Cadillac ATS-V 2016 Review

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The Cadillac ATS started production in 2012 and has since been a success within its division, entry level luxury. As it's a fairly new model in the market, it hasn't had the chance to become a better vehicle over the years like the BMW M3 and Mercedes C63 AMG. What it does have is a very strong older brother, the CTS to take some tips from and that's exactly what Cadillac have done. The ATS-V does have a lot to prove though as its competitors have been around for decades, such as the BMW M3, Mercedes C63 AMG and Audi RS4. All of which are now at the top of their game. So where does it stand?

Exterior

The exterior of the ATS-V certainly does not look inferior to its competitors, anything but in all honesty. The front of the car is very aggressive with bulges and harsh lines everywhere. It is literally as if they have put the ATS on steroids, it looks fantastic. The all new headlights on all the 2016 Cadillac range are as beautiful as they are useful. The ATS-V follows very closely in its big brothers footsteps with carbon splitters on the front and rear as well as the carbon inlet on the hood. All of which lead to a car you wouldn't want to meet in a back alley late at night! 

The wheels are 19 inch and wear Michelin Pilot Super Sport’s, which even though are the best sports tires you can get DO NOT stop the car getting squirrelly even time you floor it. I recently tested the CTS-V and i actually think the ATS-V is more tail happy. But anyways more about that later. 

Interior

It's fairly difficult to go into much detail when it comes to cadillac interiors as they are all very similar. Now, i'm not saying they are bad, but similar. It is a very comfortable cabin that provides a luxurious feel and one that the driver can relax in. Unfortunately in the ATS-V you don't get the same virtual cockpit as you do in the Escalade or CTS-V and only comes with an analogue system, fairly disappointing for a 265 grand car. 

However you can still get the optional Recaro front seats which I would advise any buyer to add, they have lumbar, side bolster seat back and bottom adjustability. This allows you to get the seat to grip you perfectly no matter how hard you throw it round a corner. The interior definitely has the desired effect, sporty, elegant yet understated. Not only would you be proud to show off the exterior of the ATS-V car but the interior is equally as brilliant. 

You might also be interested in: Cadillac CT6 2017 Review

Safety & Tech

The 2016 ATS-V comes standard with a large array of safety features and achieves the same 5 Star NHTSA crash test scores as its big brother, the CTS-V. 

You have airbags in the front, side and rear protecting you from side impacts as well as rollovers. It comes standard with Electronic stability control (ESC), Anti lock braking system (ABS), traction control (TCS)as well as blind spot assist and lane departure assist. My favourite noticeable safety feature was the pre-tension seat belt system which literally tightens you into the seat leaving no slack on the belt. It tightens Under harsh braking and severe acceleration.  

The ATS-V comes with speakers from Bose and don't distort at full volume, always maintaining absolute quality no matter the genre of music.  The CUE system is laggy, doesn't provide much option for customisation and needs to be updated.

The ATS-V also comes standard with is the PDR system, this allows you to use the camera situated above the centre mirror as a lap recorder with an overlay featuring RPM, Speed, 0-60, 0-100, 0-200 and 100-0 timers. It can also be used as a dash cam as you can delete the footage directly from the car with no need for a laptop.. 

You might also be interested in: Cadillac CTS-V 2016 Review

Drive

In terms of the drive the ATS-V is an intricate work of art. Yes, there is some degree of turbo lag below the 3000 Rpm range but once you exceed that engine note and the twin turbos kick in there's no stopping this thing, it’s off like a rocket! In just a few seconds the ATS-V can get you into the danger zone, therefore we advise going to a track day to really understand what the ATS-V is capable of. In a straight line the ATS-V will easily give the BMW M3, Mercedes A63 AMG and the Audi RS4  a serious run for their money, being able to achieve 0-100 in a mere 3.8 seconds with the 8 speed auto, going onwards to 200 in 14 seconds. 

With all that power and speed you need a certain amount of trust in the brakes and rest assured there are good. The 14.6in (front) and 13.3in (rear) brake discs have impressive stopping power being able to bring the car from 100kph - 0 in 33 metres and that's good for a medium sized sedan. 

However when it comes to bends the ATS-V would fall off the pace even though it is surprisingly well balanced for an american brute. But of course this would have to be driven fairly well to keep up with those cars, too much throttle and she’ll go sideways every time. Somehow the ATS-V is even more tail happy than the CTS-V we drove a couple weeks back and I think it's down to those massively aggressive turbos. As a daily driver the ATS-V is a great car, it's easy to drive, doesn't drink anywhere near as much as its older brother and most importantly the magnetic ride control dampers make it very comfortable.

Competitors

• BMW M3
• Mercedes C63 AMG
• Audi RS4
• Alfa Romeo Guilia Quadrifoglio

Verdict

The ATS-V definitely holds up to the competitors and for the price it's a seriously contender. It may not be as much fun as the CTS-V but as the aggressiveness has been toned down the quality of drive has been improved. We love it!

Pros:

• Seriously quick acceleration after 3000Rpm
• Handling
• On board cameras which are intended for recording race laps can double as dash cameras, useful in the UAE

Cons:

• Steering lacks feedback
• Interior is minimalistic
• Feels slouchy below 3000Rpm