2013 Cadillac ATS: An enticing compact sport sedan (pictures)
American car companies sat on the sidelines while well-heeled buyers picked up compact, premium sport cars from Europe, until the advent of Cadillac's ATS, a worthy competitor in the segment.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Cadillac's new ATS model competes in the premium compact sedan market, which has generally been dominated by cars such as the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, and Mercedes-Benz C-class.
The top engine for the ATS is this direct-injection 3.6-liter V-6, producing 320 horsepower. Other engines are a 2-liter turbo and a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, both using direct injection.
The cabin keeps up Cadillac's luxury reputation, with leather seats and surfaces. The brushed-aluminum door trim features a nice Cadillac sport pattern.
The Cadillac User Experience (CUE) is a new system combining interface and cabin electronics features, optional in the ATS. Although feature-rich and showing innovative elements, a slow processor makes for laggy performance.
