self-bodacious, modern surround.
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A trio of engines is available in the ATS: a base of operations four-cylinder, an upgrade to a 272-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder, or a smoothen 321-horsepower V-half-dozen. A Tremec six-speed manual transmission is bachelor, pairing nicely with the turbocharged four-cylinder for enthusiast corner carving duties; a 6-speed automatic finds amend companionship with the powerful V-vi. There's no ultra-performance version offered nevertheless, and accordingly no V-8 engine, but the ATS' combination of lithe dynamics and punchy iv- and six-cylinders displays a balance yous might not expect of an American car.
Wood, leather, and metallic adorn the interior, with a choice of trims and accents, including optional carbon fiber pieces. Sport bucket seats in the front grip the occupants, especially the upgraded performance seats; infinite is good in the front, likewise, with width and depth even for the long-legged. The rear seat is a bit tighter, just still quite adept for its segment. Dotted around the cabin are numerous small-scale-item storage bins, including one smartly concealed behind the CUE infotainment screen.
As y'all'd expect of any 2014-model car, the Cadillac ATS includes a full complement of airbags, numbering eight in total, including front knee joint air numberless, plus an option for rear side air bags. The NHTSA grants the ATS a five-star overall rating. Prophylactic tech includes an bachelor lane-departure warning arrangement, adaptive prowl control, and a rearview photographic camera.
Standard Bluetooth, Bose sound, climate control, and ability accessories can exist built upon with a navigation arrangement, total-leather interior, and expanded media connectivity including SD, USB, and Bluetooth audio streaming. The CUE organisation which drives the Cadillac infotainment experience is still new, and quite advanced, with its unique combination of capacitive affect and haptic feedback setting information technology apart from other luxury alternatives.
Priced competitively, the ATS spans a range from the lower $30,000s to the lower $forty,000s in base price, depending on the engine chosen. Future additions expected for the ATS range include a coupe and possibly a high-performance 5-series variant.
The sexy ATS bathes in the afterglow of Cadillac's Art & Science ethos.
Cadillac started purging conservative proportions from its lineup dorsum in 2003, when the CTS and its "Art & Science" styling brought chiseled, boxy, daringly unlike looks to the sport-sedan crowd. Since and then the make has applied the look to its other vehicles; to this day, the theme remains much discussed and sometimes maligned. Simply either way you look at it, the GM make gained what it needed: a point of distinction.
Fine art & Science in the 2014 Cadillac ATS has been milled down from its exuberant, raw beginnings into something less divisive--or at least, something that fits correct in with the electric current crop of sport sedans. The edges have almost been honed off the pint-sized grille, while boxlike fender folds take been toned down. Corners are smoothed like a contour canvass; some of the farthermost tension that we see in the CTS'due south design is missing here; and the roofline seems right in pace with the graceful Infiniti sedans. In that location's a confident aura that pervades, though, accented with long tapered headlights, LED fillips, deeply sculptured flanks, and a opinion that stands as a flat-out claiming to the current Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
We're not wild about the ergonomics inside the CTS, and here's where Cadillac does information technology improve with the ATS. The sweep of wood or metal trim pieces wouldn't be out of place in a BMW or an Infiniti, but no other brand'south so transformed the interior of their cars as completely as Cadillac does with CUE. Virtually of the ATS' controls have been replaced with a affect-sensitive screen, and the layout will be familiar to those who accept cross-shopped luxury models--peculiarly, say, from Lincoln--but the screens are beautifully rendered and a cutting above those from about other luxury makers. Everything'southward coordinated in design and function, from a blueprint standpoint--although of course we wish the interface itself would work a little bit better.
Fit and finish are Like Lincoln, Cadillac's made bang-up leaps in fit and finish, and the ATS' motel is warmer and better executed than whatsoever of its luxury competitors, save Audi. Stitched dash trim pieces, a choice of wood trims and finishes--or metal or carbon fiber--give the ATS the flashes of graphic symbol y'all'll find in the latest A4, though the ATS' dramatically curved nuance is more interesting than the Audi console.
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The 2014 ATS is as nimble as the BMW iii-Series, serving up Teutonic overcompetence with rear-bulldoze and 6 manual gears.
The 2014 Cadillac ATS runs in a tough oversupply; and ultimately what matters tin be distilled downward to a single question: Is it as much of a performance benchmark--in terms of engineering, numbers, and seat-of-the-pants thrills--as the BMW 3-Series? The ATS performance story boils down to one question: is it the street-gripping, tach-ripping trump menu to BMW'due south 3-Series, the car that just about every luxury brand calls its benchmark?
While you may never convince a Bimmerphile that a Cadillac could come close to the three-Series' about-mystical handling, the truth is that it'southward right up in the 3er'southward face. With a lighter adjourn weight and ameliorate suspension pattern, the ATS is the best counterbalanced, about controllable, and about tossable Cadillac, ever; it takes all that the CTS has washed well, and amplifies them.
We also call up that the 2014 ATS also is the most fully realized Cadillac ever launched, in terms of its drivetrain configurations and handling permutations.With powertrains ranging from merely responsive to very quick, there's enough to satisfy a broad range of driving-enthusiast wants and needs.
The centerpiece of the lineup is a thrusty turbo four-cylinder coupled to rear- or all-wheel bulldoze, manual or automated six-speed transmission, base or FE3 intermission tuning and magnetic shocks. Information technology's bracketed by an outspoken, muscular six-cylinder teamed with the automatic and rear- or all-wheel drive.
Our commencement verdict? The turbo four/manual/rear-wheel bulldoze combination is the 1 y'all'll come across in endless head-to-caput comparison tests; Five-6s and automatics and all-bicycle drive give the ATS broad appeal without distorting its lean graphic symbol as well far out of shape.
Separately, you're probably bound to notice the best lease special on the rear-bulldoze, four-cylinder, automated-only edition. It has plainer appeal from behind the bike, but it still should satisfy those who want the flashier styling of this sport sedan.
That base two.5-liter four puts out 202 horsepower and 191 pound-feet of torque. It runs on regular fuel, changes gears with GM'south Hydramatic six-speed automatic with tap control, and is rear-wheel drive only. Cadillac estimates information technology'll clock a 0-60 mph run in 7.5 seconds, and deliver EPA-estimated gas mileage of 22 mpg metropolis and 32 mpg highway. With 17-inch wheels, a leatherette interior, and the automatic-only layout, it's spec'ed out to a toll, but we don't find it disagreeable.
Models packed with the 2.0-liter turbo four make an energetic 272 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. It's the only ATS to offering a choice of six-speed automatic with tap-shift manual control or a real manual six-speed transmission, and rear- or all-wheel drive. The turbo four's optimized for premium unleaded, but engineers say it'll evangelize more than 250 horsepower if regular is used. With a mellow tenor growl, it benefits from GM'due south active noise-cancellation hardware. The turbo whistle has been tuned out for American tastes, and the turbo four plus a pretty light-shifting Tremec vi-speed transmission delivers a 0-60 mph rush estimated by GM at five.vii seconds. That's coincidentally the aforementioned fourth dimension as the BMW 328i with its viii-speed automatic.
At the top of the lineup there'south the familiar 3.6-liter V-six, rated at a strong 321 horsepower here. It's pretty vocal, as we've establish in the latest applications, similar in the GMC Terrain Denali, and it rarely lacks for mid-range or passing ability, with GM'south quick-shifting half dozen-speed automatic the simply gearbox paired with it. Acceleration times drop just slightly, to 5.iv seconds, while gas mileage falls to 19/28 mpg.
With lots of time and attending given to its steering and suspension pattern, the ATS outclasses all but the BMW in its class for dynamic fluence, and creates a fog around BMW's unquestioned number-one condition. No matter how you lot configure the ATS, there's a sense of composure, confidence, and precision behind the wheel--and the ZF electrical power steering organisation gets some of the kudos. There's a sport mode that adds heft, but doesn't change the steering ratio--information technology's but a matter of taste, engineers say, and we say information technology's fine with the "normal," lighter effort. The single ratio keeps things true to form off-centre, so some may prefer it to the variable-ratio racks in some competing products.
A sophisticated multi-link pause helps allow that nuanced handling to transfer neatly to all kinds of road surfaces and commuter inputs. In forepart, a MacPherson strut is flanked past multiple links that create a virtual axis for better response, while the shorter links have less tendency to flex in corners. More taut than a C Class or an A4, the ATS notwithstanding doesn't thrum or tramline over bad road surfaces like a G37.
On ATS sedans with the Premium package and the FE3 sport intermission, the struts are swapped out for dampers with magnetically-charged fluid that changes resistance dynamically, for the same Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) found in the Corvette. MRC does flatten out transient responses and road patter a bit, merely the ATS' basic setup doesn't generate excessive body roll or ride harshness to begin with, even with the upgrade eighteen-inch run-flat wheel-and-tire packet. The ATS' "Performance" bundle doesn't include MRC: accept that either as a revealing detail, or every bit just a Freudian slip.
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There's all the same been no formal announcement about an even higher-performance ATS-V, just nosotros know it's on the mode. Additionally, if you desire more performance—for the track, for instance—there'south a package of Brembo brake calipers (and a brake-lining upgrade) that'southward offered on the base motorcar and standard on other models. FE3 cars become wider-tread 18-inch tires.
The back seat in the 2014 ATS is tight and the torso is small-scale, but the sport seats in front are fantastic.
While the Cadillac CTS has filled in every bit a rival to both compact sport-sedan models like the BMW 3-Serial and those a size larger like the 5-Serial, the new ATS is entirely a meaty and taking on the 3-Series, Mercedes C-Class, and Audi A4.
That gives the side by side CTS, due this yr, a take a chance to grow; and information technology permits those who don't plan to pack adults into the dorsum seat (at least not for too long) a more compact sport-sedan selection from Cadillac.
The ATS measures 182.ii inches long, and rides on a 109.3-inch wheelbase—so it's not really any larger than compact sedans similar the Chevy Cruze or Ford Focus. At 55.9 inches tall and 71.i inches wide, it's a relatively petite packet all around, and at to the lowest degree relative to sport sedans of the recent past, Cadillac is proud of the ATS's low curb weight.
With 42.5 inches of front leg room, 33.5 inches of rear leg room, and 10.2 cubic feet of torso infinite, the ATS checks in almost even with most of its competitors for motel space. Its base front buckets are good enough to be compared to the German language school of firm and fine; the optional performance seats take very supportive backrests, are thinner in profile, and have adjustable thorax bolsters and thigh cushions. If there'due south no sunroof, the ATS has decent to practiced headroom for a six-foot adult, with practiced legroom in forepart.
In back, information technology's where you'll demand to consider your priorities. There's simply not enough useful infinite for average-to-taller adults, and even getting in and out tin can be tight. The slightly larger A4 and the noticeably bigger BMW and Infiniti are closer to practical for regular adult use. From the same overall length, BMW seems to have extracted more than usable space inside, and much more than trunk space.
That said, the ATS does offer up a lot of places within the cabin to store smaller items. Just behind the CUE infotainment screen is a storage bin almost ii liters large; it'southward big enough to hold phones, tablets, or radar detectors.
Another thing the ATS gets right is the details—in terms of trims, materials, and the look and feel of everything. At least at the base level, the iii-Series feels built to a lower price. In the ATS, real magnesium shift paddles, the haptic interaction with CUE, the coordination of CUE'due south graphics and icons across both its screens, even the high-quality look of the base leatherette interior all speak to a level of attending that mostly escaped today's CTS. If there'due south one detail the ATS is lacking, it's the rock-solid door-endmost sound of some quondam-school German sedans.
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A five-star NHTSA rating, besides every bit all kinds of loftier-tech safety options, add up to the stuff to satisfy techies and worriers.
Although Cadillac is aiming the ATS at the driving-enthusiast oversupply and those who want a lot of applied science in their cars, it'due south not a stretch to say that a big portion of these shoppers will also be interested in getting all the latest rubber gear and even blow-abstention features.
For that, all indications and so far are that the ATS delivers. It's already earned a five-star sweep in federal safety tests, including 5 stars even for the static rollover calculation. It hasn't yet been tested by the Insurance Found for Highway Safety (IIHS).
A strong fix of core safety features includes viii airbags (with dual front articulatio genus airbags) and active headrests. Rear side airbags are a major option non usually seen in domestic luxury sedans, merely often found on German luxury four-doors.
Bluetooth is standard, but nosotros find visibility to be questionable for shorter drivers especially, and a rearview camera isn't offered on the base machine unless yous opt for CUE.
We reserve the larger discussion on CUE (the Cadillac User Interface) for the Features section. Using whatsoever such infotainment interface is a distraction. That said, CUE is i of the neatest integration systems for smartphones and phonation controls yet.
The ATS has standard OnStar. With its GPS and cellular connectedness, it can dial emergency services in the event of an accident. It too can be linked to a myCadillac mobile app that performs all sorts of functions, from reminding yous where y'all've parked, to setting a service date.
If you lot're willing to pay a little (or a lot) extra, there'south quite the list of tech options that could be considered an nugget to safety. They include adaptive cruise control; front and rear automatic braking that tin can prevent or mitigate impacts at low speeds; a lane-departure alert system paired with a haptic seat that vibrates a bottom absorber when the automobile crosses into the reverse lane; and bullheaded-spot monitors with cross-traffic alerts. The ATS also can be fitted with a head-upwardly display, configurable for the commuter's favorite settings, whether they include posted speed limits, a tachometer, or navigation.
Cadillac's CUE interface highlights a very tech-frontward, luxuriously equipped motel.
Just in case you don't observe the 2014 ATS inviting enough based on how enjoyable it is to drive, Cadillac has filled it to the brim with features--more near rival sport sedans--and fitted (into most ATS models you'll see at the dealership) information technology with the brand's latest CUE in-dash interface.
The new sedan comes in four dissimilar trim levels: standard, Luxury, Performance, and Premium. The base of operations 2.5-liter ATS comes but as a standard or Luxury sedan, with rear-wheel drive and an automatic manual. The 2.0-liter turbocharged iv spans the widest range of trim levels: it comes in standard, Luxury, Functioning, or Premium trim, and tin be had in rear- or all-wheel drive, with a choice of manual or automatic transmissions. The 3.6-liter V-6 comes just with the automatic, with rear- or all-cycle drive, and only in Luxury, Performance, or Premium trim.
Those trim levels stock nearly every standard feature needed to make the ATS the equal or superior of the A4, C Class, 3-Serial, or G37. The standard ATS comes with Bose sound with a unmarried-CD player; Bluetooth; 17-inch wheels; a leatherette interior; ability windows, locks, and mirrors; cruise control; and climate control. It'southward the simply version to offering the basic radio, but Cadillac took time to integrate the simpler unit into the nuance so it wouldn't expect similar an afterthought. Still, they wait near buyers still will opt to add together CUE to fifty-fifty this version--along with the bundled 8-inch LCD screen, HD Radio, Bluetooth with audio streaming, rearview camera, and voice controls. Other options on this trim will include a sunroof, and a common cold-weather condition package with heated seats.
On the Luxury package, leather seating becomes standard, along with ten-fashion power front seats with memory; a rearview camera; front and rear parking sensors; a fold-down rear seat; Brembo brakes and polished 17-inch wheels; and the CUE parcel offered as an choice on the base model.
All the Luxury features are standard on the Performance model, except the fold-down rear seats don't--they have merely a pass-through. A Functioning Package is added, including adaptive HID headlamps; aluminum sport pedals; forepart sport seats with power-adjustable bolsters and thigh supports; and on automatic-equipped cars, paddle shift controls. The Performance model too includes the Driver Awareness Package and a Commuter Assistance Package with blind-spot monitors; adaptive cruise control with front and rear automatic braking; and a head-up display that can be reconfigured to the driver'southward sense of taste.
Options on Luxury cars include a Driver Awareness Packet with a lane departure warning system, forward collision alerts, rear side airbags, rain-sensing wipers, and a haptic safety seat that vibrates the bottom cushion when the car crosses out of its lane; a navigation system; a sunroof; and a common cold-weather package. Meanwhile, options for the Performance model include the navigation organisation, common cold-conditions package, and 18-inch run-flat tires.
The Premium model includes everything but the Driver Help Package, a cold-weather bundle, and a sunroof. It also gets a full fold-down rear seat.
Most ATS models include CUE. In short, information technology'south a conceptual rival to the MyFord Impact system (also MyLincoln Affect) that'due south in Ford Motor Co. vehicles, simply we tend to think that its beautifully rendered screens and true capacitive bear on screen with proximity sensing make it easier to use. This then-called Cadillac User Experience is a impact-and-swipe interface that replaces many buttons and switches on the center console, and augments them with steering-bike controls and voice commands. CUE senses when a hand approaches the screen, and responds by displaying chief command icons for sound, climate, phone, and navigation. And its touch-sensitive screen too enables some of the same pinch-zoom-scroll commands that are going to be familiar to anyone who'southward used a smartphone or tablet.
1 of the swell design features of CUE is that you tin can set preset buttons for whatever role it controls--not only radio stations. It reads inbound text messages from Bluetooth-tethered smartphones every bit vox messages, and tin can respond with pre-prepare responses. Information technology tin can read music or video from SD cards, DVDs, or CDs, and stream sound from mobile apps or a music player via Bluetooth.
Although CUE replaces a lot of traditional buttons, it does add some haptic feedback to confirm actions. Like the seat vibration that's triggered by a lane deviation on some ATS sedans, it'due south the right kind of motion in the right context. CUE also retains some difficult buttons for major functions, skipping the learning curve that all the other luxury brands have had to acquire the hard manner, on their road to reducing clutter while exponentially increasing functionality.
We've played effectually with CUE in beta grade and in the XTS a few times, and think it's the clear winner amidst all the advanced infotainment interfaces bachelor from the luxury brands--the roller-controller ready included, with the possible exception of the Tesla Model Due south.
For 2014, Cadillac has added a 110-volt power outlet to ATS models with CUE and the Navigation package; Intellibeam automated high-beam control has been added with the Driver Awareness and Driver Assist packages, and a new leather-wrapped, larger-diameter sport steering bicycle is included in models with steering-wheel paddle-shifters.
There's likewise an extended assortment of dealer accessories, including new Manoogian premium painted wheels, Y-rated summertime tires, a black chrome sport grille, and aluminum sport pedal ready.
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You won't find best-in-grade mileage in the 2014 Cadillac ATS, but with the turbo four it's pretty frugal for a sport sedan.
The 2014 Cadillac ATS is 1 of the better models for fuel economy in this form of sport sedans, but it isn't the efficiency leader.
The base 2.5-liter iv in the ATS is rated at 22/32 mpg, with the turbocharged 2.0-liter four earning the same ratings. At the other extreme, V-half dozen models earn 19 mpg city, 28 highway, or 18/26 with all-cycle drive.
Turbocharged two.0T models stand in the middle, with ratings of 21/31 with rear-bike drive, or xx/30 with all-wheel bulldoze. Those numbers are a bit below those of the BMW 328i, which also includes stop-offset applied science, a potential fuel-saver in sluggish commuter traffic. There'south also Audi's latest A4, with an eight-speed automated--rated at 24/31 mpg.
A diesel version of the ATS is still a possibility for the U.Southward. market, just Cadillac hasn't all the same announced a time frame for its introduction.
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Continue Reading
The Car Connectedness Consumer Review
June 25, 2015
2014 Cadillac ATS 4-Door Sedan 2.0L Luxury AWD
cute auto but small on uncomfortable not east to get in and out of
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Apr 28, 2015
2014 Cadillac ATS four-Door Sedan ii.0L Luxury AWD
Pretty automobile. They stepped up interiors.
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April 14, 2015
For 2014 Cadillac ATS
Outstanding value for the money
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Source: https://www.thecarconnection.com/overview/cadillac_ats_2014
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