Trading up to 2016 Cadillac ATS4 (from 2013 CTS4)

I bought a used black 2013 CTS a few years ago with low miles, and I liked it at first especially the soft smooth ride. I live in the midwest and wanted to finally try an all-wheel-drive vehicle due to the winters. It had a 3.0L V6 with 270HP and it really stuck to the roads nice, even in nasty weather. A year later I started noticing how outdated it seemed and lacked features most cars 2015 and newer had like touch screen entertainment systems for example. I tried to figure out practical way to upgrade that system but the aftermarket options were clunky and expensive. There also werent many speed modifications that could be done reasonably to the 3.0L V6. So I ended up trading it in the 2013 CTS for a 2016 ATS.

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The 2016 ATS also is all wheel drive with a smaller 2.0 4 cylinder but with Turbo producing the same 270 HP. The car is smaller, lighter, and seems a lot zippier than the previous model. This is due to the shorter wheel base and overall lighter weight. And well, it has turbo! The ATS engine is termed “LTG” (based on it’s “engine code”), it shares the same chassis as the Camaro, and has Brembo brakes. It definitely handles like a sports car than a traditional cadillac.

The engine compartment actually looks a little cleaner on the older 2013 but that’s because it’s completely hidden under all that plastic shrouding.

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The 2016 ATS has touch screen entertainment system and sounds hell of a lot better than the 2013 system.

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The downside to the 2016 ATS comes with 18″ Euro style “run flat” tires which ride very hard. You can drive 100 miles on a tire that has no air. It doesnt come with a spare or even room to put a “donut” in the trunk, it’s quite small for a cadillac. Those run flats hit bumps so hard I was worried about the suspension so I put real tires on it and bought a custom designed spare with tools and carrying case. It takes up some room in the trunk but I feel more comfortable having real tires on it.

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