I've seen that red Cadillac ATS running down the mountain too many times on TV. So I decided to visit the Cadillac web page today to see if I could build a Cadillac Evo.

Well, the first thing I discovered was that the red paint is optional and expensive. So, forget that. My Cadillac Evo will have to be blue.

I needed an Evo engine. Well, success here, the Caddy has an optional 2.0 turbo that makes 272 hp. BTW, order the 2.0 turbo and it comes with 4-pot Brembo brakes. Make that Brembo brakes front only and the disc looks kinda small.

Next, to be an Evo Caddy we need AWD. Available, but it pops the price up about 5 grand. The ad says the AWD system is capable of putting all the power to the front if necessary. Is that good? Also, the manual transmission goes away. Gas mileage for this rig is 18/27 or 20/30 depending on what internet info you wish to believe.

Oh, and you have a choice between a turbo car and a turbo performance car. As near as I can tell both have the same suspension, same engine, same seats and same tires. I decided to go base car. The sport seats don't look very sporty. The tires are all season 235/45-17 on the base model. Does that size sound familiar?

With floor mats being the only option selected the price comes to $37,935 less shipping.

What about the weight? The figure I found was 3400 for the 2.0 rwd. Maybe 3600 for AWD – just guessing.

The Caddy does look like it is more streamlined that the Evo. But, then, what car isn't.

 

So, no one drives a ATS with a 2.0? Tell me what you think of the car.

 

are we really comparing a caddy to the evo?

 

Cadillac claims the ATS is a competitor to the BMW 3.0 and it can be had with 2.0l turbo engine and brembo brakes. They claim it is a high performance car. So, yeah, can you? I've never driven one.

 

My 2-second analysis of the OP:

The engine, stock, might compare to the 4B11T but will probably never have near the aftermarket support so don't expect much more power when the mod bug gets you. Fail.

Only Brembos up front? Fail.

AWD biased to direct all power to front? The Evo X probably has the 2nd-best AWD system in production after the R35 GT-R. Independent torque vectoring with all the sensors and do-dads needed to make that happen, and if I'm not mistaken a max 50/50 F/R torque split. Fail.

No manual with the AWD? Fail.

Sorry, I like Cadillac and I like the new ATS but I don't think it should be compared to the Evo at all. Look at the Audi S3 sedan and Mercedes CLA45 AMG if you want an AWD luxury sport sedan in this price range.

That said, if I had the resources I'd consider getting a base ATS and dropping in an LS3 and manual tranny. I've been dying for a modern V8-powered complement to my Toyota Chaser and the Chevy SS is too big and heavy IMO.

 

^what he said

just cause some specs read the same on paper doesn't mean it'll drive anything remotely similar to an evo

 

That statement on their web site ad about the awd being able to direct all the power to the front just seems odd to me. If anything, I would think you might find some advantage in the system being able to direct all the power to the rear in some situations. Maybe it is a misprint.

I guess I'm going to have to go to the dealer and see how big a footprint the car has. I love kicking tires.

 

I think its worth it to ask if they would build it with AWD and a manual transmission. I would skip the factory option BBK. Aftermarket solutions would be better and save money. There must be a chevy car with brembos and could be fitted to the Cadillac.

I was also thinking about the new Ford Fusion it has a 4 cylinder turbo engine available and AWD but they also fail by making it automatic.

 

thats whats wrong with car companies these days, too many automatics with no option for standard..

personally (off topic sorry) i love the new charger srt8 but no manual.

i think they would sell more if they through in a manual..

 

I love living in an area where everyone feels it's a must for their performance cars to have manual transmissions. The local drag races and autocrosses let me beat up on cars that are significantly better than mine just because I have paddles and not a full manual.

 

like with any other car with awd...it's POSSIBLE to send the power to the front if the traction required to move the car is only available on the front axle and the rear has too much slip...they just state their system can turn it into a fwd temporaily as needed

i'm sure it's just like the jag's new awd system, they can add or remove power from any of the 4 wheels independently depending on traction needs to keep the car moving in a straight line depending on road and slip conditions...
0%-100% available power AVAILABLE at any OR all the 4 wheels in any possible combination(1 wheel, 2 wheels, 3 wheels or all 4 wheels, left side, right side or diagonal, front axle or rear axle)
using the wheel speed sensors the car sees wich tire/s are slipping and removes power from it/them so it doesnt just waste power spinning it(or them)

 

the ATS can't be compared to an evo, but remember your comparing a luxury performance car to a all out performance car. thats like camparing apples to oranges...

i would think by all means in its price range and its catergory of being a luxury sport car. It would definetly whoop up on alot of other cars. Lexus IS,infiniti G sedan, and i can think of a few others as well.

All in all It's an attractive car with pretty good performance but once again you can't compare this to any generation evo, because all of them will out perform it in a heartbeat.

This will definetly be on my list to look at and test drive when i sell my evo in the next few months.

 

the thing about the 2.0t in the caddy vs the evo tho...
the caddy has it for fuel economy first and foremost...not for power...
the evo is the other way around...power first, then ehh....well...not for fuel economy from what i keep reading about the "great" fuel economy in the evo...lol

it may be considered a luxury performance car...but to be honest it's really just a luxury car with perfromance looks...untill they make a ats v...still w/ a 2.0t...and awd...i personally wouldn't consider it performance