We test the long-awaited 2016 Cadillac ATS-V during the day in the automotive mecca of the Lower Hudson Valley, Monticello Motor Club. This is as good as you heard.
Storming my back straight and straight through The Kink at the Monticello Motor Club, I felt the rear confidently land on the beach. Carefully and without drama, I agreed on a clean performance “outside-from-outside”, perfectly inserting tops into the famous “Switchback” all the way. It was incredibly easy, I thought, shortly catching that the needle soared well and passed 100 mph. The needle then sank when I sank the standard Brembo clips of the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V Coupe.
Disclaimer: Cadillac held a private event for journalists to try the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V Coupe and sedan on the racetrack at the Monticello Motor Club. They so badly wanted me to look at it, throw me the keys, make me sign a refusal and say: “Have fun.”
Good brakes … really, really good. And they are not even made of a fancy type of carbon ceramics. I pushed the gas pedal with the side of my right foot to easily shift gears from heel to toe, slowing down to this “shifting back”. Distrust has already begun. Here you have the reputation of land yachts. Although rowing from the fourth to the second showed that the ATS-V switch might take some puff. The quick movement of the light and precise tiller through the chicane really demonstrated the fast ATS-V reflexes and the swift inclusion. The minimal center of gravity displacement and wave-wave resistance further illustrated the well-balanced Alpha platform. At these moments, I finally accepted Cadillac’s ability to become a serious performer.
America’s top management has finally created a truly true competitor to the beloved, respected and reference BMW M3. For decades, Cadillac struggled to compete with foreign flows from Japan and Europe. Due to poor management, the brand tried to make lemonade out of lemons as engineers ran into bean counters and a tight budget, stopping them from doing what they really wanted.
-Jack Wilson