Yesterday, we asked which transmission you would put into your Cadillac ATS, and the results were pretty much split right down the middle between the automatic and the manual. But what if we asked you the same about the ATS-V?
The 2016 ATS-V Sedan and 2016 ATS-V Coupe offers the familiar six-speed manual as well as a rifle-like 8-speed automatic, making the comparison somewhat uneven: do you go for the row-it-yourself fun of the stick while foregoing the two extra gears, remote start convenience, and magnesium paddle shifters of the auto, or do you not?
So, which would you pick for the V — the stick or the auto? Vote in the poll and talk to us in the comments below.
| MANUAL | AUTOMATIC |
|---|---|
| 6 SPEEDS | 8 SPEEDS |
| MORE FUN | LESS FUN |
| SHIFTING SPEED DEPENDS ON SKILL | SYSTEMATICALLY-FAST SHIFTS |
| NO RARE METALS IN THE CABIN | MAGNESIUM PADDLE SHIFTERS |
| NO REMOTE START | REMOTE START VIA KEY FOB AND ONSTAR APP |
| NO SAFETY GIZMOS | ALLOWS FOR ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL |
| CAN DOWNRIGHT SUCK IN TRAFFIC | MORE CONVENIENT IN TRAFFIC |
| DIRECT POWER DELIVERY | POWER-SAPPING TORQUE CONVERTER |
| SHIFT WHENEVER, WHEREVER | SHIFTS CAN BE DENIED |
Comments
I pick the stick becuase I enjoy driving them way more. I live in an area where traffic can be a major problem, but I have never really been all that bothered by having a clutch. So for me even with knowing that 8spd auto may be a couple of tenths quicker, I’ll row my own thank you very much.
Question 2:
“Who that responded to the question would actually be a potential ATS-V Buyer?”
0-1? ha. Thats the tough thing with these things. I voted for the stick, and I’ll ogle the ATS-V all day, but I’m not really a buyer. I have a CTS now and the ATS is just a hair too small, even if I love it in theory.
The manual by default, but if the paddles are very, very good, I might be swayed…
Auto. You get every ounce of potential out of the LF4 with none of it wasted by shifting gears.
Besides, GM went to such effort to build their own transmission to rival the performance Porsche’s DSG boxes, why squander the moment (when it matters most) with manual?
I think in term of performance the 8 speed auto & 6 speed manual, are pretty close. So for me I would go with manual because, where I live the traffic is not so much a problem and for the fact I prefer to “row fer me self”. But if I was at the Caddy dealership and the both of the vehicles was option the way I wanted and say one was had a $3000 dollar discount on it’s head, I probably would go with cheaper one, regardless of the transmission!