{"id":17256,"date":"2015-09-27T18:41:23","date_gmt":"2015-09-27T22:41:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=17256"},"modified":"2015-09-27T18:41:23","modified_gmt":"2015-09-27T22:41:23","slug":"payne-house-broken-caddy-ats-v","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/payne-house-broken-caddy-ats-v","title":{"rendered":"Payne: House-broken Caddy ATS-V"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Detroit<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve played tennis for over 40 years and have used a version of the Wilson Pro Staff for the last 25. No matter how long I\u2019m away from the game (as now after getting a new knee), when I return the Wilson feels just right in my hands. The right balance. The right power. The right weight.<\/p>\n

The 2016 Cadillac ATS is a Wilson on wheels.<\/p>\n

Since I first drove Caddy\u2019s compact performance coupe at its maiden test launch a year ago, we\u2019ve played together a number of times. And each time it feels like we never parted. The right balance. The right power. The right weight. It\u2019s the best-handling tool in the segment when the testosterone rises (eclipsing even you, my old flame BMW 3), yet is a comfortable commuter as well.<\/p>\n

When the ATS-V performance version debuted in May, GM invited media to Austin\u2019s epic Formula One track, Circuit of the Americas, to test Caddy\u2019s BMW M3 fighter in the most demanding environment. The twin-turbo, 464-horse, carbon-fiber-trimmed V passed with flying colors, gobbling the curves like it was possessed by Teutonic engineering itself.<\/p>\n

But back on Planet Earth, the average ATS-V shopper will never lap their V on COTA. Will never take it to a racetrack, period.<\/p>\n

Poor V will never feel the wind across its back at 150 mph. Never get to feel .97 Gs through the esses. Never get to use its Performance Data Recorder to snap off fast laps. Alas, it will mostly sit in a garage for hours on end, just as my Phantom Grey Metallic tester did for a week this September. A $74,635 weapon without a war.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s what makes the ATS-V so good.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t have to go nuclear to be appreciated. It\u2019s a perfectly civilized, date-night-with-Mrs. Payne mobile. Like my Wilson racquet, it always feels comfortable in my hand. The leather-scented, Alcantara-lush interior fits just right. The instrument display is intuitive. The engine purrs like a leopard, the magnetic shocks absorb road bumps with grace. I could drive for hours without thinking about the performance-enhancing, aluminum chassis brace hidden underneath. Or the titanium-aluminide turbochargers that can stuff the cylinder heads with 444 foot pounds of tire-smoking torque.<\/p>\n

By contrast, two competitive vehicles in the ATS-V\u2019s price range that I\u2019ve tested recently\u2013 the $81,425 BMW M3 and $76,465 Corvette C7 with Z51 trim package \u2013 don\u2019t have as polite daily table manners. The M3 and C7 want red meat all the time.<\/p>\n

Turn the key on the washboard-stiff Bimmer and it growls like an empty stomach. Its gaping front air intakes are King Kong\u2019s nostrils. The car itches like a case of poison ivy to be floored. The C7 is worse.<\/p>\n

The interior has a chemical smell. Like a boxer oiled for a fight. Its shark-like visage attracts police radar guns up to 10 miles away. Nail the throttle over 3000 RPM and unleash the Kraken\u2019s roar.<\/p>\n

The ATS-V is more subtle, yet every bit as lethal when force is required.<\/p>\n

Approaching Telegraph Road on Lone Pine, a modified Mustang with a hood bulge the size of Mount Everest spied the V-badge on the back of my Caddy and glued himself to my rear end spoiling for a fight. Just before the 90-degree turn onto Telegraph I downshifted into second \u2013 like butter with the V\u2019s digital rev-matching \u2013 then danced the beautifully-balanced Alpha chassis across the apex under power. Glancing in the rear view mirror, I saw the \u2019Stang strain to keep up, its tail slewing right to left like it was swatting horse-flies. My eyes got back to the tac in time to see the needle rocketing to the 6,500 redline. Third gear. Fourth. I was gone.<\/p>\n

Living with V isn\u2019t all wine and roses, though. Optimized for dry-weather performance, its low-ground clearance and rear-wheel-drive won\u2019t be much fun come winter. For those who covet an all-season performance ATS, the AWD, 321-horse V-6 Caddy is a tasty alternative for $20K less. The V\u2019s chiseled body is pleasingly athletic, but the fearsome, chain-link grille is too severe to look at every day. Inside, the haptic-touch, CUE infotainment system quickly wears out its novelty. Especially when GM\u2019s coach-class brand, Chevy, has upgraded its infotainment system with First Class Cadillac systems like 4G WiFi and Apple Car Play \u2014 not to mention a much more intuitive touchscreen with redundant dials. Anyone do console transplants?<\/p>\n

But every marriage has its compromises. If those details don\u2019t bother you, then Cadillac has built the best all-around, small luxury performance sedan on the market today. It\u2019s a car you can live with. And play with.<\/p>\n

2016 Cadillac ATS-V<\/p>\n

Vehicle type:\u00a0Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, four-passenger coupe\/sedan<\/p>\n

Price:\u00a0$61,460 base ($74,635 as tested)<\/p>\n

Power plant:\u00a06-liter, twin-turbo V-6<\/p>\n

Power:\u00a0464 horsepower, 444 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n

Transmission:\u00a0Six-speed manual (optional eight-speed automatic)<\/p>\n

Performance:\u00a00-60 mph, 3.8 seconds; 189 mph top speed (manufacturer)<\/p>\n

Weight:\u00a03,750 pounds<\/p>\n

Fuel economy:\u00a0EPA 16 mpg city\/24 mpg highway (auto transmission); 17 mpg city\/23 mpg highway (manual)<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs:\u00a0Nimble handling; Comfortable daily driver<\/p>\n

Lows:\u00a0Metal-mouth smile; No fun in the snow<\/p>\n

Overall:\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve played tennis for over 40 years and have used a version of the Wilson Pro Staff for the last 25. No matter how long I\u2019m away from the game (as now after getting a new knee), when I return the Wilson feels just right in my hands. The right balance. The right power. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17256"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17256"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17257,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17256\/revisions\/17257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}