2016 Cadillac ATS-V: A Better BMW

GM Performance has significantly stepped up their with the game with the Alpha Platform and the world has taken notice. When I first drove an ATS Coupe 2.0T with the manual transmission a few years ago, I felt it was sharp and enjoyable but it still needed a small bit of polishing. My main complaints were an uncommunicative shifter that didn’t feel as precise as I would have hoped. When news broke of an upcoming “V” variant of the ATS I was excited but mostly anxious.

After spending time with the most recent CTS-V and phenomenal Camaro ZL1, I really wanted to see how well the move from Zeta to Alpha platforms would be for the future of GM Performance but also how hard Cadillac would hit the rest of the world with their new sport sedan.

In mid 2015 I was invited to test the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V at Willow Springs International Raceway. Big Willow, let’s be perfectly honest…is quite the scary track. High horsepower cars with extreme levels of grip can obtain some obscene speeds around this iconic Southern California racetrack. Turn 8 and 9 can give you a bit of the brown shorts if you aren’t careful. The ATS-V didn’t scare me one bit here, it felt composed with exceptional traction management and highlights one thing Cadillac states about it.

“This is a dual purpose vehicle,” and I would find out how well that claim is at a later date since I already spent the day pounding the ATS-V at the track.

Fast forward a couple of months and we get to today’s subject matter, the road test review. Cadillac seems to have taken the place of what BMW used to be in the early 2000’s, making exceptional driving cars for daily uses as well as occasional track time. But does the ATS-V have enough to knock down the BMW M3/4 off it’s pedestal? Click play to find out.

Source [Hooniverse YouTube Channel]