This week, we’re pitting two dissimilar Cadillac vehicles against each other. In the left corner, we have the compact sport-luxury Cadillac ATS sedan; in the right corner, there’s the full-size luxury XTS sedan.
If you just did a double take on the vehicles that are part of this week’s Car Clash,it was for good measure: the two Caddy sedans are entirely different approaches to luxury automobiles. Granted, both are the newest-available Cadillacs, both have four doors, a trunk, four wheels, the same V6 engine, the same sexy LED-lit door handles, similar evolved Art & Science exterior and interior design theme, the same exact maintenance and warranty plans, and both can be purchased at the same dealership (likely through the same sales person). But that’s just about where the similarities end.
While the RWD Alpha-based ATS is designed to be nimble, sporty, and athletic — while being luxurious; the FWD Epsilon-based XTS, by contrast, is as close as one can possibly come today to the big, soft, and floaty Cadillacs of the 60s and 70s. But configure both the sporty ATS and large XTS, and the price is within $1,260 of each other (in favor of the ATS). That equates to a finance payment of roughly $30 a month over the course of a 60-month loan (depending on interest rate) — pocket change for the buyer that’s dropping 50-large on a new vehicle. And it’s the price similarity that makes this week’s Car Clash that much more interesting: two entirely different luxury sedans, but in the similar price range.
So, we equipped the 2013 ATS and XTS as similarly as we could (see table below), and we’ll let you decide which one you’d rather spend your $50,000 on in this poll:
| FEATURE | 2013 CADILLAC ATS | 2013 CADILLAC XTS |
|---|---|---|
| TRIM LEVEL: | 3.6L PREMIUM | LUXURY |
| EXTERIOR COLOR: | RADIANT SILVER METALLIC | RADIANT SILVER METALLIC |
| INTERIOR COLOR: | JET BLACK WITH JEG BLACK ACCENTS, LEATHER SEAT TRIM | JET BLACK WITH SOLEIL KEISEL LEATHER SEATING SURFACES MINI-PERFORATION |
| POWERPLANT: | 3.6L V6 LFX | 3.6L V6 LFX |
| POWER HP/ kW: | 321 / 239 @ 6600 RPM | 304 / 226 @ 6800 RPM |
| TORQUE LB-FT / Nm: | 274 / 371 @ 4800 RPM | 264 / 357 @ 5200 RPM |
| TRANSMISSION: | 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC W/ TAP-SHIFT CONTROL (MYA-6L45) | 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC W/ TAP-SHIFT CONTROL (M7W-6T70 CU) |
| DRIVETRAIN STANDARD / OPTIONAL: | RWD / AWD | FWD / AWD |
| VEHICLE ARCHITECTURE: | GM ALPHA | GM EPSILON II (SUPER EPSILON) |
| SUSPENSION SYSTEM: | MAGNETIC RIDE CONTROL – AVAILABLE | MAGNETIC RIDE CONTROL – STANDARD |
| CURB WEIGHT LBS / KG: | 3461 / 1569 (RWD) | 4006 / 1817 (FWD), 4215 / 1911 (AWD) |
| OVERALL HEIGHT IN / CM: | 55.90 / 141.99 | 59.4 / 180.88 |
| OVERALL LENGTH IN / CM: | 182.8 / 464.312 | 202 / 513.08 |
| OVERALL WIDTH IN / CM: | 71.10 / 180.60 | 72.91 / 185.19 |
| WHEELBASE IN / CM: | 109.30 / 277.62 | 111.7 / 283.72 |
| CARGO VOLUME FT3 / L: | 10.2 / 288.83 | 18 / 509.70 |
| STARTING MSRP $ (RWD / AWD): | 46695 / 47795 | 48690 / 50915 |
| WHEELS" | 18" x 8" FRONT 18" x 9" REAR FORGED MACHINED-FINISH ALUMINUM | 19" ALUMINUM WITH PREMIUM PAINT AND CHROME INSERTS |
| SUNROOF / $ PRICE: | OPTIONAL POWER SUNROOF / $1050 | NOT EQUIPPED, ULTRAVIEW SUNROOF OPTIONAL / 1450 |
| SAFETY PACKAGES* / $ PRICE: | DRIVER ASSIST PACKAGE / 3220 | DRIVER AWARENESS PACKAGE / 890 |
| AS-CONFIGURED MSRP $: | 49,240 | 50,500 |
* In case you’re wondering about the optional safety packages on each vehicle, here’s what they include:
- Full-speed range Adaptive Cruise Control
- Automatic Collision Preparation with Intelligent Brake Assist
- Front and Rear Automatic Braking
- Electronic parking brake
- Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
- Side Blind Zone Alert
- Full-color Head-Up Display (if not already equipped)
- Price: $3,220
- Lane Departure Warning
- Side Blind Zone Alert
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert
- Forward Collision Alert
- Price: $890
Comments
Put the new CTS into this competition and it’s a clear winner. Love the ATS but I can’t wait for the CTS. Speaking of the CTS, I feel like the headlight design of the XTS is starting to look a little out of place in cadillac. The XTS headlights are tall and don’t sweep back far compared to ATS and CTS. Is there any word of a refresh coming for the XTS other than the 3.6 TT?
It would have to be the XTS for me but in FWD form. The ATS is nice and all but just too small and the back seat is very confined. That plus it’s RWD would be treacherous in the snow with the 18 or 19″ wheels and I don’t want the added cost, complexity and weight of AWD.
Give me rear wheel drive any day! So much easier to control in snow. And it doesn’t matter if its front or rear wheel drive, if it has 19 or 20 ” tires it is going to be really bad in the snow because the tire is to wide and low profile.
I’m torn between them both are desirable I prefer a bigger car yet there’s something about the smaller one. Both are lookers XTS just edges it, yet the ATS is RWD & looks sporty. Well done Cadillac.
I love my ATS…not much smaller at all….maybe later on, I’ll get the CTS coupe!!!!
I bought the ATS performance RWD. For someone who has worked in automotive for 28 years, it is the most impressive car I have ever driven built in North America. I swear it has a German passport.