This is the big test we’ve all been waiting for. Is Cadillac’s highly publicized ATS is good enough to drive people out of the big daddy of all sports sedans, BMW 3 Series? Well, the only way to find that out is by way of comparison, a head to head challenge. That’s what Motor Trend’s Jonny Lieberman has been up to. He puts the 2.0 liter Turbo Cadillac ATS up against the F30 BMW 328i.
Both these cars have 2.0 liter four-cylinder turbo engines, and they both have very well-sorted chassis. But which one is the sportiest?
And yes, it’s the BMW. The German saloon does everything a bit better than the Caddy. The ATS is a great effort, it really lives up to the expectations. But the thing is, BMW founded this segment and they’ve been building sports sedans for decades. For a first, the ATS is a brilliant car. But at the end of the day, it’s just another copy that isn’t just as good as the original.
Comparing the ATS to the 3-Series is like comparing a Samsung phone to the iPhone. It’s just not as good. Period.
Great review. This is one of the few reviewers who actually commented on gear ratio and why the accel tests don’t tell the whole story.
Overall though, let’s be honest, the reveiwer picked the ATS as the winner.
The slight edge he gives to BMW, imo, is only because it’s always a tough thing to dethrone the king.
So, the end result is really that the ATS matches the 328i and wins in most categories, except for it’s manual.
Cadillac will refine the MT. Keep in mind, this is the FIRST attempt by Cadillac to match and beat the 3 series. For the most part it has succeeded.
The real decision will come down to what styling one prefers. That’s one area that this review didn’t cover, the interior, seats, and how day to day life will be with either car. Yes, we enthusiasts love to read about the performance, but we too live in the real world of day to day driving, and most will never get on the track.
Better steering, better ride, better chassis, ATS.
Better manual trans, 328i
According to this review the winner is the ATS.
“The German saloon is does everything a bit better than the Caddy.”
Thats funny. Did you even watch the video??
So let me get this straight. You actually said the Cadillac ATS is a better car, but because you don’t know how to correctly shift from 1st to 2nd, you’ve picked the BMW?!? Don’t give me that “you may slip into reverse when you’re shifting hard into 2nd” BS. You have to not only shift into another gate, but you’d have to bypass the reverse lock out gate as well. LOL!
The Cadillac looks MUCH better. The BMW looks like an Accord. Your 0-60 on the ATS is the slowest I have seen to date. However, your confirmation that track times were identical reconfirms the fact that these two cars are identical in almost all aspects, except price. The ATS costs nearly 15% less when compared to a similarly equipped 328. Plus, the Cadillac is engineered and built in Michigan. Something Americans should ALL be proud of and should support. I look forward to replace my CTS stick shift with an ATS 2.0L stick sometime next year.