The Cadillac ATS-V Remains A Performance Luxury Bargain
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The Cadillac ATS in all forms has always been a commendable alternative to the proverbial BMW 3-Series in the compact luxury sports sedan market, thanks to both a more affordable cost of entry and more engaging driving dynamics. But if you’ve been on the hunt for a new ATS-V in either coupe or sedan guise, now might be a good time to scoop one up as prices appear to be remarkably low, according to Jalopnik. Some examples are going for $8,000 off sticker, while some lease deals come in at $599 a month for 36 months with $4,709 down before taxes and fees, a driving allowance of 10,000 miles a year.
This does seem to keep to the trend of steep ATS-V discounts. We ourselves even found that Cadillac ATS-V models were being marked down by as much as $20,000 in various parts of the country as far back as February of last year. One wonders if the lithe performance car – the only one of its type built in the United States – would struggle as hard to find a home if it featured a more American take on its engine choice. A V8 instead of the twin-turbo LF4 V6.
These new low prices might be a result of depreciation, but it’s also influenced by the fact that the standard ATS is officially on its way out. More specifically, it was only last that Cadillac officially announced that its four-door sedan variant of the regular ATS is dead, while the coupe will continue production through 2019. It’s likely that dealers are now looking to unload its inventory surplus that might be lingering around to make room for the incoming 2019 Cadillac XT4 crossover.
It’s also expected that the ATS is approaching the end of is production cycle, as Cadillac spokespeople have mentioned the retooling of the Lansing Grand River Assembly plant to accommodate the brand’s next generation passenger cars. The first of which is suspected to be called Cadillac CT5. There weren’t any specifics as to whether or not this cease in production affects the ATS-V sedan. But either way, we presume that since the regular ATS sedan is dead, the ATS-V is as well.
Just quickly browsing online listings for still relatively new ATS-V models that have seen usage of around 20-30,000 miles, and the prices dip closer to the $40,000 mark. For a luxury performance vehicle with 464 horsepower, Brembo brakes, and magnetic ride control, that makes for an incredible amount of car and value for the money.
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People are putting trifecta tunes on these and making 500whp without modifying any hard parts. God I wish my SS could make power that easy lol
I heard a Trifecta ATS-V just clocked 0-60 in 3.4 seconds!
It’s still a sharp looking car IMO. Just too bad Cadillac could never realize the full potential of one of the best handling 4-dr cars period.
Cadillac blew it buy using the TTV6 instead of the V8. While the Camaro SS earned rave reviews for its engine/drivetrain, the ATS-V got lukewarm reviews. If the CTS-V is a 4-door Corvette, this could have and should have been the 4-door Camaro SS — but instead, Cadillac had to copy the M3 and likely spent far more development dollars for a less interesting product. I’m disappointed with the ending as I would have bought one with a V8.
And sure, it’s easy enough to tweak the turbos, but if you follow the forums, voiding the warranty has its pitfalls.
The ATS-V tune of the exhaust was not as attractive like the CTS-V IMO. Also, the competition was equally as good like the ATS-V, perhaps better in some ways.
The CTS-V was the best in the segment till the competition caught up to it with fresher redesigns and engineering.
The ATS-V had more to worry about compared to the CTS-V.
Another example of GM why-tech… why use a 464 hp twin turbo, DOHC 24V V6 when you could use a lighter, more compact, cheaper 460 hp LT1 V8, and simultaneously achieve better EPA numbers (assuming the Camaro numbers translate)? Because they can?
…and now you know why Cadillac has new leadership… 😉
The car was built with the small block V8 in mind and engineers were even planning to drop an LS7 in the engine bay — all of which was cancelled by JDN, who either succumbed to the bean counters or had other plans around so-called “premium engines” — either way, it doesn’t leave a great legacy behind when all you can do is say “what if.” IMO, the Alfa Romeo Giulia has become the darling of this segment because GM squandered the opportunity to improve what was the best driving car.
Sure one can argue sedans are now irrelevant, but the more troubling trend is that higher-ups at GM have done virtually nothing performance-wise over the past few years outside of a 2-seater (Corvette) and 2+2 (Camaro), while the other luxury car makers have put performance on every single sedan and SUV to the point that high-performance no longer requires compromised packaging.
The ATS-V was an awesome car for what it was circa 2015, so this is absolutely not a dig on existing owners. Yes, it should have been introduced earlier with the V8 instead of futzing with a turbo engine for so long.
Let’s face it, it took folks who were more passionate about product (Bob Lutz) than folks clinging to their jobs, to get the whole V program in place before it was essentially neutered. Although I hope Carlisle can turn that around, I wouldn’t put any money that he will.
I always thought the great irony of the ATS was Cadillac’s aversion to using the legendary Corvette LT1 V8 beast in the ATS-V, but nobody seemed to have a problem putting the mediocre LTG 2.0 I4 in all Cadillacs all the way up to the CT6. Had I been in charge of strategy, the base ATS engine would have been the 3.6 V6 and the ATS-V would have been the V8. Instead, the ATS effectively was a camaro with a $15k premium.
Also, to be fair, the BMW M3 design still looks amazing and the ATS-V always looked dated because of the edginess of the panels.