2013 Cadillac ATS: Fuel Economy Update for July
August 2, 2013
In July, our 2013 Cadillac ATS returned to service after a two-week stay in the body shop. We responded with 2,100 miles, an oil change and a tire rotation. Editor Travis put half of those miles on the ATS during a road trip to Nevada City, while Editor Brent contributed his share through two weeks of combing Central California roads.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Automatic Brakes
August 1, 2013
Our long-term 2013 Cadillac ATS has this automatic braking system that, um, automatically engages the brakes in certain situations, namely ones that have the ingredients for crashing. No matter the manufacturer, these systems aren't perfect. They can't possibly assess every situation accurately. I say this not to excuse them, rather to recognize that this aspect is not unique to GM's system.
With that said, over the weekend the ATS went to full ABS braking for a split second while the car was in no way in any kind of perilous situation whatsoever. The car dropped the anchors as hard as they would go, if only for an instant. I'd just made a left onto a street with a slight curve in it, and the system misinterpreted the cars in the opposing lane as an impending oncoming disaster, and acted accordingly.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Rubbing Me the Wrong Way
July 31, 2013
I noticed that every time I opened the lid on the center console bin of our long-term 2013 Cadillac ATS, it was a little slow and it seemed to be rubbing on something. It wasn't until I checked from the passenger seat that I noticed what the problem was. It is rubbing on the side of the driver seat, every time it opens or closes.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Thoughts After Two Weeks
July 30, 2013
Recently, I got a lot of seat time in our 2013 Cadillac ATS. It was a good opportunity to see how the car's traits (both good and bad) affected me over a longer duration.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Oil Change and Tire Rotation
July 25, 2013
Recently our 2013 Cadillac ATS generated an on-screen popup notifying us that it was due for an oil change service.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Sharp Handling
July 23, 2013
One thing that really stood out when we used our long-term 2013 Cadillac ATS in a three-way comparison test was the car's handling abilities. As author Mike Magrath wrote: "Whereas the [Lexus] IS 250 turned in decent handling results and then got walked on the road, the Cadillac took everything we dared to throw at it regardless of the venue."
2013 Cadillac ATS: Rear Facing Child Safety Seat Install
July 22, 2013
I think it's pretty safe to assume that if you've got small children to drive around frequently, you're probably not going to lust over a 2013 Cadillac ATS as your daily driver. But I recently had a father of one of my friends ask me what I thought of the ATS, as his wife is interested in replacing her older CTS with one. They're grandparents to five young kids. So it's not entirely out of the question that potential owners could be putting an ATS to use as at least an occasional kid taxi.
2013 Cadillac ATS: 10,000 Miles
July 19, 2013
After nearly eight months in our fleet, the 2013 Cadillac ATS is running a little behind on miles. Thankfully, we ticked over to 10,000 miles this month soon after we got the Cadillac back from the body shop.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Nevada City Road Trip, Part 3
July 18, 2013
California Gold Rush miners were settling in Nevada City as early as 1849, fifteen years before Nevada became a state. As a result of this relatively lengthy history, there are some great landmarks in the area. I've already been to the Empire Mine National Park (where nearly 6 million ounces of gold was unearthed), but as I was on my way out of town in our long-term 2013 Cadillac ATS, the local cemetery caught my eye.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Nevada City Road Trip, Part 2
July 16, 2013
On day two of my holiday weekend road trip to Nevada City, California in our 2013 Cadillac ATS, it sat parked while we climbed into a Toyota Highlander Hybrid instead. The Caddy likely would've faced a few issues towing my father's boat.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Nevada City Road Trip, Part 1
July 15, 2013
When our 2013 Cadillac ATS finally came out of the body shop, it went straight to work. My brother and I had a 1,000-mile road trip planned for the holiday weekend.
Out of Los Angeles before noon, my brother Tyler and I were keen on arriving at our father's house for dinner. It's 450 miles away. Apparently, the ATS's seats are super comfortable for passengers because my brother was sleeping before 30 minutes passed. After a few hours on the road, I couldn't drown out the snoring with podcasts any longer. I stopped for burgers.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Un-Damaged
July 12, 2013
Our 2013 Cadillac ATS is back in service following a 16-day stint at our local Golden Hammer body shop. If you recall, this happened to it.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Fuel Economy Update for June
July 3, 2013
Calling the month of June uneventful for our 2013 Cadillac ATS would be kind. After it was damaged, it took a few weeks to repair so we didn't hit any new milestones. More on the repair process soon, but if you want to see the mpg we logged before the ATS went to the body shop, click through the jump.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Damaged
June 26, 2013
I returned to our parked 2013 Cadillac ATS to find this addition. Fortunately, the at-fault party left a note with an apology and all pertinent contact information. It's good to know there are a few honest people out there. The cameras in the parking structure could have influenced her honesty, but still, we'll give the benefit of the doubt.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Manual Shift Effort
June 19, 2013
Here's something I've never experienced before: When manually toggling gears in our long-term 2013 Cadillac ATS there's distinctly different effort required for up- and downshifts. Downshifts, executed by pulling the lever back, require far more effort than upshifts.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Hey, It's Like a 3 Series
June 11, 2013
Every time I walk out to my dark garage to get in our long-term 2013 Cadillac ATS, I feel happy. I could end up taking a really good drive today, I think. The world is my oyster. My mania has everything to do with the approach lighting on the ATS.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Unnecessary Alerts
June 10, 2013
Tell me this: Does anybody really need to know about a High Surf Advisory? It needs to be a world-changing event for this to be necessary information on my commute. Yes, these warnings can be switched off. And they will be.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Hypersensitive Driver Assist
June 7, 2013
Well, you never can be too careful, I guess. While reversing our long-term 2013 Cadillac ATS into a parking space on the street, the car abruptly dropped anchor, grinding to an immediate halt. A loud alert sounded, and the car wouldn't move.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Possible Recall
June 6, 2013
General Motors is recalling some 2014 Chevrolet Impala, 2013 Cadillac ATS, and 2013 Cadillac XTS models. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the vehicles' brake lamps may flash intermittently and the cruise control may disengage.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Keeping It Clean
June 5, 2013
Summer in Los Angeles means blooming Jacaranda trees. Everywhere. And as beautiful as they are, they shed their sticky, purple blossoms as fast as you can sweep them from your driveway.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Celebrity Sighting
June 4, 2013
Down on Reese Witherspoon since her recent mouthy arrest in Georgia? Here's a little something to help you get over her bad behavior:
2013 Cadillac ATS: Fuel Economy Update for May
June 3, 2013
We added 1,200 miles to our 2013 Cadillac ATS's odometer in May, and some aggressive driving brought our average mpg down slightly to 20.8.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Safety Seat Is Obnoxious
May 31, 2013
I thought I would get used to the so-called Safety Seat in our long-term 2013 Cadillac ATS. I haven't, and at this point I don't expect I will. For those unaware, the Safety Seat adds a pair of thigh bolsters that twitch prominently when the car's proximity sensors decide it is necessary to do so.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Shifters Are Good, Could Be Better
May 23, 2013
The paddle shifters in the Cadillac ATS are beautifully finished and stand in sharp contrast to the chintzy plastic things that reside in other luxury cars. However, I still wish there was more effort in their action to make you feel that pulling them actually engaged some sort of mechanism as opposed to just pressing a tiny electronic button beyond.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Trim Issue
May 22, 2013
Our long-term Cadillac ATS has had a string of small issues lately. A couple of them were simple warnings from the on-board computer that something was wrong. In both cases, everything seemed fine to us, so it's hard to tell if the computer was acting up.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Minor Lighting Failure
May 21, 2013
Looking at this message one might think they had a headlight out. That's not quite the case in this Cadillac.
I was a little surprised when I saw this message in the morning darkness as the headlights appeared to be working just fine. After looking closer, the light pattern on the right side did look a little bit different than the left, but again, this was only if I stared awhile.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Power Steering Malfunction
May 20, 2013
This warning popped up on the instrument display of our 2013 Cadillac ATS when I climbed in this morning. I did not notice any associated issue with the power steering, and the warning did not stay illuminated. And I have not seen it again since. We'll keep an eye on this and have it addressed at the dealer if necessary.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Pink Cadillac
May 17, 2013
While driving our long-term 2013 Cadillac ATS yesterday, I came upon one of its special relations.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Safety Alert Seats
May 16, 2013
I'm not sure how I've driven our Cadillac ATS for so many miles and have just encountered its safety alert seats, but I must admit they're a little shocking when you're not expecting them.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Weather Advisory
May 14, 2013
When I was driving our long-term 2013 Cadillac ATS home on Friday evening, I got this warning message about impending weather conditions.
An Areal Flood Advisory
2013 Cadillac ATS 2.0 Premium: Versus the Competition
May 13, 2013
Our 2013 Cadillac ATS 2.0 Premium recently found itself embroiled in a comparison test, pitted against the 2013 BMW 328i and the all-new 2014 Lexus IS250 F Sport.
How'd it do? Head over to the comparison test to find out.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Where's Waldo?
May 10, 2013
It's somewhat important to see where your car is when you glance at the nav screen. For example, you're in an unfamiliar neighborhood and want to see how close you are to a certain street. Well, good luck with the system in the ATS as it's like playing "Where's Waldo".
2013 Cadillac ATS: Steering Wheel Audio Controls
May 6, 2013
File this under the Minor Gripes category. But I don't find the steering wheel audio controls on the 2013 Cadillac ATS 2.0T intuitive.
Two problems: First, having the up/down radio volume buttons on opposite sides of the cumbersome SEL button is just odd. To me it would make more sense to have the up/down buttons on the same side of SEL, with my first choice being below it as that's easier to get to.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Fuel Economy Update for April
May 2, 2013
We added 1,000 miles to our Cadillac ATS's odometer in April, mostly at the hands of Road Test Editor Mike Monticello.
Monticello complained about the Cadillac's seats, but not about its fuel economy, as most of his fill-ups averaged 20 mpg or better.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Narrow Trunk
May 1, 2013
The 2013 Cadillac ATS 2.0T's trunk is generously wide at the opening, but things get tight further back in the cargo area.
I found out just how narrow it gets at the wheel wells when I folded down the rear seats and tried to put a mountain bike in through the trunk.
2013 Cadillac ATS 2.0T: Driver's Seat Lacks Comfort
April 30, 2013
Look, I know this 2013 Cadillac ATS is supposed to be a sport sedan and all. And without question, it is one terrific-handling machine.
But it's also a Cadillac. Therefore, it should have a more comfortable front seat.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Crash Tests
April 24, 2013
No, I didn't ram our Cadillac ATS into a wall. But seriously, how awesome of a test would that be?
NHTSA awarded the Cadillac ATS five out of five stars in overall, frontal, side and rollover protection. That's pretty impressive. Loyal followers of our long-term fleet might recall that I have a particular affinity for watching destruction, especially in slow motion. So click on through to see a few Cadillacs get crushed in frame-by-frame glory. You're welcome.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Satellite Controls Are Good, Not Great
April 23, 2013
There are many ways to do satellite steering wheel controls. Cadillac's latest attempt to deliver maximum functionality at your fingertips is good at some things, and merely average at others.
The volume and seek buttons are simple enough. It would be better if you could tell between them without looking, but they are easy to use with your thumb. The rocker switch is another story.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Dog Report
April 19, 2013
I loved using the 2013 Cadillac ATS as a dog transporter for my dog Mya. Not only because it has those seat belt fasteners that protrude from the seat which makes it super easy to buckle her in but it has rear air vents in the back of the center console so she can just stick her nose on it to get some air.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Loud CUE Startup
April 17, 2013
The first time I heard the CUE startup video in our 2013 Cadillac ATS I was irritated. I thought whoever drove the car before me must have left the radio on full blast, and I struggled to quickly turn down the volume but to no avail. It wouldn't respond. Suffice it to say many expletives ensued.
But the next time it happened, I realized it was just the startup video for the CUE system whenever someone got in the driver seat. The action of slipping into the seat is what sets it off, not hitting the car's "Engine Start" button. It sounds like the beginning of an action movie trailer. When you watch the video after the jump, you kinda expect someone to come on the speakers with "IN A WORLD...."
2013 Cadillac ATS: CUE Welcome Screen Video
April 16, 2013
As far as infotainment interfaces go, the Cadillac CUE system is all right. Not great and not awful. The welcome screen (when you first get into the car), however, is both great and awful.
Startup and welcome flourishes are nothing new to cars. Personally, I like the simple sweep of the gauge needles, but I'm a sports car type of guy. When manufacturers include welcome screens with sound effects, well, I'm not impressed.
I used to love the THX intro screens in movie theatres. The sweeping sound and power from those systems were simply rad. But I don't need it in a car. The ATS's screen is particularly egregious, giving me the impression that they hired Michael Bay to create it.
2013 Cadillac ATS: Audio Review
April 15, 2013
Our long-term Cadillac ATS in Premium trim comes with a 10-speaker Bose surround sound system (that's three more speakers than the base system from Bose). On lower-trimmed models, this system is paired with the CUE interface and will set you back $1,350. Is the upgrade worth it?
Short answer: probably.