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Finally saw an ATS

26K views 159 replies 34 participants last post by  tturedraider 
#1 ·
I'm in the JFK airport cellphone lot waiting for a friend and here goes a Caddie ATS parked right next to me. I know you can not argue on people's taste but I have to say it, I'm sorry but this car is just plain ugly.

I hear all the comparisons with the F30 on how it drives and handles the roads, but its just so frea...g ugly.

Voila.
 
#126 ·
Saw my first ATS up close, in Westchester Mall today. It looks ok, interior looks decent. Then you see the sticker price. :confused: $50k buys a lot of car.
 
#6 ·
I really wanted to like the ATS. At least Cadillac is trying. My biggest dissappointment was that all the reviews I've heard say that the shifter is notchy. So bad that it basically ruins the car. Also, with Ford, BMW, and even Scion (FRS) putting amazing looking wheels on their cars, why did Cadillac choose a style that looks like they came off a 1990 Oldsmobile? The optional wheels are the same style just polished! Wow, I had that option on my $17,000 Mazda Protege5 in 2003.
 
#7 ·
They stopped production to fix the manual transmission.

I don't find the car ugly, not in the way some recent BMWs are overdesigned and ugly. I find it a bit plain, and the chrome is nasty.

ATS-V is confirmed for next year, as is a diesel, and an 8-speed automatic from Aisin. Cadillac is serious about competing with BMW.

ATS-V should fix the chrome problem, and the wheels. If it gets the new V8 from the Corvette it'll get my attention, if it's just a turbo V6, no thanks.
 
#9 ·
So far the ATS has received Luxury Car of the Year from Popular Mechanics, and Premium Family Sedan of the Year by Canadian car journalists annual contest. Not bad for a first try.

I don't think either the ATS and the F30 is that good looking, but plenty of people can like both, or like either one but hate the other.

One thing is clear, there will be many Bimmer owners moving over to ATS. It started with the CTS. Interestingly one thing attracted many CTS owners was the "ugly" exterior styling. Many of them complain the ATS softened the edged design to appeal to European drivers, and they don't like it.

Go figure.

BTW, I agree with Chris, the ATS needs to at least offer a trim without all the nasty chrome treatment.
 
#19 ·
He keeps telling us how much we should love the ATS and we keep telling him we're not interested so he keeps coming back to tell is how much we should love the ATS.

There was this Star Trek episode where Kirk is trapped in a parallel universe with Spock, gave me the same kind of headache.

BJ
 
#33 ·
I might be the only one on here that likes both the F30 and Ats design. I saw a F30 today in the school parking lot. It was a 328i, black, sport trim level, beige interior, my take on it is that BMW is moving towards an older age group, where as Cadillac is moving to a somewhat younger age group, even though just the other day I saw a guy in his 60's testing one out. He probably came back with questions like "why is this car so small?", "why doesn't this car drive like my 88' deville?". He probably left the dealership unimpressed.
 
#34 ·
Maybe some of us aren't intense about it but just find it funny. Particularly coming from those who don't own an F30. There aren't too many reasons why one would hang out in a forum for a car they neither own nor intend to buy. But have at it, again, it's entertaining.
 
#63 ·
LOL @ this thread...
My take:

I'm still not an owner of the F30, but everytime I see one on the highway I immediately break my neck to look at every curve of it's sexy body and await the day I get mine. I'm no lover or hater of Cadillac, but to the people calling the 328 a woman car, college car, entry level car... Wasn't the ATS designed to steal 3series owners or potential owners. I would think they can be classed one in the same then. Either way, I personally couldn't spend my money on the ATS when I can get an F30. The exterior alone is a turnoff.
 
#66 ·
ATS's more sharp-edge design will likely attract more men than women. From a business standpoint it may not be a good thing. We now have more women licensed to drive than men, and this trend will only intensify. More women are making car purchase decisions too. It is no surprise manufactures try to design their cars cater to women's taste.
 
#71 · (Edited)
As a follow-up, I agree they need to offer non-chrome options and better wheels.

What I disagree is a Chevrolet is cheap for the segment it is in. Maybe you are still thinking about a decade ago. I had the opportunity to own a Cruze Eco 6 speed for 6 months for long distance driving, not only did it get around 45 mpg in 70% highway miles, it was very rich in details, fun to drive for the segment, miles ahead of a new Nissan Sentra my company offered. As an example, the 6 spd shifter in the Cruze Eco was better looking than those I saw in the BMWs.

The most shocking to me was how cheap that Nissan Sentra looked and drove. Although I understand they have a new version now.

As far as cutting edge design, the Cadillac CUE is way out there, so much so it could backfire, at least with their old driver base.
 
#72 ·
I can't believe that this ATS subject is still alive. It's obvious that nobody cares about Cadillacs here.

For me, I got stung with a major engine problem (under warranty) in my ZO6 that now many others are having the same problem (with still no legitimate answers from GM as to why, or if their repairs are long term fixes), and I won't be back to a GM product anytime soon. My '08 Tahoe was one of the last to be built in their Milwaukee plant before they closed it and moved their assembly to Mexico and Texas, and it was also the last of the Tahoes to be trouble free. I will not buy a Japanese (bad experience in the past), Korean or Chinese car because they are souless to drive, and IMO, most are just cheap clones of European cars. So, that leaves me with European cars which includes BMWs.
 
#75 ·
I like it; really bad azz....

.
 
#80 ·
What As Seen on TV item?

I was the head of Design at the leading As Seen on TV Company until I bounced last month.
 
#85 ·
You are begging for door dings parking that close to the car on your right.
 
#88 ·
Very un-Bimmer driver like, a total lack of precision, more like how an old Cimmaron driver would have parked:) At least the K-Mart parking lot is a bit upgrade from the Wal-Mart parking lot. BJ will still find single moms with kids in tow, and the moms will look a tad more attractive.
MY eyes work just fine, since I am able to see that BJ is well within his spot...it's the car to his right that is close to the lines. Also note, it's the perspective that distorts how close he is to the car on the right.

Wow, my reply indicates I have taken all this which is in jest way to seriously. :bigpimp:
 
#89 · (Edited)
MY eyes work just fine, since I am able to see that BJ is well within his spot...it's the car to his right that is close to the lines. Also note, it's the perspective that distorts how close he is to the car on the right.

Wow, my reply indicates I have taken all this which is in jest way to seriously. :bigpimp:
No, he's too close to the car to the right which is parked on the line. BJ needs to spend more time scoping out suitable safe parking spots or risk having his car impounded by the BMW Stadtpolizei.
 
#82 ·
Saw my first ats on the highway on Saturday night. Black without the lighting package. Did not have any presence on the road and looked like any other American sedan. Only thing i did like was the exhaust. Even a base model f30 has more presence on the road than this ats did.

Driver was content doing 10 mph under the speed limit in the hi speed lane. Case closed
 
#84 ·
Saw my first ats on the highway on Saturday night. Black without the lighting package. Did not have any presence on the road and looked like any other American sedan. Only thing i did like was the exhaust. Even a base model f30 has more presence on the road than this ats did.

Driver was content doing 10 mph under the speed limit in the hi speed lane. Case closed
Did the driver have Grey/white hair?
 
#134 ·
I saw the ATS at the SF car show this weekend. It looks better in person, and when comparing it to the F30, I almost prefer the look better than the BMW. I'm happy that GM has made huge improvements in styling, bot ext and int, to have it be in the same league as German cars. BJ is right though, the brand attracts an older crowd and all I saw we're a bunch of old men with white hair checking out the car. I had to run away over to the BMW / Audi camp to feel my age again.
 
#141 · (Edited)
I haven't had the opportunity to drive an ATS but I would be interested in doing so and coming to my own conclusions.
 
#142 ·
I don't think anyone here is a spokesman for all BMW drivers. If there is statistical data showing that "No BMW drivers will buy a Cadillac" I would be interested in seeing it.
 
#143 ·
You can be sure, if someone is buying a $50k Cadillac, they sure considered a BMW. So if the ATS sells well, it'll take some sales from BMW, there's no doubt of that.
 
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