On this episode of Head 2 Head, Motor Trend’s Jonny Lieberman pits the all-new Cadillac ATS against the car it was built to compete with, the dominating BMW 328i. Jonny uses test data to illustrate how similar these two cars are and then takes them out for a true drivers test on one of his favorite California back roads.
The first compact Cadillac joins the midsize segment to take on BMW’s top-seller, the 3 Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Cadillac ATS will be offered with both rear-wheel and all-drive options, and the company describes it at “nimble, fun and quick,” traits typical of a midsize, sport and luxurious car.
The 2013 Cadillac ATS with the new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine produces 272 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. The tested model comes equipped with a six-speed manual transmission.
With its 240 horsepower and 255 lb-ft of torque, the BMW 328i looks to be at disadvantage here, but as have seen in recent Dyno tests, the 2.0 liter turbocharged engine comes underrated from the factory.
Weight wise, the bimmer clocks the scale at 3409 lbs, slightly skinnier than the ATS with its 3433 lbs.
So which one takes home the win in this comparison? Let’s have a look.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=tq__8kTTbBA
