MotorTrend: 328i vs ATS

On this episode of Head 2 Head, Motor Trend's Jonny Lieberman pits the all-new Cadillac ATS against the car it was built to compete with, the dominating BMW 328i. Jonny uses test data to illustrate how similar these two cars are and then takes them out for a true drivers test on one of his favorite California back roads.

3 series FTW!

I think caddy bribed him. Plus he doesn't talk about looks. The caddy is fugly.

Originally Posted by 328i2013

I think caddy bribed him. Plus he doesn't talk about looks. The caddy is fugly.

I guess Caddy didn't bribe him enough since he declared the 328i the winner?

It was a very poorly done comparo. I would have liked to have Carlos Lago (also from MT) do the review instead.

Originally Posted by enigma

I guess Caddy didn't bribe him enough since he declared the 328i the winner?

He's barely declaring BMW as the winner. Makes it sound like it was very very close. Like he was doing BMW a favor by declaring the F30 winner.

yea most of us comment on this in the other ATS thread. Supposedly the MT let the Caddy down. But honestly this guy is a idiot because he tries his best to say that the MT in the BMW is also trash. Well some of us that have driven BMWs MTs for years can only laugh as his dumb ass comments. How do these guys get these jobs man?

The reality is that the vast majority of both of these cars will be equuiped with ATs. It will be interesting to see how the two cars compare when the AT versions are tested. I am nor sure what the AT in the Cadillac will be but the ZF 8 Speed in the F30 has set the bar pretty high.

CA

The review was really weird. He kind of trashed the E90 and F30's 6 speed. He hated the transmission in the ATS but said its a better, sportier chassis.

Originally Posted by 328i2013

I think caddy bribed him. Plus he doesn't talk about looks. The caddy is fugly.

I am glad about one thing in that review, he did not compare the looks. Over at the ATS forums, there are many past and current BMW owners, the overwhelming reason they decided to switch from their Bimmers to the ATS, is they think the new F30 looks fugly

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Originally Posted by dtc100

I am glad about one thing in that review, he did not compare the looks. Over at the ATS forums, there are many past and current BMW owners, the overwhelming reason they decided to switch from their Bimmers to the ATS, is they think the new F30 looks fugly

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The ATS is one of the best looking sedans on the market today. Much, much better exterior styling than the F30 IMO.

Originally Posted by LegendsNeverDie

The ATS is one of the best looking sedans on the market today. Much, much better exterior styling than the F30 IMO.

I couldn't disagree more. The angular look of Caddy's is not for me. But to each his own.

The significant takeaway for me is this: Year after year, article after article, it's always the 3 Series that's the benchmark. That says a lot about this car's place in the pantheon of historically great cars. The Caddy's a good car, but it lacks the pedigree of the 3.

Originally Posted by LegendsNeverDie

The ATS is one of the best looking sedans on the market today. Much, much better exterior styling than the F30 IMO.

Disagree completely. It's just too bulky, too angular and appears unbalanced. Old school caddys were elegant (not fast looking but elegant). New ones don't stand for much, other than just being different than older caddys and have an identity crisis. Kinda like Romney...

Originally Posted by LegendsNeverDie

The ATS is one of the best looking sedans on the market today. Much, much better exterior styling than the F30 IMO.

Hey I am glad you like it. Personally I find, especially the back as one of the most ugly cars out there.

The concept that caddy hit the 3-series benchmark in the inception of a new model, let alone the evolution, is indicative of the competition in this segment but also the inability to sustain constant true driving-dynamic-innovation in each model cycle.

Will the ATS sell well? IDK. The BMW 3-series doesn't sell well because it's the driving pinnacle - it sells well because of cheap lease deals and the desire to obtain the image associated with a BMW 3-series. Caddy has to steal into that segment, as Infiniti's G-series has accomplished well.

Originally Posted by JoeFromPA

The concept that caddy hit the 3-series benchmark in the inception of a new model, let alone the evolution, is indicative of the competition in this segment but also the inability to sustain constant true driving-dynamic-innovation in each model cycle.

Will the ATS sell well? IDK. The BMW 3-series doesn't sell well because it's the driving pinnacle - it sells well because of cheap lease deals and the desire to obtain the image associated with a BMW 3-series. Caddy has to steal into that segment, as Infiniti's G-series has accomplished well.

I don't think Caddy cares who they steal from (Infiniti, Lexus, Audi etc).

I like the overall shape of the ATS (which is basically identical to a 3 series), but don't like the details, like the chrome.

For this reason I think the ATS-V might be a looker. It's gotta have a V8 though, a turbo V6 is just meh.

Caddy (and GM) specialize in making the finest v8's under $100k - N/A or supercharged. If they shove a 6.0 liter + in the ATS, it'll go on my list simply because large displacement RWD sport sedans with manual transmission are fairly hard to find. To wit: I drive an e39 m5 because I had to go back 10 years to find one I really liked.

Originally Posted by CE750Jockey

I couldn't disagree more. The angular look of Caddy's is not for me. But to each his own.

The significant takeaway for me is this: Year after year, article after article, it's always the 3 Series that's the benchmark. That says a lot about this car's place in the pantheon of historically great cars. The Caddy's a good car, but it lacks the pedigree of the 3.

You can't drive a pedigree.
What happened in the past is all well and good but as they say in the music business "You are only as good as your last hit record"

CA

Originally Posted by captainaudio

You can't drive a pedigree.
What happened in the past is all well and good but as they say in the music business "You are only as good as your last hit record"

CA

I think in this car business, you are only as good as what you do now, not what you had in the past.

Originally Posted by JoeFromPA

The BMW 3-series doesn't sell well because it's the driving pinnacle - it sells well because of cheap lease deals and the desire to obtain the image associated with a BMW 3-series. Caddy has to steal into that segment, as Infiniti's G-series has accomplished well.

The 3 series has among the highest lease payments in this segment. Infiniti G did well lately likely because of their fantastic lease deals.

I don't see ATS leases matching G's any time soon.

Yes, Infiniti has replicated BMW's leasing model to drive sales, and with their lower MSRP they can get better deals.

I agree, the G series took 2 model cycles and a number of years of exposure to really grab hold like it is now. The ATS is walking into the scene unknown.

Originally Posted by JoeFromPA

Yes, Infiniti has replicated BMW's leasing model to drive sales, and with their lower MSRP they can get better deals.

I agree, the G series took 2 model cycles and a number of years of exposure to really grab hold like it is now. The ATS is walking into the scene unknown.

They are having unreal deals on the G. If I was in the market for a new car right now, it would be on top of my list.

Originally Posted by 328i2013

Disagree completely. It's just too bulky, too angular and appears unbalanced. Old school caddys were elegant (not fast looking but elegant). New ones don't stand for much, other than just being different than older caddys and have an identity crisis. Kinda like Romney...

I kind of feel the same way about the 3. The rear is a copy of the 5 series and looks way too bulky, you almost have to look twice to see the difference between the two. The front is too pointy with a hump on the hood. Also no round halos, no care and what is up with that ugly chrome grille extending into the headlights. The ATS on the other hand is so much more well proportioned and everything just flows much better than with the 3. Only thing I dislike about the ATS is the chrome moldings, kind of like the luxury line 328 On the other hand, the M package makes the 3 look much better.

Originally Posted by LegendsNeverDie

The ATS is one of the best looking sedans on the market today. Much, much better exterior styling than the F30 IMO.

De gustibus non est disputandem.

I think the Caddy ATS is hideous. It reminds me of a kid's Transformers toy, but rather than a giant robot, it's likely to morph into a toaster.

ATS is ugly, but thats just my opinion. Looks so bland, no character.

"I'm so grateful for the boys over at the Bimmerfest forum for creating yet another thread about the new Caddy. I'd buy one myself, but it's too small, too harsh to ride. My wife might get one, though. She just loved our little Seville back in the day. Can I order an ATS in Champagne Pink with a vinyl landau roof?"

--Grandpa DeVille

BJ