smk4565

I have an 01 Aurora, and next year it will probably be time to replace it. I've had it 9 years now, and there is a laundry list of things that have gone wrong, and I have spent thousands to fix them. The build quality and reliability has just been too poor, it makes me reluctant to give GM another chance. This is common, it is why GM once had 40% market share and now has 18%. The ATS on mechanics and specs has a lot I like (aside from the 2.5), but I prefer the C-class in styling in this segment. I think BMWs drive great and are built very well, but I don't care for BMW styling. My question on the ATS is when that car is 10-15 years old will it look and drive similar to when it was new, or will it be falling apart and ready for the scrap yard. GM doesn't have me convinced that their cars are really built to last yet. Interestingly enough, at this price point, I'd probably take a Genesis 5.0 over the ATS or any of the German compacts, because of the 429 hp DOHC V8. That engine with an 8-speed transmission produces more fun factor to me than these V6 cars do, and it is a much roomier car.

Nothing to worry about, the S-class is legendary. It chases no one, yet everyone else benchmarks against it. Lexus spent over a billion dollars in the 80s trying to beat it, and probably a few billion since, and they still can't beat it. Cadillac needs a flagship in a bad way, but the S-class is near unbeatable because of a 40 year reputation of being the global standard.

Automotive journalists may have bias, but the public is even more so biased toward the Germans. You have to give a pretty strong reason not to just by default drive to the BMW or Mercedes dealership in this class. Infiniti came up with a good alternative with the G37, but they are appealing to the people that have gotten too mature for a Civic Si or Mitsubishi Evo or other Japanese rice racer type car. That Japanese loyalist crowd is hard to steal away also. This is why I wouldn't have the Malibu engine or versions without CUE, because Cadillac needs every trim level to be amazing, not just the upper level ones. If there is to be a 3rd engine choice on this car, it should be a diesel. BMW has an M-diesel in Europe, and AMG is working on a diesel (reportedly over 500 hp and 730 lb-ft), I think Cadillac should look into that so they aren't late to the party.

7.5 seconds 0-60 is slow for this segment. Infiniti bagged the wimpy G25, and just because Lexus has a wimpy IS250, doesn't mean Cadillac needs one also. A 328i does 0-60 in 5.6 seconds. That is nearly as quick as the V6 ATS. Cadillac doesn't need a value leader, they are Cadillac, not Chevy. I think they should drop the 2.5 and really go at this with bigger guns. The good news is, this appears to be Cadillac's best effort in years. If they can follow it up with the CTS, and eventually get the wear front drivers out of the line up and bring out a real flagship, then they are on to something. I am glad they are on the right track, but I hope they stay committed to it.

The reviews are very positive, I agree with the ones that said the 2.5 liter doesn't belong The 2.0T should be the base engine, it has the same fuel economy as the 2.5, so it isn't about CAFE. Seems that back seat space and trunk space are small for the segment, but that probably won't hurt sales. I think this car needs to be faster though, and I put some blame on the transmission. Motor Trend had the V6 at 5.7 seconds 0-60, a 328i can do that. Even Cadillac's estimate of 5.4 seconds for the V6 puts them a bit behind the 335i which can do it in 4.7 seconds. An 8-speed transmission would be nice. The interior looks pretty good in real world production car photos. I think it turned out well, not a fan of the snoozeville wheels on the 3.6 model.

I still find the ATS to be a bit bland looking, it just doesn't scream performance, luxury or expensive when I look at it. Maybe it is all photos with red cars that make it look cheap, I don't know. They have a lot of the right ideas as far as size, weight, a 320 hp V6, etc. There are a lot of things to like about the ATS, but even if it is as good as the Germans, and they have good marketing, most will still buy a German car because of image alone. They have a big hill to climb, especially with the CTS when they move it up the price ladder. I just fear that the ATS will be a solid B+ effort, and a B+ effort works in a segment with few players like minivan, or against dated cars like Corolla and Civic, but Cadillac needs and A++ when going against the car that dominated a segment for 30 years.

What has the ATS proved, they haven't even sold one of them yet. BMW over the past 30 years has proved the 3-series is the best car in that class. They did a lot of things right with the ATS, but Lexus also had 2 tries with the IS, and aimed for the correct size, weight, horsepower, etc, and had a shelf full of JD Power awards saying how they build the most reliable car, and they failed. The ATS may be good, I'd like to drive one to find out, but the ATS doesn't have the badge of BMW or Mercedes. If you buy an ATS you still have to justify why you didn't buy a BMW or Benz instead.

To Reg's point on sales, they may sell a lot of Malibus, but I suspect 40% of them will be to rental companies, while the Fusion is going to have people paying sticker. Impala sales will drop considerably from where they are now, but that is a good thing, because I don't think they sold a retail Impala in the past 4 years. I think this new Impala will price around $28k base and ride up to near $40k. I think it will sell more in the 60,000 per year realm, and take some sales from the LaCrosse. I actually wouldn't be surprised if the Impala starts as high as $29,875.

Agreed, but I think they want the volume to come by way of the ATS, CTS, SRX, XTS, Escalade and a future Volt variant and flagship sedan. I don't get the feeling that volume will come from $25,000 cars with Cadillac badges just for the sake of volume. I think they want volume from cars at $40,000 and up. At the same time, all these brands want to be #1, Lexus says they will be, Audi wants to be the global #1, etc. But Mercedes has the volume, the profit, the aspiration, the quality, the owner loyalty, etc. They are just better than all these other brands. It is almost like another amusement park saying they want to be #1 and dethrone Disney World, they can dream all they want, but it just isn't going to happen. Well, it is good for us to agree a few days a year at least, lol.

Malibu Eco is not cheap, some of the hybrids are similar in price, and the base Altima has better mileage anyway if you want to live with that CVT, which most of these buyers won't know what that is anyway, they will just read the mpg label. The Malibu LTZ with a 2.0T may solve some problems of the Malibu Eco, but the LTZ will likely top $30k and will not be a lot of volume. The base Malibu and Eco are the trims that produce volume. I really like the new Fusion, still like the Optima and Sonata, and the new Altima has a rather nice interior. Plus the Accord gets redone soon too, and despite them being boring or maybe not even that good, people still buy Camrys and Accords on name alone. GM undershot on the Malibu. Back to the ATS, I don't think they undershot on it, from early reports it seems they at least took most of the necessary steps. But this is Mercedes engineering and safety, Audi interiors, and BMW braking/steering/handling they are going after. Not to mention the reputation of those 3 brands. I think Cadillac can get in the game, but I don't know if they have the big guns to prevail here.

I don't think it is that aspirational, no more than a Taurus or Avalon is. The Impala is much better than the Malibu though, the Malibu reviews are fairly weak and compared to the 2013 Fusion, the Malibu is a dud. Plus with a new Altima and Camry, and a strong Sonata and Optima on sale, the Malibu I think is in trouble.

You say that now, but when you're 70 with grandkids... But a 60-something probably isn't buying a 3-series. One might buy a 3-series then 25 years later get a 7-series, but my guess a lot don't go from one to the other quickly.

True dat. 3-series lovers aren't going to go for a personal limo like the 7-series, they may go for a 5-series, but I think most would want a faster 3, like a 335i sport or M3. I think there should be an ATS coupe. Mercedes makes coupes on C, E and S class (CL for now) and 2 roadsters plus the SLS AMG in coupe and convertible. If they can make six 2-door cars, I am sure Cadillac can find room for two.

I don't like the wheels or the Eldorado style fin tail light, but other than that, I like it.

I think a 5 liter V12 would be a nice downsized engine. A V8 is as small as they need to go, it's an Aston Martin, it is supposed to have a big powerful engine. Although they did have a lot of straight sixes over the years too.

Agreed. I think the torque will hit low and be very usable. 158 hp is 12 less than the current car though, would have been nice if this new engine was more like 170 hp and 185 lb-ft. They won't even notice the HP loss if the torque comes on strong enough down low. In fact, it might even end up feeling faster. True, it may feel quicker as torque affects acceleration. This engine is probably better than the 2.5 that has been around a while. But 170 hp and 185 lb-ft would be better than 158 hp and 185 lb-ft was my point as plus the marketing types like horsepower figures.

Agreed. I think the torque will hit low and be very usable. 158 hp is 12 less than the current car though, would have been nice if this new engine was more like 170 hp and 185 lb-ft.

Who cares about a 475 hp V8 when they already have a 450 hp V8? Reduced weight would be nice, but then it should just be a 750i with an optional M-sport package. And part of the sport package could be the carbon fiber panels, and lightweight wheels, etc. Not to mention this car has a V12 already, which would still dominate an M770 with 100 less hp.

I like ridiculous cars, so I like this, however it looks like some water damage inside the camper part, and not a fan of the seat covers or that blue in the camper. Too bad it isn't in better condition, with a refurbished camper part that would be pretty sweet.

Bad name, too hard to pronounce, and no one will know what it means. This car looks too much like an Asian BMW with an ugly grill. The Optima is a good looking car, they should have made it look like an Optima but maybe more flashy so it stands out. I had high hopes for this car because so few make a somewhat affordable RWD luxury car, but this is a disappointment. I dont' find BMW's all that good looking, and this looks like an ugly version of a 7-series. No mention in the press release of powertrain either.

They already are 1 dealership around here. Hard to believe an stand alone Jaguar or Land Rover dealer could survive. Unless it is a Jaguar-BMW-Volvo or something like that.

I like the sound of this. The 4-cylinder should post a huge mpg number and the inline six will produce monster torque. And hopefully this prompts Cadillac to offer a diesel also, especially with Mercedes offering some more diesels now.

That's a pretty sweet ride. I wonder if it comes in Penn State blue and white... oh wait, bad idea for a van with hardly any windows.

I don't even care enough about a couple of $25k cars with gutless engines to even bother bashing them for the badge engineering. The interiors on both are poor also.

Haha, a 3-series competitor. Fun to dream but not going to happen. Electric cars are too far away still to be competitive. Too heavy, and batteries can't compete with gasoline. BMW will probably build an electric 3-series before Tesla builds one that can compete.