2013 Cadillac Ats Performance on 2040-cars

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Cadillac ATS was almost front-wheel drive

"We were going to do a front-wheel drive Cadillac compact off of Delta because it was going to be less expensive," Doug Parks, General Motors' vice president of global product programs, told the Automotive News during the Detroit Auto Show in January of this year. That sentence, referring to early ATS discussions more than five years ago - a period when the automaker, and the industry, was struggling - reveals that Cadillac's highly acclaimed rear-wheel drive compact sedan almost never happened.
Parks revealed that that automaker actually built a 2.0-liter test mule, on GM's Delta platform (shared with the Chevrolet Cruze and Buick Verano) and tested it in Europe. While the prototype was "pretty darn good," according to Parks, the team realized that in order to compete against Mercedes-Benz and BMW it would have to invest in a new rear-wheel drive platform.
The resulting all-new Alpha platform would eventually underpin the Cadillac ATS, and many would argue that its balanced rear-wheel drive chassis is its single most important attribute. Thankfully, the Alpha's goodness won't stop with the ATS. The upcoming 2014 Cadillac CTS and the future Camaro will also share its architecture, meaning the Cimarron will remain a distant memory.

Cadillac CT4 and CT5 get meaningful updates for 2021

It's common for vehicles to get an update here or there in between full redesigns every five or six years, but the changes being made for the 2021 Cadillac CT4 and CT5, each just introduced last year, represent more than just a little nip and tuck. For starters, Cadillac's excellent Super Cruise will show up on the options sheets for the two sedans early next year in Enhanced form with with Lane Change on Demand functionality. Super Cruise will be offered on Premium Luxury and V-Series trims only. As we already knew thanks to early order guides, a new 12-inch digital instrument cluster that features driver-selectable themes is also on the menu for 2021. A traditional Tour theme is probably what most drivers will default to, while a Sport theme will likely include red accents and performance-monitoring readouts and a Stealth theme will offer minimal information and what we'd guess are non-distracting colors. CT4-V and CT5-V models will get an exclusive Track theme. New for the CT5 Sport trim level is a V Performance package that adds upgraded suspension bits, Magnetic Ride Control and a mechanical limited-slip differential. V Performance front brake calipers from Brembo are also optional on Sport models. Additionally, a new Diamond Sky special edition package will be offered on Premium Luxury CT4 and CT5 models, adding interior and exterior styling upgrades along with all-season run-flat tires on unique wheels. The package also gets the aforementioned V Performance brakes. Additional updates include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM with 360L with more than 200 live SiriusXM channels and on-demand programming choices, and a console-mounted rotary infotainment knob that enables left and right clicks to more easily navigate the CUE infotainment system. Buckle to Drive will come enabled from the factory (it can be disabled after purchase) and won't allow the driver to shift into drive unless the seatbelt is buckled. A Teen Driver mode will encourage safe driving from — you guessed it — teens. Forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, automatic emergency braking and the patented haptic Safety Alert Seat are now standard equipment across the board for both sedans. Check out the image gallery above to see many of the updates, including Super Cruise, the digital instrument cluster and the Diamond Sky edition. Related Video:    

2017 Cadillac CTS-V Drivers' Notes | V is for velocity

The 2017 Cadillac CTS-V is as close to a four-door Corvette Z06 as you're ever likely to get. Underneath the carbon-fiber hood rests one hell of an engine, a 640-horsepower supercharged V8. It's only slightly less powerful than what you'll find in the Corvette. Thanks to GM's chassis wizards, the car's handling is an equal match for the powerful engine. This particular car packs in a number of options, including Recaro seats and the performance data recorder that allows owners to measure lap times and record video. The most expensive option is the $6,950 Carbon Black Package. This nets you a carbon fiber hood vent, front splitter, spoiler and rear diffuser. This car isn't cheap, but it does undercut the less powerful Audi RS7 and Mercedes-AMG E63 S. Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale: This is a seriously fun, if also flawed, car. And the biggest contributor to the fun is the big lump of V8 under the hood. The supercharged 6.2-liter makes 640 horsepower, but Cadillac could've left the number off and just called it "effortless." The gentlest pressure on the gas pedal will result in you picking up an extra 10 mph without ever noticing. And when you stomp on it, you get this huge and immediate surge of acceleration. It's truly giggle-inducing. Although the CTS-V is big and heavy, it handles the power well. It gives you enough info on what's happening so you feel in control, and the chassis is impressively composed. The only real weak points I can find on the CTS-V (besides the low gas mileage) are the interior controls. They are abysmal. The infotainment screen is pretty poor, with a clutter of information at the main screen, and difficult-to-find commands for getting to other menus. But worse than that are the climate and volume buttons. They're all touch-sensitive spots on the center stack. They're not very responsive, and the vibratory feedback it provides isn't noticeable while driving. It doesn't help that the feedback feels pretty inconsistent, too. For me, I think I could learn to live with the infotainment, simply because I love the way the rest of the car feels and drives. But, Cadillac, you need to get to updating this ASAP. Associate Editor Reese Counts: OK, Cadillac's infotainment system sucks. Let's get that out of the way. Touch capacitive interfaces don't work well in cars. This does have the old version of CUE, so I'm hoping the next-gen system will fix some of the interface issues. Like Joel, this wouldn't turn me off from buying the car.