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Do The 2014 BMW M3’s Surprising Dyno Figures Bode Ill For The Cadillac ATS-V?

BMW claims its new 2014 F80 M3 and F82 M4 produce a robust 425 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque at the crank. It turns out the Germans are being a bit modest with those figures, a point which was proven when European Auto Source hooked a stock 2014 M3 up to a dyno at their shop.

According to the video below, the M3 actually produced 424 horsepower and 426 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. When you factor in the 15 percent drivetrain loss, the M3’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six is actually making around 470-480 horsepower. So now the question remains, does this spell trouble for the impending Cadillac ATS-V?

We haven’t heard a peep about the upcoming compact ‘V’ model from Cadillac, but the automaker is hard at work on the car, testing it in the open for all to see at the Nurburgring. Rumor has it that it may use a variation of the 3.6-liter twin turbocharged LF3 V6 found under the hood of the CTS and XTS Vsport, which produces 420 horsepower in the CTS. If the ATS-V does use that engine, it won’t be enough to take a proper fight to the M3 without a power increase to at least 450 horsepower.

It seems likely that the engineers working on the ATS-V are keeping a close eye on the M3 and M4, but they should be warned, BMW might be slightly downplaying its capabilities. The upcoming CTS-V has been spied testing alongside the current-gen F10 M5, so maybe they’ll manage to get their hands on an M3 or M4 before development work on the ATS-V is complete.

Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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Comments

  1. Who cares if it compares to the m3 or m4? If cadillac makes it affordable (ie. much cheaper than the m’s), everyone will buy one. Would be sick if they could price it just $10k over the base 2.0 turbo. It’d be almost impossible to pass up.

    Reply
    1. “Would be sick if they could price it just $10k over the base 2.0 turbo. It’d be almost impossible to pass up.”

      And almost impossible to take seriously.

      The ATS-V will be priced according to the segment, and alongside its contemporaries. The segment starts at $60K, and the segment distinguishes itself from garden variety models by their outstanding performance capabilities. Expect the ATS-V to command such prices.

      A $46K ATS-V won’t ever happen, as there is no such thing as affordable luxury.

      Reply
    2. First off the ats will be much, much cheaper than the m3. Second, the handling is the ats will be much better than the tail happy m3(Google Cadillac differential). Third, dyno numbers vary from machine to machine. To accurately gauge the true power produced both of these vehicles would need to be dynod on the same exact machine and in the same exact weather.

      Article is obviously written by a bimmer fanboy.

      Reply
      1. “First off the ats will be much, much cheaper than the m3.”

        Don’t count on it being $10K under the M3. It simply isn’t the way to build a reputation as a luxury automaker. You can’t undercut your way into luxury markets, and you can’t pretend to be a luxury product by selling something $10K off the pace of genuine luxury products.

        C63 AMG – $60,250
        M3 – $62,000
        IS F – $63,600

        The ATS-V can slot nicely in at $61,500 and not a penny less. It is a Cadillac after all, and not a Lincoln.

        Reply
      2. You clearly know nothing these cats and are just a GM fanboy. The differential? Really? The M3/4 will always be better balanced, better built, more direct, and faster. Also you’re a child to think Cadillac is going to make the ATS-V “much cheaper” than the BMW. Like a previous commenter said, the marque is around 60k and that’s where the caddy will go. This is cadillac, not Chevy. They aren’t trying to sell cheap luxury and they have a long way to go in build quality.

        Reply
  2. There’s nothing to worry about, GM has plenty of time to perfect the ATS, I doubt they’re gonna do it wrong. Plus HP, isn’t everything, power to weight is everything, the bummer might make slightly more hp than the current tt V6 in the cts, but I’m pretty sure the ATS will be a lot lighter.

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  3. Reply
  4. Naw Caddy can’t compete lol

    Reply
  5. is it that the Germans rate their hp at the wheels, as oppose to the North Americans, who rate theirs at the crank? My daily driver is a 09 N54 335i, and that thing is so ridiculously fast, there is no way it is only 300hp. What’s the point of underating their engines? i don’t get it. If the M3/M4 is really doing 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, it’s clearly underated. That being said, the engineers at Cadillac are not fools, and i’m sure they will have that in mind when tuning the engines in the ATS-V. I would not be surprised if Caddy also play the underating game.

    Reply
  6. Odd.

    Motortrend ran an new M3 on the Dyno with the twin turbo I6 and only got 379hp and 378lbs-ft of torque at the wheels so the quoted numbers by BMW may not be that overstated.

    See 5:26 in the ignition episode 112 video below:

    Reply
    1. This is quite strange…….There seems to be a bit of disparity here…..But it is quite common for ze Germans to downplay their output figures. If the M3 truly is pumping out 470-480 hp, I’d believe it. Cadillac’s twin turbo 3.6 will have to be optimized to keep up with what the M3/M4 is capable of.

      Reply
    2. Look at the peak output for the e90 m3, which is rated at 414hp/295tq, but their dyno has it putting out JUST over 300hp, while most 2wd dynos measure about 360hp for the e90 m3. More important the the number is the gap between the e90 and f80. There’s about a 70hp increase there, while BMW claims there would be an increase of 10 hp.

      Reply
  7. GM also under rate most of their engine and has done so for years.

    The reality is the TT v6 has much more in reserve than it is showing. The Eco turbo as it is can push 400 with nothing but added boost. At that point is where you need to change only pistons and rods. The block and head can take up to 1200 HP as well as the crank 800 HP if I recall correctly.

    The V6 is not just the 3.6 NA engine with added turbo’s. GM has beefed it up and it will take more. I suspect we will see the ATS V pushing 475 HP and if needed can be boosted to 500 HP on premium required fuel ratings.

    My eco will run all day at 23 PSI of boost and I can see them doing the same here.

    Rest assured Cadillac will be as fast or faster.

    Now with that said building a faster and better handling car is not a problem that is easy to do as GM has proven that with the new CTS. The hard part is to get people willing to pay that for a Cadillac and feel like they are getting the same image boost as they do in a BMW or Benz.

    While some buy for performance most in this class buy the image and you just can’t engineer that and bolt it into the car. It is something that has to be earned over time by building great cars and good marketing.

    I am sure Cadillac and build a better car but the question is how long will it take earn a change of perceptions.

    Reply
    1. “While some buy for performance most in this class buy the image and you just can’t engineer that and bolt it into the car. It is something that has to be earned over time by building great cars and good marketing.

      I am sure Cadillac and build a better car but the question is how long will it take earn a change of perceptions.”

      Get out of my head Scott. 😉

      Reply
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