These are not words I could have ever imagined parking anywhere near each other. Cadillacs are big. They’re luxurious. They’re couch cruisers. They’re pricey.
But when did you ever look at one and say, “Man does that thing look like it could rip!”
So here comes the 2016 ATS-V to rewrite all those sad old memories of Cadillac. Fire the launch control and you are up to 60 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds. My grandfather’s Cadillac—one of those classic Fleetwoods that seemed as big as a house—went from 0 to 60 in 3.8 minutes. What’s gotten into the ATS-V?
How about a 464-horsepower V-6 twin turbo? That makes it worth using the paddle shifters on the 8-speed automatic transmission, but you even have the option of a six-speed manual. This Caddy has a little Corvette in it, and has gone a little power mad.
This is the machine Cadillac almost had to make, to prove that it can hang with the Germans in performance cars like the BMW M3 and M4, Audi R4, or Mercedes AMG—cars that not only are elegant but also don’t have to make any excuses cornering or accelerating or taking to the track.
Cadillac has gained some relevance with the hip-hop set with its Escalade—which remains a solid choice for limo services and federal policing agencies—but if the company wanted to attract younger buyers across the spectrum it needed something hotter. And after a few earlier flops, it’s got one.