Used 2013 Cadillac ATS for sale 

The car is offered in 4 trims: Base, Luxury, Performance, and Premium. There are 3 engines on offer. The price starts from $33,095 for the base variant and goes all the way up to $47,795 for the top-of-the-line trim. Features like heated mirrors, 17-inch wheels, automatic headlights, cruise control, powered front seats, and dual-zone climate control are offered as standard across all trims.

We Recommend

We have two recommendations for the ATS: One, the performance trim with the 2.0L engine and the Driver assistance package. You get lots of features, most of them practical and a lot of safety tech as well. Two, the ATS Performance edition with the RWD and manual transmission. This not only offers performance but also keeps the price in check at under $42,000.

The ATS offers 3 engine options. The first option is a 2.0 L I-4 turbocharged engine that makes 272 hp @5500 rpm and 260 lb.-ft @1700 rpm. The second in the line is the 2.5L I-4 engine that makes 202 hp@6300 rpm and 190 lb.-ft @4400 rpm. The third option, a 3.6 L V6 which makes 312 hp @6800 rpm and 275 lb.-ft @4800 rpm. These engines come with a 6-speed automatic transmission gearbox option, and only the 2.0 L turbo also gets the 6-speed manual. Both the gearboxes have a lot of potential and you can decide what suits you better. The ATS is available with both RWD and AWD as an option.

The performance of the Infiniti is way too ahead when you compare them with these base engines. The Infiniti G37, however, comes with only one engine, and this is it. It is faster than the other two by a minimum of 1 second in 0-60, and around 2 seconds in the quarter-mile time. The BMW, our segment leader, has impressive figures at 6.6 seconds for the 0-60 mph mark and 15.2 seconds for the quarter-mile. The BMW we’ve chosen is the 320 series. The Cadillac does 0-60 in 7.4 seconds, which is not impressive. 

The economy on the ATS is just a little behind the BMW by 2 mpg combined, and it does 22 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. Not bad at all, for this engine. The 2L turbo engine also makes 21 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. The V6 engine is close to the Infiniti in terms of efficiency and offers 18 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.

The Cadillac gets a 16-gallon tank capacity. This much capacity is good in this segment. The range stands at 352 miles in the city and 528 miles for the highway. The Infiniti gets the largest tank at 20 gallons, so irrespective of its economy, it provides great range numbers for the city and highway, at 380 miles and 540 miles, respectively. The BMW makes the most mileage but has the smallest tank at 15.8 gallons. This has not messed up its range though and offers a range of 380 miles in the city and 570 miles on the highway.

The interior is top-notch with excellent finish and supreme build quality. The interior is class and has an appealing touch to it. Cadillac has used some unique bits like wooden and metallic accents that increase the overall premium-ness in the car.

The execution of quality on the interior is better than a few rivals, and this adds a sense of character in the ATS. What the ATS offers, is provided by only a few luxury brands, and Cadillac doing this with this car just raised the standards of the interior that are now expected from the segment.

The front seats are very comfortable and do a good job at holding the passenger in place in fast corners. The seats provide good thigh support, are well contoured, and are adjustable. The optional sports seats do an even better job of comfort. However, the same does not apply for the rear, and in fact, was quite the opposite. The space at the back is not enough for anyone. The headroom is okay, but legroom is a big no. The BMW and Infiniti do a much better job at this and are way better than the ATS. The ATS also suffers tremendously because of its tiny trunk- at 10 cubic feet, it's misery. The BMW offers a class-leading 17 cubic feet. A few interior features are:

• Power windows
• Leatherette interior
• Aluminum sport pedals
• Cruise Control
• 60/40 split-folding rear seat

How intuitive is the 2013 Cadillac ATS’s infotainment system?

The star performer inside the ATS is undoubtedly the CUE infotainment system, but we’ll do that in a bit. The car standard infotainment equipment includes an auxiliary audio jack, Bluetooth connectivity, iPod/USB interface, and a 7-speaker Bose audio system. The Luxury trim adds Bluetooth audio streaming. The Performance gets a CD player with a 10-speaker Bose system. The Premium trim adds on a navigation system.

Now coming to the CUE, which is standard from the Luxury trim. In simple words, the CUE is like Cadillac’s tablet. It stands for Cadillac User Experience. You operate the CUE by swiping, tapping, flicking, or spreading your fingers, and it operates flawlessly. It has a few hard buttons, but most of the work is done by the touch buttons. It can do so much with so little of a lag, to talk about it will require a separate article. It's better understood if you experience it in physical form. Some important infotainment features include:

• CUE System
• Bose audio system
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Satellite radio
• Navigation

The exterior on the ATS is charming like the BMW. The massive split grille in the front accompanied by the pulled-back headlamps and big fog lamps give the car a sporty and sharp stance. The stance reminds us of the Mercedes C-class. There are a lot of angles and contours all over the car.

The tall roof swoops down at the rear, and with the Infiniti by its side, the roof shaping looked pretty similar. The rear of the car is short and muscular, with a line that flows from the front wheel arches to the rear. The rear of the ATS features long and vertical taillights, and the overall rear design of the ATS makes it look so much more luxurious and premium than what it is in reality.

The Cadillac is well proportioned, and very similar to the BMW if you take a closer look. Everything from the weight to the wheelbase is so close, it’s like they knew outright what was to be done. However, the Cadillac does sit a lot taller than the other two, at 7 inches. The Infiniti weighs the most but is the best performer too. Overall, the styling and dimensioning of the Cadillac is just a challenge to the BMW’s exteriors. And actually, the design does grow on you. Some exterior features include-

• Sunroof
• LED DRLs
• 18” wheels
• Dual exhaust outlets
• 17" X 8.0" Polished Aluminum Wheels

The ATS features a 5-star rating from NHTSA and is well loaded from the safety point of view. It gets 8 airbags, stability control, traction control, head restraints, and the OnStar as standard. The OnStar helps with roadside assistance, stolen vehicle assistance, remote door unlocking, and turn-by-turn navigation. You also get more safety features in the above-mentioned Driver Awareness and Driver Assistance package. Important safety features are:

• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Collision alert
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane departure warning

The ATS has proved what a loaded car it is and can definitely lock its horns with the BMW-led segment of cars. It has so many options to choose from, so many features are available, and the ride quality is just among the best. Yes, you do have the letdowns like the low trunk space and the low rear space, and the BMW does triumph here. At the end of the day, we do highly recommend this car when you’re buying this compact car.