It’s no secret that General Motors engineers had the BMW 3-Series in mind when they conceived 2013 Cadillac ATS. The 3 Series has been the benchmark luxury compact car for years now, and Cadillac is hoping to take those bragging rights away from ze Germans one model rollout at a time.
The ATS proved to be a worthy competitor to the last generation of 3 Series, but The General might have its hands full once again, with a new F80 platform 2014 BMW M3 sedan and 2014 BWW M4 coupe.
Based on what’s been considered a leak, the numbers for the new performance sedan look simply amazing for a compact sports car, at 430 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque from a 3.0-liter twin turbo inline six, replacing the howling, naturally aspirated V8 of the E92 M3. But perhaps the most impressive figure is the weight, as the new M3 and M4 will reportedly come in only 3, 306 lbs or even less, about 150 lbs less than a current rear wheel drive ATS in its lightest configuration — and just a few pounds lighter than the hallowed 2014 Corvette Stingray. The low weight is mostly due to the F8x M3 and M4 being swathed in carbon fiber; the trunk lid, the roof, the driveshaft and even the front strut braces are all made of this super rigid and lightweight material.
That being the case, Cadillac has some work to do if they wish to make a worthy competitor to the new M3 and M4 with the impeding 2015Â ATS-V. All signs point to the ATS-V utilizing a variant of the potent 3.6 liter twin-turbo LF3 V6 from the all-new 2014 CTS Vsport and 2014 XTS Vsport. We expect the LF3 in the ATS-V to produce more power and torque figures than the inline six found in the 2014 M3 and 2014 M4 on paper, but can Cadillac match that weight target? It certainly wouldn’t hurt Cadillac’s pursuit in dethroning what is one of the most iconic German automobile nameplates in history.
To read up on the all new M3 and M4, head over to Bimmerpost.
Comments
Cadillac will Get it Done…..If they can do a 1yr Major Refresh on the Chevy Malibu to Improve that car, then Caddy got This in the Bag Easily……..Don’t be surprised when the Germans be Cryin Again by the Middle of 2014!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
I hope cadillac will fight back soon, and with better numbers. Its only till recently till they’ve really went after the germans, and im really excited to see how this will foster innovation within the team.
Cadillac has been putting every new model on a diet, I’m sure they already have this weight issue covered. The twin turbo 3.6, magnetic ride control, and all the other V goodies will make the ATS-V the best compact performance vehicle. I just hope they consider an AWD option, it will only broaden the market for the ATS-V. I know it will hurt the weight a little but some people need it.
Lets worry about this once all the facts are known.
The thing we have here is even if the Cadillac has a little more mass it very well could have a little more power too.
We are not speaking about a 4000 pound Cadillac so the differences are major, Now if we were talking old CTS then yes the weight would be a much greater issue. In this case the difference is so small it is the chassis and engine tuning that will be the difference.
No the general will come out on top. Critics said the corvette was fat and heavy, and look how much praise it’s been getting
The only thing about BMW is they always underrate their engines, so it could be stronger than the numbers shown.
The 300 pound gorilla in the room is the magnetic suspension GM utilizes. This is what is starting to set the Cadillac apart from the German cars and as of yet they have yet to match. This system has taken 4000 pound cars like the Camaro and made them dance so a few extra pounds is not going to be a great issue.
The second issue is who said the ATS V would have only 420 HP? I suspect GM may twist up the boost a little and give us a little more power than a CTS V sport. Keep in mind we have only seen the entry level of the TT V6.
This will be a good battle and until the more is known on the BMW and the ATS V is finally reviled can we ever get a hint at how good either of these cars will be. These cars are getting smaller but taking performance to the next level.
Either way I can see the ATS V beating the others in handling and performance and the magazines still complaining about the Cue system. LOL!
No matter how well the Cadillac’s preform they will still need time to win hearts and minds. We here may be sold but others will have to see the proof over time. Once their home team gets beat enough many will defect over to Cadillac. As in any game there are always a majority of front runners and they move when moral drops from being #2.
Same with the media as they have been programed to forgive BMW on many things over the years but in time they will have to accept Cadillac to retain their credibility.
BMW in the 70’s did not win the Champion belt in the first few years but in time they became the car of public choice. Cadillac will follow the same path.
Look at Lincoln and you see Cadillac of 1990 and look at Cadillac today and you see just how far they have come and how far they have passed up what many said they would ever do. Gang there is a lot more fun to come.
they could up the hp and put this transmission on it too: http://www.corvetteblogger.com/2013/09/26/gm-files-patent-for-7-speed-dual-clutch-transmission/
I am afraid it is unlikely you will see a duel clutch here. The Corvette people already stated because of the cost is will not be seen in the present Vette Though it could be part of the much more expensive models later.
The ATS V Is just not going to make it price wise for inclusion for now.
This is based on what Mark Reuss stated so I will leave it to the source .
Because I just saw that they just filed for patent for DCT
I would expect this in a ZR1 Z07 and possibly a CTS V but the ATS V is just not in the price range Mark was speaking about. He kind of discounted it in the Stingray due to cost. The closer to $100K the easier it is to install this. Over time these units will get cheaper and we will see them in lower priced cars.
Keep in mind this is based on what Mark stated for what it is worth.
Forget the 3.6 Bi-turbo. It is heavier and takes up more room under the hood than the LT1 V8. Just use the 460 bhp / 465 lb-ft LT1 V8. 30 more horsepower and 96 more lb-ft of twist is substantial. Besides, it’ll give a driving experience edge over the LF3 or the BMW I6TT by being completely devoid of turbo-lag and being directly connected to the left foot — something which is impossible to do with any turbocharged engine. As far as weight goes, keeping it at or under 3,600 lbs is good enough. That’ll be a 4 sec flat to 60 mph car. And, using the V8 lets you snatch up those customers disappointed with BMW’s choice of a forced induction small displacement engine. If used in the ATS, the LT1 gives a projected fuel economy number of 17 mpg city / 28 mpg highway — more than enough to equal or beat anything in the same power class.