New Car Review: 2013 Cadillac ATS AWD 3.6L



The 2013 Cadillac ATS.

Journalism (automotive and otherwise) is not a great profession if you expect to be told the truth. Oh, sure, it's your job to find and report the truth, but being told it...that's another thing altogether.

Not that the un-truths come in bald-faced lies. Not always. There's a spectrum. For example:

With the Cimarron, Cadillac told us it "behaves like a civilized car should" and "beats the imports at their own game". A bald-faced lie, as those who parted with $12,131 in 1981 dollars for a tarted-up Chevy Cavalier learned the hard way.

A decade and a half later, they told us once we experienced the Catera's European luxury and performance, we wouldn't want to let go. That wasn't true, either, but really wasn't a bald-faced lie. The Catera was European (an Opel with Cadillac badges stuck on it), and the rest can be excused as opinion.

Then came the original CTS. By this point, advertising had matured to the point where it dispensed with hyperbole and just showed us quick cuts of a CTS driving quickly while Led Zeppelin's "Rock And Roll" played for 30 seconds. And then a font that said "Cadillac. Breakthrough."  The implication was that Cadillac had finally found the formula that would let them stand toe-to-toe with BMW.

Not true. But that one we can chalk up to optimism and wishful thinking.

Don't get me wrong. The CTS was then a good car and has gotten better every year since its introduction. But the driving dynamics just weren't there...as good as they have become.

That's why, as I walked to the Cadillac ATS for the first time, key fob in hand, I was prepared to be mildly disappointed. This was the car that, no excuses, was to be Cadillac's answer to the BMW 3-Series. And there was just no way...it was bound to fall short somehow. Most likely in the steering.



Holy crap.

They did it.

No, you won't mistake the ATS for a 3-Series, but that's not the point. Cadillac has come up with a car that is different from, but feels as strong, good and capable as, the legendary BMW small sedan.

Our tester was the 3.6 liter V6 all wheel drive. I sincerely hope Cadillac sends the other flavors. But what I can tell you is that the engine is quick, responsive and silky. The sound it makes is glorious. The six-speed automatic transmission benefit from a performance algorithm that wastes not a single rev yet allows serious gas mileage (EPA estimate 18 city/26 highway).

For $43,195, you get the above plus a sport suspension, ZF premium electric variable steering (the best steering in any American car I've ever driven and on par with most imports), dual exhaust, 17-inch wheels with all-season run-flat tires, Brembo performance front brakes, Stabilitrak and tire pressure monitoring.



The 2013 Cadillac ATS interior.

Inside? The materials are different from...but every bit as good as...and in some cases, maybe better than...BMWs. Now, that's my opinion, based entirely on touch and feel. We'll have to see about long-term issues like use and wear.

But the leather is handcrafted and sewn, you get power 8-way driver and passenger seats, LED interior lighting accents, leather and wood...and CUE.

CUE is, as we discussed in the recent review of the Cadillac XTS, the Cadillac User Experience...the color screen that controls audio, navigation, climate control, and communications. It is, as in the XTS, essentially modeled on a sideways iPad. And it has the same drawbacks in the ATS that it had in the XTS. You're touching a smooth glass surface with multiple icons. Despite haptic feedback that vibrates to confirm, you only know what you're touching if you look. And that means taking your eyes off the road. The good news about CUE in the ATS is that it is an option. You can save $1,295 and get knobs and buttons by simply not ordering it. That does mean skipping navigation.

Ours had CUE and one other option, a cold weather package that heated both front seats and the steering wheel for $600.  Total, with destination charge of $895: $45,985.

For a car that I couldn't wait to drive every day and hated to give back. And only $2K and change more than the 4-cylinder BMW 328i.

Winner? King of the Hill? No. But for once, Cadillac is in the game. An American car is in the game. The ATS is for real.

Read More

New Car Review: 2013 Buick LaCrosse



The 2013 Buick LaCrosse.

Almost three years ago, we reviewed the then-new Buick LaCrosse and came up with the conclusion that while their advertising was targeting Lexus, the car itself was close in a lot of ways but only won when price got factored in. That Lacrosse was the CXL model and it ended up costing $31,000 and change...which put it nearly 10 grand below a comparably equipped Lexus ES350.

Well, Buick has dumped the direct hit on Lexus from their advertising, and now has five trim levels...LaCrosse (base, which starts at $31,660), Leather ($33,870), Premium I ($35,285), Premium II (also $35,285) and Touring ($39,240). As you'd expect, Touring is loaded...to the point that the only two options on our test car were rear-seat mounted thorax air bags ($350) and the Crystal Red paint ($325). With $875 destination charge, the bottom line shows $40,790.



Since our last drive in a LaCrosse, the V6's power has been increased from 255 horses to 303...a noticeable improvement. And gas mileage has even ticked up a bit...still 17 city, but 26 highway has now become 27.

The extra 9 grand on the price sticker from 2 years ago brings not only the power and fuel economy increases, but 19 inch wheels, all-season tires, a continuously variable chassis with real-time damping and sport mode selectivity and a ton of tech to keep you out of trouble (side blind zone alert and a head-up display).



The 2013 Buick LaCrosse interior.

The interior is stunning...a wonderful mix of colors and shapes....and while the soft bits like the leather and the hard bits like the real wood feel great, the surfaces you'll touch most...the buttons controlling windows, locks, HVAC and audio functions...feel like GM parts bin stuff.  That's not the stinging condemnation it was just a few years ago, but it's not going to compare well with Lexus, either. And that's last year's ES350 we're talking about. There's a new one for 2013 that we'll be in shortly.

At $40,000, far more so than at $31,000, Buick has to get every last detail right to be a no-brainer for people who might otherwise buy Lexus. They're not there yet. But if there were no Lexus, this would be a car in a class of one. That's how far Buick has moved the ball. Let's hope they keep moving it.

Read More

New Car Review: 2013 Ford Mustang V6 Coupe



The 2013 Mustang V6 Coupe.

Way back when....a few months shy of 49 years ago, the Ford Mustang was the originator of a segment called "Pony Cars". Never mind that the other cars in the segment were named after a fish (Barracuda) and, well...nothing that actually existed (Camaro). The Mustang was the standard, with a formula that allowed owners to option the three body styles that eventually were available in the first model year (coupe, fastback and convertible) from, as Ford literature put it, "mild to wild".

In fact, in year one (model year 1965), there were six-cylinder engines making as little as 105 horsepower and V8s delivering 271, allowing for some room between the Pony Car and Muscle Cars like the Pontiac GTO, which in 1965 offered a choice of 335 or 360 horsepower (from the Tri-Power engine, which had three 2-barrel carburetors).

Throughout its life, even as Shelby GT 350s, GT 500s, Mach 1s, Boss 302s, Boss 351s and Boss 429s were brought into the Mustang corral, there was always the "mild" option.

It's not so anymore. For while it looks like a small number in the shadow of the 2013 Mustang GT's 420 horsepower, the 2013 Boss 302's 444 horsepower and the 2013 GT 500's 650 horsepower, the most basic, humble Mustang you can now buy packs 305 horsepower.



Yes, it's a heavier car than the '65, but we've learned how to get more power from the engine to the road....its 0-60 time is 5.9 seconds. That, my friends, is a mere one-tenth of a second slower than the aforementioned '65 GTO with the big Tri-Power engine.

Want to keep it in the family? The least-powerful 2013 Mustang's 0-60 time is faster than that of the 1965 Shelby GT 350, the 1967 Shelby GT 500, the 1969 Boss 302 and the 1970 Boss 429.

That's not to say, however, that the base Mustang is now a fire-breathing brute. For while it is capable of some serious speed, technology has allowed Ford to polish off rough edges and deliver some surprising efficiencies.

Even as the horsepower got respectable, nearly everyone hated the Mustang's 4.0-liter V6, which felt  and sounded vaguely agricultural. The current 3.7 liter four-valve V6 is light-years better, with an exhaust tuned to make wonderfully V8-ish noises.

With a six-speed automatic transmission, as on our tester, the power detailed above has very little penalty at the gas pump. The EPA estimate is 19 city/31 highway...which is the average for a new vehicle this year.



2013 Ford Mustang V6 Coupe Gauge Cluster (with Track Pak)

A mild refresh of the interior a year or so back has brought nicer materials and better fit and finish. The gauge cluster isn't really a replica of any 60s Mustang, but the tall, slightly squeezed font, especially when bathed in Ice Blue lighting (you can choose from several colors at the flip of a switch), is an instant time trip for anyone who's ever been behind the wheel of a mid-late 60s Ford.

Our vehicle was the Premium trim line....bringing leather sport seats, a power 6-way driver's seat, a manual 2-way front passenger seat, center console with armrest, air conditioning, ambient lighting, a Shaker audio system with AM/FM/CD and mp3, leather-wrapped steering wheel with cruise control and tilt, SYNC voice activated systems, Sirius Satellite Radio, two power points, power windows, locks, mirrors and remote keyless entry, a limited-slip rear axle and tire pressure monitoring for $26,200.

Ford's press fleet folks added the 6-speed automatic ($1,195), reverse sensing system and security package ($695), and the V6 Performance Package (a tire upgrade, 3.31 axle, 19 inch wheels and painted side mirrors for $1,995). Total with $795 destination and delivery: $30,880.

Frankly, at that price, with that kind of fuel economy and that kind of performance, it's hard to imagine why anyone who isn't a race driver, speed freak, looking to prove something to the Camaro and Challenger owners on their block, or deeply insecure would need any of the three V8 Mustangs. The V6 may have finally become the best all-around Mustang money can buy.

Read More

New Car Review: 2013 Audi A4 2.0T quattro tiptronic

The 2013 Audi A4 2.0T quattro.

As we've noted here at TireKicker before, the worst part of a successful car is keeping the ball rolling...doing the freshening needed to keep the car relevant without losing the thread and screwing it all up. Last time around, two and a half years ago, I worried that Audi was letting the magic of the A4 slip away.  If they were, they fixed it in a hurry.

The 2013 Audi A4 2.0T quattro is simply tremendous. A car that pulls of the trick of feeling utterly contemporary and timeless at the same time. The timeless thing is important because Audi's had the A4 pretty close to perfect for a long time. To wander too far from what has made an A4 an A4 for the past decade or so would be courting disaster.

The 2.0T quattro tiptronic is a 2.0 liter turbocharged inline four, making 211 horsepower....mated to Audi's quattro (the lower case "q" is intentional) full-time all-wheel-drive system and the tiptronic (the lower case "t" is also intentional) 8-speed transmission with sport and manual shift modes. Base price: $34,600, and that's a rock-solid price for the car...neither too high nor too low.

Standard equipment includes anti-lock brakes with brake assist, 17-inch 10-spoke wheels on all-season tires, electronic stability control, electromechanical speed-sensitive power steering, a dynamic five-link front suspension, a dynamic trapezoidal-link fully independent rear axle, power glass sunroof, halogen headlights, front and rear foglights, rain and light sensors, heated and powered outside mirrors, leather seating surfaces, a 12-way power driver's seat and an 8-way power passenger's seat, automatic climate control, Audi concert radio with premium sound, including AM/FM/SiriusXM/CD, with SD Card, USB and auxilary inputs, and the usual airbags and alarms.

Going small in displacement with the 2-liter engine and an 8-speed transmission delivers strong fuel economy numbers, too...20 city/30 highway.




2013 Audi A4 interior.

The interior continues to be a best-in-class effort (despite my concerns in 2010)...and our options tended to enhance the time spent at the wheel: The $4,200 Premium Plus package delivered auto-dimming mirrors inside and out, an iPod cable, Bluetooth, a driver information system with trip computer, heated front seats with driver memory, a split-folding rear seatback, HomeLink garage door opener, a three-zone climate control plus Xenon plus headlamps, LED daytime running lights and taillamps, and an upgrade to 18-inch 10-spoke wheels. The car was also treated to polished exhaust tips for $140 and an extra-cost paint job (Monsoon Gray metallic) for $475. With $895 destination charges, the bottom line wound up at $40,310.

There's no question the Audi A4 lives in a competitive world (the BMW 328i, also packing a 2-liter turbo four is probably its deadliest nemesis), but it's hard to imagine a car holding its ground better. If you cross-shop the A4 and the 3-series, it'll be personal preference, not a weakness in either vehicle, that will most likely be the deciding factor.

Read More

New Car Review: 2013 Cadillac XTS AWD Premium

The 2013 Cadillac XTS.

Cadillac made its name with big cars. Coupes and Sedan DeVilles...but to read the majority of motoring press this year, you'd think the only thing they had to talk about was the new, small ATS.

Don't get me wrong, the ATS is a remarkable car (we've just driven it and a review is coming very soon), but there are two stories to be told...and the XTS is the other.

If you believe most of what's out there to read, the XTS falls short somehow, because it's not able to directly challenge BMW 7-series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class the way the ATS is breathing right down the neck of the revered 3-series.

But that's not failure. That's leaving room for one more Cadillac at the top of the range. Something priced north of $75,000. The XTS' mission is to significantly advance Cadillac's position in large American luxury cars. Don't forget, it replaces the late, (largely) unlamented DTS, a car that was hard to find outside of rental fleets and retirement communities.

To say that the XTS is better than the DTS is an understatement. For a front-wheel drive car based on a Buick platform, it's frankly amazing. We had the all-wheel drive Premium model for a week...which included magnetic ride control, 19-inch wheels, four wheel anti-lock disc brakes (Brembos up front) and a HiPer Strut front suspension...all standard. At 202 inches, it's absolutely a big car...but it moves with a silken grace that would have been unthinkable in a big Cadillac until now.

The base price of $55,810 (base front-wheel drives start at $44,075 ...$2,605 less than the old DTS) gets you a 304-horsepower V6 with a six-speed automatic transmission, an efficient powertrain that delivers an EPA estimated 17 city/26 highway.




The 2013 Cadillac XTS interior.

Inside, as you can see above, the bad old days of GM plastics has vanished. You're surrounded by soft-touch leather, real wood and piano black. Here, the standard equipment list brings a full complement of airbags, a heads-up display, a reconfigurable gauge cluster (you pick which information goes where on either side of the speedometer), three-zone climate control, ambient lighting, heated rear seats and heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a Bose audio system controlled the CUE (Cadillac User Experience)...the big screen in the middle of the dash.

And that's the only problem. Regular TireKicker readers know I'm not a technophobe (in fact, I'm an early adopter)...but they also know that our position here is that too much tech can get in the way of the experience at best and be a distraction at worst. And CUE is just a bit too hip for the room. You control nav, climate and audio functions on what essentially amounts to a sideways iPad...your finger activating icons under a glass screen. To help you keep your eyes on the road, Cadillac engineers put haptic feedback into CUE...there's a pulse or vibration under your finger to acknowledge that you made a selection. Trouble is, you don't know what selection of the 8 icons on the screen unless you're looking at it. It'll vibrate the same no matter what icon you've mistakenly hit. And we ended up triggering events without actually touching the screen...when our hands were as much as four or five inches away.

It didn't fail...never seized up the way most of the MyFordTouch systems we've experienced have...it just required more attention away from the business of driving than a simple set of buttons and knobs would. And CUE is standard. You can't simply opt for the basic system. This is it. We're told by other automotive journalists that judicious use of CUE's voice-activated features solves a lot of those issues. We'll try that next time around.

Back to our tester...only one option on this already-loaded car...a $1,450 Ultraview sunroof. With $920 destination charge, the bottom line came to $58,160.

In black, it's a stunner. We had more compliments on the looks of this car than any we've had in a long time. It looks like a big Cadillac. It feels like a modern interpretation of what the Sedan DeVille might have been if it had stayed in tune with the times until now. Ignore the lukewarm press and drive one. It's one of the best American cars available today.

Read More

New Car Review: 2013 Nissan Z Roadster

The 2013 Nissan Z Roadster.

As a journalist (automotive and otherwise), I work hard to bury my biases, to keep my personal tastes from getting in the way of or into the story. By and large, I think I succeed.

But I have one bias that's best just confessed. I'm a pushover for convertibles.

I think it goes back to my Uncle Ron, who had a succession of them ('55, '59 and '63 Thunderbirds...the '63 was a Sports Roadster...and a '69 Cougar XR-7). From as young as I can remember until age 13 (when he passed away), one of the biggest treats on earth was a ride in one of Uncle Ron's convertibles. The wind in the hair, the warmth of the sun (through SPF 50 sunscreen these days) and all the other sensory delights make open-air motoring a special thing.

That's not to say every car that has a top that goes down wins me over. There have been some wretched convertibles. And even otherwise good ones battle the structural rigidity loss that comes from cutting off the roof. But the good ones are very good. And the Nissan Z Roadster is definitely one of those.

It needs to be, because it was intended to be driven in a spirited way. Small, light, 332 horsepower...this isn't for slow cruises down Main Street on Saturday night. Nissan's engineers have done a great job making sure the structure is solid and confidence-inspiring.

$44,170 is the base price...getting you that engine, a 6-speed manual, front and rear stabilizer bars, a 3-point front strut tower brace, front and rear ventilated disc brakes, 18-inch alloy wheels and a tire repair kit (saving the weight and space a spare tier would entail).

There's also anti-lock brakes, traction control, vehicle dynamic control, brake assist and electronic brake force distribution, but the Z never feels over-nannyed.

8-way adjustable driver's seat (heated, cooled & ventilated), aluminum-trimmed pedals, cruise control, a Bose audio system with SiriusXM satellite radio, Bluetooth, USB and a power-folding top all come standard.




2013 Nissan Z Roadster interior.

Our tester had options...carpeted floor mats ($125), the Nissan Navigation System (hard drive with a 7-inch color monitor, USB, Bluetooth, NavTraffic and NavWeather for $2,150) and the Sport Package (19" alloy wheels, an upgrade to 245 front and 275 rear tires (from 225 and 245), sport brakes, a limited slip differential, SynchroRev Match manual transmission and Euro-tuned sport shocks for $2,830).

With destination charges of $780, it's a total of $50,055. And it's worth it. Sure, you can get a Miata for half that, but not with the power and the luxury. And anything rivalling the Z on those grounds is considerably more expensive.

Only one person was disappointed during our week with the Z. In a grocery store parking lot, I was waved down by a woman in a Nissan Murano crossover. She said she and her husband were ready to trade the Murano for a Z Roadster if the trunk could accomodate two golf bags.

I pulled over, opened the trunk...and saw the sticker on the inside...showing how to load just one golf bag.

As she drove away, I got the sense she was debating whether to keep the Murano or the husband.

Read More

New Car Review: 2013 Lexus GS450h

The 2013 Lexus GS450h.

Regular TireKicker readers know we consider the 2013 Lexus GS a big step forward...especially in F-Sport trim. So, how does it do with most sporting intentions swapped for eco-friendliness?

Well, we've always been a fan of big hybrids. For the technology to really work, it needed to move upmarket from small people-movers, and Lexus gets big points for diving in and applying it to everthing up to and including its flagship LS model.

But...tech costs money. Most hybrids are significantly more expensive than the conventionally-powered versions of the same model, and that's certainly the case for the GS450h, which is $12,050 pricier than the GS350 (there is no non-hybrid 450 this year).




The 2013 Lexus GS450h.

The immediate payoff is in fuel economy. The gasoline-powered GS350 has an EPA rating of 19 city/28 highway. Not bad for a car in this class, but the GS450h leapfrogs those numbers...estimating 29 city/34 highway. That's 10 more miles on a gallon in town...an additional 6 on the open road. And based on our week with the car, those numbers are realistic.

You give up nothing in terms of speed, because the GS450h total system horsepower (gas and electric) is 338, 32 more than in the gas-powered GS350.

And the exhaustive list of standard equipment is there as well...17-inch alloy wheels, all the airbags a car can hold, vehicle dynamics, stability control, brake assist and traction control systems, rain-sensing wipers, Bi-Xenon headlamps with washers and LED running lamps.

As noted in the GS350 and GS350 F-Sport review, the new GS interior is a thing of beauty. With the GS450h, you get perforated leather trim on the heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, a moonroof, auto-dimming inside and outside mirrors, dual-zone climate control, a premium audio system with voice recognition, HD radio with iTunes tagging, a DVD/CD player, Bluetooth, USB and SiriusXM. There's also white LED interior illumination, a power rear sunshade and a power tilt/telescoping steering wheel. All that is standard.

And then come the options. Six of them on the window sticker of our tester. $242 for trunk mat, cargo net and wheel locks...$500 for a blind spot monitor....$500 for Intuitive Park Assist.

And then the big ones: $1380 to upgrade to the Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound Audio System. 17 speakers, 835 watts, 7 channels. Sounds great.

$1735 for HDD navigation with a 12.3-inch high-resolution split-screen multimedia display including Lexus Enform, an app suite including Pandora, iHeartRadio and OpenTable, SiriusXM NavWeather and NavTraffic, plus sports and stock updates (including a one-year trial subscription).

And finally....the Luxury Package (what the heck do you call everything else that's in the car?). $5645 for heated rear seats, 18-inch nine-spoke alloy wheels with painted silver finish and all-season tires,  Bi-LED headlamps with adaptive front lighting, a heated wood and leather trimmed steering wheel, three-zone climate control, 18-way power front seats, and rear door manual sunshades.

Bottom line?

Sure you want to know?

With $875 delivery, processing and handling fee....$69,827. Which, to be fair, is only about 11 grand more than the GS350 F-Sport. And given that the LS600h we drove topped $110,000, I suppose we could call this a "mid-price luxury hybrid".

Again, though...a car like this isn't about being an all-around economy champ. It's about cutting-edge tech and luxury in a vehicle that does less damage to the environment than luxury car owners could ever have dreamed of a few short years ago. And on those grounds, the GS450h aces it.


Read More