Repair-It

While the grip levels provided by the ATS are a touch lower than major competitors’, every last bit of its lateral traction is within easy reach, bolstering real-world confidence.

The ATS’s FE3 suspension (also part of the top Premium Collection package) provides tour and sport damping modes, plus a third position for slippery conditions. In every setting, body motions are tightly controlled and the ride is surprisingly firm over Michigan’s lousy pavement. The payoff is the most immediate and agile steering response we’ve experienced in any compact sports sedan. Snap the wheel a handful of degrees, and the car changes direction like a hummingbird. There’s no hesitation, and body roll is minuscule. While the electric power assist provides less feedback than we’d like (roughly the same as the 3-series), this steering is at least quick and nicely weighted. The same magnetic dampers that help optimize ride and handling also keep the car flat during hard braking. The left pedal is properly calibrated to deliver additional stopping force for each increment of pressure, and feedback is strong.

Bob wrote:Ran a 14.0 @ 102 in C&D. Probably would run pretty even with the Elise from a roll. This further exemplifies how far things have come when my "slow" choice for a daily driver in 2017 is basically as fast as my performance car that I bought in 2006.

kevm14 wrote:I guess the Premium is 3561 lbs according to C/D. Does that mean a base Performance is really under 3,500?

Make no mistake, the 2013 Cadillac ATS is a completely brand-new, from-scratch rear-wheel-drive design (all-wheel drive is optional). True, the three available direct-injected engines have been seen before in various iterations, and the fantastic CUE infotainment system debuted in the XTS . But as a whole, this is a brand-new Caddy.

And it's light. There's lots of high-strength and ultrahigh-strength steel, and the chassis is scalloped out and utilizes lightening holes to shed pounds where possible. There's also an aluminum hood, magnesium engine mount brackets and aluminum front suspension arms. End result? The base model tips the scales at 3,315 pounds, while the 3.6 V6 test car comes in at 3,461. The last BMW 328i we tested, which utilizes a 2.0-liter turbo engine, hit the scales at 3,427 pounds.

Acceleration testing on a pre-production ATS Premium 3.6 at an unfamiliar test venue resulted in 60 mph in 5.7 seconds (5.4 seconds with a 1-foot rollout as at a drag strip) and the quarter-mile in 13.9 seconds at 101.9 mph.