2016 Cadillac ATS-V First Drive Review

The trouble with playing Simon Says is that there can only be one person leading the game. After a thrilling day behind the wheel of the all-new model on the Circuit of the Americas race course outside of Austin, Texas, I can fully attest that the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V is further proof that America's once-dominant luxury brand is tired of taking its performance cues from across the Atlantic and is instead continuing to hone its own unique take on the marriage of premium design and high horsepower shenanigans.

Distilling the hooliganish aspects of the previous-generation CTS-V into a more approachable formula that will play well to speed-seeking entry-level sedan and coupe shoppers, the ATS-V shares only its segment with its BMW M and Mercedes-AMG rivals. The rest is pure Detroit-via-New York, an appealing, and most importantly, a fun mix of cutting edge chassis tuning, under-hood engine technology, and eye-catching styling that looks to bolster the beachhead already established on German shores by the standard edition of the ATS.

The 2016 Cadillac ATS-V comes in a single model, but there are two body styles to choose from. The ATS-V sedan starts at an MSRP of $61,460, while the ATS-V coupe will charge you an additional $2,200 (MSRP $63,660) for the privilege of lopping off the rear doors. Each model is equipped identically, and comes standard with features such as 4G LTE Wi-Fi connectivity, a wireless cell phone charging system, parking assistance, a rearview camera, an adaptive suspension system, satellite radio, 18-inch wheels with unique-to-the-car Michelin tires, a carbon fiber hood, the Cadillac CUE infotainment interface, more aggressive aero and styling as compared to the non-V ATS models, sport seats, leather upholstery, and automatic climate control.

There are also a number of packages available for the car, including the $5,000 Carbon Fiber package (carbon fiber front splitter, rear diffuser, hood vent trim), the roughly $6,000 Track Performance package (contents of Carbon Fiber package plus Performance Data Recorder system, lighter battery, floor mat), the $1,850 Safety and Security package (numerous active safety features including GM's Safety Alert Seat warning system), and a $2,500 Luxury package (HID headlights, sport alloy pedals, navigation, folding rear seat).

You can also order items such as a sunroof, different steering wheel options, and Recaro sport seats with 16-way power adjustment a la carte. As you can see, while the ATS-V's pricing is quite competitive, especially when taking into account what comes standard with the car, it's easy enough to push the sticker all the way up to nearly $80,000 if you try hard enough.

What’s New:

• The 2016 Cadillac ATS-V is an all-new design.

The 2016 Cadillac ATS-V looks mean, what with its array of available carbon fiber aero attachments, gaping maw, wide-body fenders, and marauding quad exhaust tips. That visual menace is tempered by a genuine engineering need, however: the much-increased air intake area at the front of the car is necessary to feed the three intercoolers, larger radiator, and additional transmission and differential cooling systems. The angled cutout on the hood reduces lift by releasing the higher volume of air making it into the engine bay, while the Gurney lips, rear spoiler, and rear diffuser work together with the invisible, yet flat under-pan of the car to enhance high speed stability. 500 lbs lighter than the last-generation Cadillac CTS-V coupe that it essentially replaces, the ATS-V coupe actually generates 150 lbs. more front downforce at speed.

Things are decidedly less 'wow' inside the ATS-V, where one is greeted with an almost direct copy of the non-V model's cabin. While this is no real handicap to the car, aside from the availability of the sporty-looking Recaros, there's not much to suggest that you're piloting something special based solely on the Cadillac's interior. This is especially true of the vehicle's gauge cluster, which beyond its red accents, fails to communicate any of the ATS-V's dynamic personality or recognize its performance focus.

What’s New:

• The 2016 Cadillac ATS-V is an all-new model.

Sport sedans and coupes like the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V have to walk a fine line between the razor-sharp reflexes prized in high performance driving and the more pedestrian requirements of day-to-day commuting. Enter GM's magnetic ride control suspension, a system that can go from stiff to supple at the push of a button and one which works wonders at keeping the ATS-V pliable when set to touring mode. Throw in the adjustable side and bottom bolsters of the vehicle's Recaro sport seats, and you've got enough lateral grip when you need it, but absolutely no annoying intrusion when you're simply cruising down the highway.

The rear seats in both the sedan and the coupe aren't as accommodating, especially when compared against rivals like the BMW M3 and M4. It would be a stretch to press the two-door ATS-V into family duty, but the sedan makes a reasonable daily driver for hauling around the younger set - especially when compared to, say, a Corvette, Porsche Cayman, or the Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class.

What’s New:

• The 2016 Cadillac ATS-V introduces the Performance Data Recorder feature.

The 2016 Cadillac ATS-V's equipment list reads very similar to that of the non-performance ATS, which, when considering how many more standard features the car has to offer compared to its German competitors, is a very good thing. Over and above the usual Cadillac fare is a new entry on the options sheet called the Performance Data Recorder, a system that uses a forward-facing camera to record lap times on an SD card, which is then playable via either the car's LCD screen, or your personal computer.

PDR also offers full vehicle telemetry, making use of GPS to track lap times while it overlays the video with gear ratio choice, vehicle speed, brake, accelerator, and steering input, as well as g-forces. It's an impressive toy, and with a few hiccups, it worked well enough for me out on the track. There's also a standard head-up display (with configurable vehicle information readouts) that lets you keep your eyes on the road ahead without missing your shift points.

What’s New:

• The 2016 Cadillac ATS-V imports the standard ATS' safety options.

The 2016 Cadillac ATS-V comes with a full complement of airbags, along with access to a range of active safety equipment that puts the sedan and coupe at the top of their class. Gear such as forward collision warning and mitigation, blind spot monitoring, rear automatic braking, and lane departure warning and assistance can all be had with the car. These systems are incorporated into GM's Safety Alert Seat, which vibrates to indicate the direction a potential threat is approaching from. It's an innovation that I am honestly surprised more companies haven't adopted, as it's far more intuitive and less distracting than being bombarded with a litany of visual and auditory cues.

2016 Cadillac ATS-V Crash-Test Ratings: The Cadillac ATS-V has yet to be crash tested by either the NHTSA or the IIHS.

What’s New:

• The 2016 Cadillac ATS-V introduces a twin-turbo V-6.

The 2016 Cadillac ATS-V features a 3.6-liter V-6 that makes use of twin turbochargers to produce a robust 464 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque, making it the mightiest version of the ATS yet to have been unleashed (but keeping it roughly 100 horsepower below the previous CTS-V model's supercharged V-8). Buyers can choose between either a six-speed manual (with 'Active Rev Match' capability) or an eight-speed automatic transmission (with paddle shifters), and fuel mileage for the auto box is listed at 16-mpg in stop and go driving and 24-mpg on the highway. The manual unit adds a single city mile per gallon, while subtracting another mile per gallon from the cruise rating.

Tackling a track like the Circuit of the Americas in a car such as the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V is a rare opportunity. The extremely-quick, yet technically-challenging track features a 3/4-mile back straight along with enough runoff in all directions to reduce your need to worry about mucking up one of its challenging sets of S-curves. It's possible to gain an almost complete understanding of a vehicle's performance envelope at the COTA facility, and to have an absolute blast in the process.

It's clear to me that for all its muscle, the ATS-V's strongest asset is its chassis. Cadillac has worked hard to improve the V model's rigidity by 25 percent, and in concert with the very latest version of the brand's Magnetic Ride Control adaptive suspension system, the end result is communication between the driver and the asphalt on a level above that of current segment bogey, the BMW M3/M4. Five stages of Performance Traction Management (PTM) allowed me to dial in a comfortable level of wheel spin and rear drift before the electronic nannies intervened (with a full-off setting also offered), and the car's electronically-controlled differential provided constant and progressive throttle-steer when sideways. I'm not saying that the Cadillac feels as precise or planted as the M twins, nor am I claiming that it's significantly faster lap after lap, but it's impossible for me to deny that the ATS-V is much more engaging to drive - and as a result, a lot more fun.

I don't want to minimize the contributions of the twin-turbo V-6 in the symphony of joy that is the Cadillac ATS-V's dynamic suite. The car's 445 horses, docile enough on the street, were whipped into a frenzy with the go-pedal mashed, and the resulting acceleration is both smooth and startling. GM claims that the car will see 60-mph from a standing start in just 3.9 seconds - a full second faster than the first-generation CTS-V that started it all back in 2004 - and while the best I could do was 4.1 in an auto-equipped car, I have no doubt that the factory number is feasible should the traction stars align perfectly on a well-prepared drag strip.

Six-speed editions of the ATS-V aren't left out of the 60-mph sprint either, thanks to the no-lift-shift technology programmed into the box: Simply keep the accelerator pinned while working the clutch and the car will let you swap cogs without complaint. Each transmission come with a very useful launch control system that automatically engages with the vehicle's PTM system active. I didn't get to test out the veracity of the Cadillac's claimed 189-mph top speed, but both the sedan and the coupe felt perfectly stable at 146-mph on COTA's seemingly endless rear straight.

The 2016 ATS-V is exceptionally fleet of foot, sufficiently malevolent in appearance, and above all, more fun to get to know above 100-mph than its leading European frenemies. Above all, it's a Cadillac, not a clone, and that gives it a distinct charm that should help the automaker further cement its performance credibility amongst luxury buyers. Handling chops and hefty horsepower are one thing, but personality goes a long way in building brand image and drawing in a cult - just ask sport sedan also-rans like the Lexus IS F.

If we lived in a meritocracy, the $61,000 Cadillac ATS-V would have no trouble carving out a respectable luxury sport niche. In a world more focused on image and marketing, however, Cadillac is still seen as a challenger to the similarly priced BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C63. The ATS-V is the latest in a wave of products designed to flip that impression, and it does so with both hands.

Pros:

• Most fun luxury sport sedan / coupe in its class
• Reasonable base price
• Exceptional chassis
• Standard adaptive suspension system
• Twin-turbo V-6
• Available Recaro sport seats
• Aggressive styling improves on already-elegant ATS design

Cons:

• Priced very close to reigning segment king, the BMW M3
• Exhaust note is more muted than I would like
• Cramped rear seat
• Unlike the exterior, the car's interior styling doesn't make a strong impression

Cadillac supplied the vehicle for this review.