Motor Trend goes head-to-head-to-head in Cadillac ATS 3.6, BMW 335i and Mercedes C350
11-25-12, 12:35 AM
#1
Motor Trend goes head-to-head-to-head in Cadillac ATS 3.6, BMW 335i and Mercedes C350
Motor Trend goes head-to-head-to-head in Cadillac ATS 3.6, BMW 335i and Mercedes C350 Sport
Motor Trend's latest episode of "Head 2 Head" is a battle of the little luxury sixes, looking to see which of these $50,000 sport sedans, all equipped with automatic transmissions, can lay the largest claim to your money: the 321-horsepower, six-speed Cadillac ATS 3.6, the 302-horsepower, seven-speed Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport or the 300-horsepower, eight-speed BMW 335i.
Host Jonny Lieberman doesn't just look at dynamics. He starts off with an assessment of each car's interior and its infotainment interface: CUE on the Cadillac, COMAND on the Mercedes and iDrive on the BMW. A bit of a spoiler, CUE doesn't fare any better here than it did with Consumer Reports, for essentially the same reasons. Thankfully, the ATS has tricks beyond its touchscreen.
The victor and the overall ranking might surprise you. One of the contestants "goes around corners better than it goes in a straight line," one of them would have won the comparo if it were held a year ago, and one earns more mention of the word "rubbery" than you'll hear outside of a Kumho factory.
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/24/m...illac-ats-3-6/
11-25-12, 02:00 AM
#2
Pole Position
Can't wait to see how the upcoming 3rd Gen IS measures up to the competition.
11-25-12, 02:54 PM
#3
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11-25-12, 03:16 PM
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without reading, I can tell the C class is going to come in 3rd....
well dont I have egg on my face. Im very surprised by the results.
well dont I have egg on my face. Im very surprised by the results.
Last edited by RXSF; 11-25-12 at 03:27 PM.
11-25-12, 05:39 PM
#5
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excellent video! motortrend is really going a great job with these. not everyone (or anyone 
) will agree with their findings, but it's still a whole lot better to watch than reading a magazine!
) will agree with their findings, but it's still a whole lot better to watch than reading a magazine!
11-25-12, 09:02 PM
#6
I've never been a big fan of BMW, but I recently drove all 3 of these cars. Cadillac sent me an invitation to drive the ATS so I went there first. This is a really small car. Certainly no larger inside than an IS and maybe even smaller in the back seat and trunk. The V-6 is quick and sounds good. The handling is crisp but the ride is very stiff. I would not compare it to a 370Z, but more like a G37 coupe with the handling package. I played with CUE while parked and think after had spent some time with it, I could use it just fine. It does, however, require a learning curve.
The BMW 335 was the big surprise to me. It was larger inside than the ATS and had a much more comfortable ride. I'm not sure where the MT reviewer got the "rubbery" feel, I thought it did a nice job of isolating the car from the small bumps that came right through into the cabin on the ATS. The handling was typical BMW and I really liked the way the car drove.
For me, the C350 was a distant third. It was neither as sporty as the ATS nor and comfortable as the BMW. The inside was very cramped and drab. The one I drove did not have leather, and the vinyl seats had an unpleasant feel. It was also significantly slower than either of the other cars.
I guess I don't really disagree much with the reviewer in the results, just in how I value the strengths and weakness of the various cars for my personal use.
Steve
The BMW 335 was the big surprise to me. It was larger inside than the ATS and had a much more comfortable ride. I'm not sure where the MT reviewer got the "rubbery" feel, I thought it did a nice job of isolating the car from the small bumps that came right through into the cabin on the ATS. The handling was typical BMW and I really liked the way the car drove.
For me, the C350 was a distant third. It was neither as sporty as the ATS nor and comfortable as the BMW. The inside was very cramped and drab. The one I drove did not have leather, and the vinyl seats had an unpleasant feel. It was also significantly slower than either of the other cars.
I guess I don't really disagree much with the reviewer in the results, just in how I value the strengths and weakness of the various cars for my personal use.
Steve
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11-25-12, 11:28 PM
#9
Drove the ATS this past weekend at the SF auto show... It is a great little car. Interior is very nice and so is the power train (I drove the 3.6L V6). The red leather option is SWEEEET! If I was picking from those 3 I'd pick it over the 3 series and C class.
Can't wait for the 3IS
Can't wait for the 3IS
11-26-12, 12:08 AM
#10
11-26-12, 12:48 AM
#12
Lexus Champion
All are really nice cars, but like mentioned in the review, If they combined all the pros from all three and made one car, that would be a REAL winner. Also like mentioned, can't wait for the new IS
11-26-12, 09:29 AM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
Interesting. BMW used to have, IMO, the best power-steering-systems in the buisness. He is not the first auto-reviewer I've noticed to comment on the newer ones going downhill. But the complaint ride only shows that BMW, more-so than almost any other manufacturer, knows how to do suspension-engineering combining both ride and handling. The ATS is obviously the most pure sports-machine of the group, but (apparantly) gives up a lot of ride comfort doing so. It certainly is not going to appeal to traditional Cadillac buyers. The Mercedes, not surprisingly, seems to have the stiffest body-structure...but that's to be expected, and a M-B hallmark.
I myself would have mentioned a couple of other things that he (apparantly) overlooked...chief among them being that BMW's small plastic electronic shifter, IMO, s**ks in both feel and action. I also agree with him that all three cars, despite the Cadillac's metal accents, simply look too much like a coal-mine inside. All-black monotone trim, IMO, is not my idea of a cheerful cabin....it belongs on funeral hearses.
Last, where was the Volvo S60 for this comparison?
It is an often-overlooked sports-sedan that would (probably) compete quite favorably with these three. 
I myself would have mentioned a couple of other things that he (apparantly) overlooked...chief among them being that BMW's small plastic electronic shifter, IMO, s**ks in both feel and action. I also agree with him that all three cars, despite the Cadillac's metal accents, simply look too much like a coal-mine inside. All-black monotone trim, IMO, is not my idea of a cheerful cabin....it belongs on funeral hearses.
Last, where was the Volvo S60 for this comparison?
It is an often-overlooked sports-sedan that would (probably) compete quite favorably with these three.