edit-PICS! Can a Cadillac solve my RWD needs?

[foghorn67]

I drive a 09 Malibu. It's a fine car. Comfy, peppy and modernish V6, makes for nice road trips since it soaks up miles very well.
But I hate FWD. It's unnatural to me. Not just the front heavy driving dynamics, but the layout and seating is weird to me. I'm not sure why or how. But it feels like I'm sitting in a truck or minivan after I drive any RWD sport or luxury sedan. 3 or 5 series, C or E class, you get the idea.
I love driving the C and E class Mercedes but I only like the looks of the new C class. Not too many are available on the used market as of now, and previous gen C and E's look a little dated inside. I reject BMW because of reliability and maintenance concerns, founded or paranoid, it is what it is. Audis are nice, but same concern, plus they do have some homologous chassis in some of their cars that bring an ever so slight FWD feel despite the numbers they put down. Some Audis ARE FWD.
There are two cars in considering.
A 2014 or newer Lexus GS...or a Caddy ATS.
The press can't stop talking about how good the ATS platform is. It seems like it's worth a look. It does have its faults. Interior, good...but glossy center stack kills any chances for glowing reviews.
Looks department, bad in pictures, but when I see one in person they look alright to me.
Power train, not great. The 3.6 has enough power, but it isn't stump puller. And the auto transmission is okay ish, but not responsive to enough when selecting the gears on manual.
The turbo 4 makes okay power, but the rev range was noted as fun killing.
I'm okay with a little compromise. When reviewed, they are stacking it against some pretty smart cars.
I'm sure everything it has is an upgrade to my long in the tooth family sedan.
Thoughts?

Wildcard...Focus ST. Yes it's FWD, but it's fun...but still upright and high seating. The other part that might kill it is the ST badges and stuff that make it too much Fast N Furious for me.

Update: Picked up a used ATS Luxury Turbo. I guess no fancy mag shocks for me. I cross shopped two different size sedans because I am flexible with the size difference between compact and larger or mid sized sedans.
I love almost everything about it so far.

Update 2: I was pretty busy the first weekend I got it. No time to detail it on my own and remove the high gloss crap the dealer's "detailer" put all over the interior. Right away after picking it up from the detailer, it was squealing badly from the belt or idler pulley. I figured I would give it a few days if it was the belt, but it wasn't. The dealer replaced the pulley Saturday and I was regulated to driving the dealer's ATS. I was re-united this morning.
PICS on my reply today.

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[JulesMaximus]

The ATS is a small car. I'd go drive it and see if it would work for you.

The Lexus GS is a much bigger car. They are reliable but not really a drivers car.

Have you considered a CPO Mercedes CLS550? Very well equipped, luxurious and powerful. If you search around you can find one with low mileage off lease for $45-50k. This is a car that cost $80k new.

 

[jlee]

ATS-V/CTS-V solves your power problem.

 

[foghorn67]

The ATS is a small car. I'd go drive it and see if it would work for you.

The Lexus GS is a much bigger car. They are reliable but not really a drivers car.

Have you considered a CPO Mercedes CLS550? Very well equipped, luxurious and powerful. If you search around you can find one with low mileage off lease for $45-50k. This is a car that cost $80k new.

I am conscience of that, but kind of in denial. I just can't agree with the IS in the looks department. On the other hand, the GS in comparison with a 2 generation old Malibu....

 

[Mutilator]

ATS-V/CTS-V solves your power problem.

And saves weight on your wallet to keep your power/weight ratio at optimal levels.

I'd do it in a heartbeat but I'm pretty sure I'd have to get rid of all my other vehicles to justify it lol. Either one of those would be on my short list for cars that would be suitable 135i replacements. Along with a 911 of course.

Talked a coworker into test driving an ATS to replace his TDI since he's getting so much money for it... he fell in love with it and he's a big guy. Unfortunately it's just above what he can justify because he doesn't want too much of a monthly payment. Shame, cause it'd be such a jump up from a Jetta.

 

[foghorn67]

ATS-V/CTS-V solves your power problem.

Trying to avoid cars in that bracket. Then it justifies others like the SS, or forget doors, how about a Shelby Mustang or M4 or Corvette?

I not only want to look modest and avoid flashy things, but I want to BE modest.

Real HP does things to me....

 

[jlee]

And saves weight on your wallet to keep your power/weight ratio at optimal levels.

I'd do it in a heartbeat but I'm pretty sure I'd have to get rid of all my other vehicles to justify it lol. Either one of those would be on my short list for cars that would be suitable 135i replacements. Along with a 911 of course.

Talked a coworker into test driving an ATS to replace his TDI since he's getting so much money for it... he fell in love with it and he's a big guy. Unfortunately it's just above what he can justify because he doesn't want too much of a monthly payment. Shame, cause it'd be such a jump up from a Jetta.

I paid $12k for my 04 V in 2011. Deals are out there.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

CTS-V might be your best choice here. You should also look into a newer Hyundai Genesis with the 5.0 v8. There is a 3.6 v6 that makes a fair amount of power but it is also mated to a heavy car.

 

[SearchMaster]

I love my ST and it handles like RWD around corners, but it is still FWD and torque steer and wheel hop might annoy you on the straights. Plus if you're comparing it to those luxury cars it will fall short on interior feel.

 

[Midwayman]

and previous gen C and E's look a little dated inside.

You look at the 2012+ c's? There was a major interior update that year. If you're looking at pics on the web or older ones they look dated for sure.

I dove a ATS when I was looking at similar cars. Handled nice. The turbo wasn't as responsive as I hoped. Unfortunately they didn't have a 3.6 in RWD available to drive. The glossy touch based center stack was a real turn off for me as well. It was pretty inside otherwise. I kinda felt that it was a little over priced vs the competition, but I know GM usually has a ton of rebates. If I could have picked up an off lease one I might have been more interested, but the ATS was super new at that point. Today I'm sure I could find one for the right price. The biggest question for me would be if I could live with that center stack.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

No BMW's rules out the class leader. MB is out because you can't find any. ATS-V is out because too much power. Audi is meh. ATS is OK but center stack is meh. That cover it?

Lexus GS needs to be ruled out because it negates the need for RWD. Really wouldn't matter if it was FWD because the driving dynamics are not particularly sporty.

Have you checked out G37/Q50?

 

[agent00f]

I drive a 09 Malibu. It's a fine car. Comfy, peppy and modernish V6, makes for nice road trips since it soaks up miles very well.
But I hate FWD. It's unnatural to me. Not just the front heavy driving dynamics, but the layout and seating is weird to me. I'm not sure why or how. But it feels like I'm sitting in a truck or minivan after I drive any RWD sport or luxury sedan. 3 or 5 series, C or E class, you get the idea.
I love driving the C and E class Mercedes but I only like the looks of the new C class. Not too many are available on the used market as of now, and previous gen C and E's look a little dated inside. I reject BMW because of reliability and maintenance concerns, founded or paranoid, it is what it is. Audis are nice, but same concern, plus they do have some homologous chassis in some of their cars that bring an ever so slight FWD feel despite the numbers they put down. Some Audis ARE FWD.
There are two cars in considering.
A 2014 or newer Lexus GS...or a Caddy ATS.
The press can't stop talking about how good the ATS platform is. It seems like it's worth a look. It does have its faults. Interior, good...but glossy center stack kills any chances for glowing reviews.
Looks department, bad in pictures, but when I see one in person they look alright to me.
Power train, not great. The 3.6 has enough power, but it isn't stump puller. And the auto transmission is okay ish, but not responsive to enough when selecting the gears on manual.
The turbo 4 makes okay power, but the rev range was noted as fun killing.
I'm okay with a little compromise. When reviewed, they are stacking it against some pretty smart cars.
I'm sure everything it has is an upgrade to my long in the tooth family sedan.
Thoughts?

Wildcard...Focus ST. Yes it's FWD, but it's fun...but still upright and high seating. The other part that might kill it is the ST badges and stuff that make it too much Fast N Furious for me.

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If you're driving fast enough to where fwd/rwd matters a large passenger car makes no sense anyway.

There's a lot of magazine car culture surrounding what enthusiasts should or shouldn't buy, frankly written by people who can't drive to a similar audience.

 

[foghorn67]

If you're driving fast enough to where fwd/rwd matters a large passenger car makes no sense anyway.

There's a lot of magazine car culture surrounding what enthusiasts should or shouldn't buy, frankly written by people who can't drive to a similar audience.

Umm. Okay.

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[agent00f]

Umm. Okay.

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Pretty much nobody drives these large rwd saloons fast enough to matter. OTOH whatever massages someone's ego is largely arbitrary.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

OTOH whatever massages someone's ego is largely arbitrary.

Hanging out in the garage massaging your ego again? How many times do we have to tell you......

 

[agent00f]

Hanging out in the garage massaging your ego again? How many times do we have to tell you......

Just pointing out the reality of the situation.

 

[foghorn67]

Hanging out in the garage massaging your ego again? How many times do we have to tell you......

The Paper Racer knows all!

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[agent00f]

The Paper Racer knows all!

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This is not an area of comparison which will prove fruitful; I very much doubt your peers here race much at all.

 

[jlee]

The Paper Racer knows all!

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They always do...

 

[agent00f]

For the record I race karts from time to time, and since what that implies has remained elusive it's worth offering some perspective. A season in the kind of cars that most enthusiasts daily drive is easily well northwards of 100k, the kind of money I doubt many if any here are burning to get seat time or anything for that matter. In contrast, readily available spec karts are a fraction of the cost in both money & headache, and offer rather competitive racing; the kind where you need to vary lines to get ahead, not the hpde event were everyone's seconds or more off the pace. So it's always pretty revealing when various folks speak of aggressive driving yet have little to say about the actual driving other than the usual magazine platitudes about r/fwd.

In this case, the cts-v or newer m3's or whatever are rather big fast cars, thus in reality relegated to GT series aka the playground of playboys and/or their benefactors. In real world driving, going faster I'd be much more worried about possible increment or changing surface conditions where fwd has advantages under dynamic rather than static-friction grip conditions, ie rally not circuit course. A good stability/traction system is going to be a lot more important than any of the performance specs.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

And another attempted thread derailment by our new resident racing expert. Nothing says racing like a kiddy cart

 

[Tormac]

Last year I got married, and got a step son thrown in with the deal. I drove a Lotus Elise and a Subaru Impreza in the winter. My wife, however could not get the hang of driving a stick (both mine are sticks), and I found that I hardly ever drove the Lotus anyways because I needed three seats all the time.

I had assumed that I was going to get a 335i, or maybe an older model m3, but after comparing BMW’s, Lexus, Mercedes, Audis, and the Cadillac, I bought the ATS. The Cady ATS is not go-cart like (nothing with power steering will be able to compete with the Elise’s road feel), but has the best road feel of any of the group (I was surprised how average the BMW felt). It also has the liveliest feeling turn in, and the bet brakes. It does give up a little in 0-60 times compared to the 335i, but it has never felt underpowered on the high way, or on my favorite twisty roads (I have the 3.6 v-6).

Try the RWD ATS with magnetic control shocks. You will not be disappointed. The driver bits of the ATS are great, all except for maybe the transmission. I think that the auto transmission is the weak link of the car and why the 0-60 are slower than the BMW (I know, but I had to get an auto if my wife was going to drive it).

The exterior of the ATS has grown on me, and I prefer the interior of the ATS to the 335i, but everyone’s tastes may be different.

The only bad thing I will say about the ATS after driving it for six months now and taking two long road trips/family vacations is CUE (Cadillac User Interface, the ipdad like central control system) has caused me to curse a couple times in front of my step son. Sitting in the drive way the CUE seems easy to use, if a little slow, once I got used to it. However, while I am driving at speed on the highway and concentrating on traffic the CUE interface seems to stop working. It is hard for me to describe, but I think that the CUE wants to do things slowly, and registers my input just fine at slow speeds in the driveway, but if I am doing 75mph and concentrating on traffic it does not register my quickened inputs, and ignores my attempts to adjust the air-conditioning or the GPS if I am in a hurry and concentrating on traffic. Happily, the stereo controls in the steering wheel work independently of the CUE, and have never given me an issue.

If you need a four-door sports sedan, I whole-heartedly recommend the ATS. Ignoring the pesky CUE interface I have nothing but good things to say about mine.

 

[agent00f]

And another attempted thread derailment by our new resident racing expert. Nothing says racing like a kiddy cart

When someone is unfamiliar with a matter, what information provided is for their benefit. I would advise against serving as cautionary tales for refusing the benefits of being informed.

 

[foghorn67]

Just stop. Stop. It doesn't matter if you are right. It really doesn't. You have used other people's threads for your ego and nothing else.
Don't argue, just stop replying.

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[Bubbleawsome]

When someone is unfamiliar with a matter, what information provided is for their benefit. I would advise against serving as cautionary tales for refusing the benefits of being informed.

You're not that important. Chill