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Nov 22, 2023

No excuses: 2016 Cadillac ATS

What is it? The 2016 Cadillac ATS-V sedan and coupe aren’t particularly

What is it?

The 2016 Cadillac ATS-V sedan and coupe aren't particularly complicated, even if their engineering and performance technology are cutting edge. The smallest, lightest V Series cars to date form Cadillac's one-two punch at a luxury-performance category long dominated by European brands, excuses no longer necessary.

The competitive set includes some of the best, most interesting high-performance sedans and coupes in the world, including the Audi RS5, the Lexus RC-F and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. Cadillac vehicle chief engineer Tony Roma calls the ATS-V "a bi-modal car" that compromises neither luxury nor performance, yet he makes no bones about its ultimate target and benchmark. That would be the long-time track star among these compact-class hot-rods—the BMW M3/M4.

To build an M3 beater, Roma's team "considered every part and a million details" in the standard Cadillac ATS—already the lightest and arguably the sportiest car in its set. Engineers changed roughly 2000 parts from the ATS 2.0-liter turbo with FE3 sport suspension to get to V spec.

The most obvious beneficiary is the ATS-V's twin-turbo V6, which shares block architecture with Cadillac's familiar 3.6 and little else. Its crank is forged, its con rods are titanium and its valve train is upgraded. Gasoline is fed at 2,900 psi to maintain optimum fuel delivery and pulse precision even at 1.25 lateral g. Its turbos have low-inertia titanium-aluminide turbines and vacuum-actuated waste gates. Its patented low-volume intercooler improves packaging efficiency and maximizes charge cooling. The track-ready lubrication system includes a dedicated oil-cooler and high-velocity pump.

The net result of Cadillac's handiwork is 464 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque, SAE certified. That's 11 hp more than the initial projection, and 39 more than the M3's inline six…and more than the RS5's V8, and only a few ponies less than V8s in the RC-F or 2016 C63, with more torque than all but the Mercedes.

One advantage of the V6, according to Roma, is a shorter block that improves balance. The ATS-V's 51/49 percent front/rear weight distribution is the most even in the class. One of the biggest challenges was the V6's inherently lackadaisical sound, which can be aggravated by the turbos. To make the V sound as fast as it goes, Cadillac is relying on backpressure-reducing full-throttle flaps in both exhaust pipes and some digital tuning from Bose. The electronics minimize less desirable frequencies and enhance more enjoyable sounds, then pipe the result through the audio system.

The ATS-V comes with a six-speed manual featuring no-lift shift, rev matching and launch control. Its optional eight-speed automatic is borrowed from the Corvette, with a smaller torque converter and control updates. A hydraulic limited-slip diff is standard, cooled on the same air-to-liquid circuit as the transmission, and Roma calls it "one of our key tuning knobs." The V's half-shafts are sturdier than those in the standard ATS, and asymmetrical. More stiffness on the driver's side helps minimize axle hop under hard acceleration.

Bodywork is unique from the A-pillars forward, including a carbon-fiber hood punched with a large extraction vent to channel air from the engine bay and over the roof. The front and rear ends are aero optimized, with larger grilles of heavy wire mesh. An optional carbon fiber package adds a race-style splitter that generates legitimate downforce. Fenders are wider at all four corners.

V spec adds nine stiffening elements to the ATS unibody and more adhesive, primarily aimed at limiting strut-tower flex. Structural stiffness improves 25 percent to accommodate higher cornering loads. The coupe's 61.4-inch rear track is one inch wider than the sedan's—largely a function of the desired look—and its handling differences are apparent to well-calibrated rear ends.

A key to the ATS-V's "bi-modal" quality is Cadillac's Magnetic Ride Control adaptive suspension. With a faster processor and four smaller magnets in each shock, rather than two larger, Gen III MRC improves response in the same way twin turbochargers surpass a single turbo. It speeds adjustment time 40 percent, according to Cadillac, and actually pulls electric current out of the shocks when they need to get softer, rather than just waiting for the current to dissipate. Using data from 18 different sensors, accounting for steering angle and brake application, MRC reads and adjusts damping rates every inch of travel at 60 mph. And for the ATS-V, MRC is recalibrated for a firmer peak dampening rate.

Beyond the big-ticket items, V upgrades are pervasive. Springs and stabilizer bars are firmer, contributing to 50-percent more roll stiffness. There are new suspension cradle mounts, and many of the bushings are replaced with zero-compliance ball joints. The variable-rate ZF steering rack is stiffened to enhance precision and feedback.

The Brembo brakes are essentially those used on the 2014 CTS-V, a car that weighs 500 pounds more—except for improved metallurgy in the bi-metal rotors. The iron discs are nitride treated to prevent surface rust and improve wear. Rotors measure 14.5 inches in front, with six-piston aluminum calipers, and 13.3 inches rear, with four-piston calipers. The 18-inch rims are forged, available in three finishes, and fitted with three-compound, ATS-V-specific Michelin Pilot Super Sports (255/35ZR18 front, 275/35ZR rear).

There's also a range of luxury-grade comfort, convenience and safety features. Automatic Parking Assist self parks forward or backward in parallel or perpendicular spots. The full-color head-up display can be tailored to the driver's preference. 4G LTE wi-fi feeds up to seven devices, and a wireless charging bin charges them without cords. The ATS-V comes with eight standard airbags and offers a range of electronic nannies that use radar, optical cameras and ultrasonic sensors to help avoid crashes. GM's optional Performance Data Recorder—with a GoPro-style video camera—might be the best track app yet devised.

The ATS-V is the homologation car for the Cadillac GT3 racer competing against Bentley, Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche in SCCA World Challenge. You can order yours now at $60,465 for the sedan and $62,655 for the coupe. Base prices undercut the M3 and M4 by $2,500, though with all options the V will surpass $75,000.

If curb weight holds near Cadillac's 3,700-pound estimate, the ATS-V should deliver a better power-to-weight ratio than the lighter M3/M4, the RC-F, RS5 and C63. Only the upgrade C63 S will top it (for $20,000 more), and then only by a hair. The ATS-V has as much tire as anything in the class--more than most of its competitors—and the best weight distribution. Roma defines his creation thusly: "It's the best car in the segment."

Yet the subtleties shouldn't be dismissed. Cadillac hasn't taken the easy or cheaper way with ATS-V, as we might have expected not so long ago. Development drivers like Roma—emphasis on drivers—are no longer marginalized. He's achieved Level 6 in GM's rigorous development driver certification process, with the crowning addendum of Nürburgring certification. So has Nate Sumner, the ATS-V ride/handling engineer who races an SCCA Camaro in his spare time, and others who’ve logged hundreds of hours sorting the ATS-V on tracks around the world.

We’re not sure what that means for Wall Street, but for enthusiasts travelling Main Street it's nothing but good.

How's it drive?

Two things stand out. One is that "bi-modal" character, with significant payback in comfort when the ATS-V is driven for groceries. The other is its thorough competency and impressive capability as a track car, which shouldn't surprise anyone. From the Corvette Z06 to the Camaro Z28 and even to the big Chevy SS sedan, GM has been building some of the best factory track cars money can buy.

The 3.6-liter V6 has no obvious power peaks—only a steady flow of mega torque and willingness to run near its 7,500-rpm redline without a wheeze or a complaint. It's smooth and tractable on the street, and more than powerful enough to compensate for a poorly judged loss of momentum on a track. We don't doubt Cadillac's reported 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds.

Ratios in the manual transmission are appropriate for road or track, and using it is nothing short of a hoot. You can do it the old-fashioned way, and try to match revs when you downshift, or you can just slam the lever without lifting from the throttle and let the electronics do the work, and be rewarded with the sounds a master creates.

The ATS-V lapping Circuit of the Americas.

The first impression with the automatic, in manual mode, comes from the magnesium paddles behind the steering wheel. If you have small hands, your fingertips will barely reach them around the thick rim of the steering wheel. If you can reach them, you’ll get precise shifts that seem as quick as those with a dual-clutch automatic. Try to grab lower gear when road speed is too high, and a warning in the dash says "shift denied." Forget to shift up and the transmission will hold as the engine screams at its rev limiter, even though you’ve already passed the horsepower peak.

And compared to a dual-clutch auto, you’ll also get much smoother, less-obtrusive full-automatic operation from the ATS-V's torque converter box when you’re on your way to work in the morning. Yet the biggest impression might be how well the automatic works—as an automatic—at the track. It will learn its way around a place like Circuit of the Americas faster than the vast majority of humans will, never confounding with its gear choices or early upshifts. With a couple extra ratios, the automatic will also get just about any driver around quicker.

Then there's the ATS-V's resistance to body roll, even in 1 g corners, and its outstanding balance for a front-engine "luxury car." Understeer or oversteer are almost exclusively a function of the driver's technique, or lack thereof, rather than the dynamics tuned into the machine. Testing the ATS-V at COTA for Autoweek, IndyCar driver Conor Daly summed it up this way:

"The level of preparation or integrity (in the ATS-V) really impresses me. The balance allows you to attack corners. For efficiency and manners and speed, it sort of blew me away. You can move weight around as you wish. It never just falls off a cliff, even when the tires are hot and going away."

GM's five-mode Performance Traction Management offers more options and range than more common three-stage stability systems. Wet and Dry are basically point and shoot, no appropriate throttle or brake modulation necessary. Sport 1 provides appropriate intervention for appropriately aggressive street driving or track day beginners. Sport 2 reacts faster than good drivers. Race mode turns off stability control and delivers the maximum allowable drive-wheel slip. Only the Conor Dalys among us will manage traction better.

2016 Cadillac ATS-V at the Circuit of the Americas

The ATS-V's optional Recaro sport seats, with holes for a five-point harness, are among the best we’ve sampled, measured by the balance of support necessary for track-style driving and the ease of sliding in or out when the doors won't swing wide in a tight parking spot. The suede-like microfiber accents on the doors, dash and steering wheel feel rich, and the carbon-fiber interior trim is offered in two patterns. Best of all, you can get the ATS-V without Cadillac's haptic-touch Cue interface, as long as you don't need on-board nav.

The ATS-V does luxury better than an M3/M4. Its cabin is richer, and it's generally smoother and quieter than the BMW when it's driven at a sedate pace—and easier to drive that way. The ride is definitely firm at MRC's softest, but it's not harsh. The ATS-V does without some of the M3's rougher edges.

And that's a double-edged sword, because it isn't speed alone that defines a good high-performance car. It's also the emotions and auditory sensations, and the fine line between passion and crudity. The ATS-V's ultra-linear power delivery might be an issue, but less of one than the sound it makes. Its turbocharged V6 does not—cannot—deliver the same throaty, raw, full-song edge as BMW's turbocharged straight six, or much less the Cadillac CTS-V's V8.

2016 Cadillac ATS-V on the track

Do I want it?

If you do, you won't go wrong, no matter how you drive your ATS-V. As is so often the case, it comes down to tastes and predilections. We’re not sure how much the M3's rawer edge -- and blue-and-white badge -- ultimately matters to buyers.

Beyond that, as Cadillac strives to re-invent itself again and compete in rarified space owned by factory tuners from its European competitors, there's this: The Cadillac ATS-V may be a better track car than any of them, but there's no guarantee it can overcome the Euro-centric predilections of luxury-performance buyers.

The smallest, lightest Cadillac V Series cars to date make a legitimate case for best-in-class. Unfortunately, it can be harder to re-engineer a brand than to engineer outstanding cars.

ON SALE: Summer 2015

BASE PRICE: $60,465

POWERTRAIN: 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6, RWD, six-speed manual

OUTPUT: 464 hp, 445 lb-ft

CURB WEIGHT: 3,700 lbs

0-60 MPH: 3.9 sec (mfr)

FUEL ECONOMY: 16/24/19 mpg

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