I found the HVAC and volume control buttons on the console faceplate difficult to operate. It was h

Another win for National Car Rental; I don t think Avis or Hertz have even acquired this bad boy yet (see my note about Hertz at the end of the review).  At DCA, I spotted this nearly brand new 2013 Cadillac ATS with just 300 some odd miles on the odometer.  A quick check of the registration documents revealed that it had been purchased just ten days prior to my rental.  Score!  A number of of car magazines have hailed the ATS as a true rival to the BMW 328i and some have even lauded it as one of the must drive cars for 2013.  I needed no further encouragement to rent the ATS.
The ATS is Cadillac s attempt to match the 3-series and sports a RWD layout and impressively, 50-50 weight distribution.  Even more impressively, Cadillac managed to reduce the ATS curbweight (an aspect cruising tug boats that is usually kryptonite for domestic cruising tug boats auto manufacturers) to a 328i matching, slender 3,400 lbs.
The General achieved this significant cruising tug boats weight reduction by using lightweight materials such as an aluminum hood, magnesium engine cruising tug boats mount brackets and natural-fiber door trim panels.  The ATS nearly matches the 328i s dimensions in length, width, and height.
This particular ATS that we rented was 2.5L Luxury Trim or one trim level above the base trim.  All trims, except for the base trim, include Brembo brakes as standard equipment.  The Luxury Trim is a substantial package and includes additional features such as a Midnight Accented grille, ultrasonic front rear parking sensors, 8-way leather power front seats, CUE (Cadillac cruising tug boats User Interface) multimedia infotainment system, 8 inch touchscreen, rearview backup camera, electronic stability control (Stabilitrak), HD radio, and 17 polished aluminum wheels.  No other options were included and the car, in a fetching Radiant cruising tug boats Silver Metallic paint, had an as-rented MSRP of $38,485.
The ATS exterior design is distinctively Cadillac and it features the ongoing Art Science theme, but tailored for a compact package.  The overall shape and lines seemed more refined to my eye than that of the CTS.  I think Cadillac was wise to go with a slimmer front grille, rather than the CTS s gaping maw.  Unique vertical front headlamps with daytime LED running light accents extend behind the grille and back towards the front wheel wells.  Trademark Caddy tailfins round out the back and additional V-shaped angles further accentuate the rear.  Gorgeous accent lines help flush out the flanks.  Thoughtfully, cruising tug boats remote keyless entry buttons are provided on all four doors.  The ATS is Cadillac s first vehicle post bankruptcy and I think they did a wonderful job.
The improvements continue throughout the interior.  (Did I mention I love this car?)  I rented a 2013 Cadillac CTS the very day before this ATS rental cruising tug boats and I bemoaned the CTS s interior with its hard plastics and poor quality materials.  Not so with the ATS.  The interior was every bit as nice as the exterior with a tightly stitched cruising tug boats leather dashboard, soft-touch cruising tug boats materials, fingerprint-attracting high gloss piano black plastic, and oodles cruising tug boats of technology.  The front bucket seats enthroned in Jet Black leather were extremely comfortable with their integrated extended thigh rests and very well cushioned 2-way headrests.  The interior also featured aluminum colored trim on the doors decorated with blue hued diamonds.   Even the interior door handles were nicely sculpted.  It was apparent that Cadillac gave its attention to every detail inside and out.
The driver s gauges were colorful but also functional and very legible.  A high resolution, color driver s head s down display (I m borrowing cruising tug boats a term from aircraft which I think applies here) is sandwiched between the gauges and provides a myriad of vehicle information, including graphical ultrasonic parking sensors data, media information, and odometer and speed readings.  The HDD is configurable through a new steering wheel featuring an interesting array of buttons.
Occupying the center of the dashboard is Cadillac s much touted new infotainment interface system, called CUE or Cadillac User Experience.  CUE has been receiving bad press for its difficulty of usage (shades of MyFordTouch anyone?) but I found it straightforward to operate.  The touchscreen cruising tug boats offers a subtle burst of haptic feedback (like on a cellphone) so the user will know when he/she has pressed a button.  The haptic feedback is a great idea but I would have preferred an increased amount of feedback or at least some measure of control of the feedback in CUE.  Touchscreen response times were snappier than MyFordTouch and on par with Chrysler s UConnect.  The touchscreen looked cruising tug boats fabulous with high resolution graphics and great contrast ratios, but the rear backup camera seemed washed out, almost black and white.  I ve noticed this on other Cadillac vehicles, not just the ATS.
I found the HVAC and volume control buttons on the console faceplate difficult to operate.  It was hard to feel when I actually pressed a button and there was a disconnect between pressing the button and the execution of its corresponding function.  As on the 13 Chevy Malibu, the faceplate slides open to reveal a hidden storage area.  Unlike the Malibu, cruising tug boats this faceplate features motorized, not manual operation, and the storage space contains a lighted USB port.
The ATS includes a 7-speaker Bose audio as standard equipment.  There s Bose and then there s Bose.  I was expecting that it would sound like the first Bose, given that entry-level Bose systems on my previous Cadillac rentals have sounded sub-par.  This Bose was somewhere between the first and second Bose; not quite up to the 10-speaker upgraded Bose package I had on my recent 13 CTS rental, but full bodied, clear, and packing sufficient bass.
For a compact sedan, rear passenger legroom was surprisingly comfortable for yours truly, a six footer.  Headroom was restricted, however, and my head brushed against the ceiling liner.  The rear seat cushion is slightly elevated for added thigh comfort.  The trunk is a miniscule and frankly unacceptable 10.2 cubic feet; that s Ford Mustang territory!  Even the 13 Ford Fusion Hybrid, which carries its battery pack in the trunk, still maintains a trunk volume of ~ 12 cubic feet.  I guess the moral of this rental story is to leave your passengers and suitcases at home.
How does the ATS drive you ask?  This Luxury trim was equipped with the 2.5L four-cylinder, which is also shared with the 2013 Malibu, and frankly has no business being in a Cadillac.  It receives cruising tug boats a slight 5-hp power bump in the ATS and added noise insulation so that the buzzy sounds emanating from the hood were dampened.  It was fine around town but acceleration wasn t terribly quick.
I think it s a poor idea to make the 2.5L the base engine when the upcoming entry level luxury 13 Lincoln MKZ is equipped with a turbo four as standard cruising tug boats equipment.  Granted, the MKZ isn t a RWD sports sedan, but this perhaps only further cruising tug boats underscores why the Caddy should be equipped with a better standard base engine when even a FWD luxo-cruiser has it bested.  The ATS target, the 328i, is equipped with the turbo four as standard.  On the other hand, both the 328i and MKZ base trims start at nearly $2K more than the base ATS so this pricing difference probably explains the lack of a turbo four on the base ATS.  Indeed, cruising tug boats the turbo four is available as an $1,800 upgrade on on the ATS.  The advantage of the more boring 2.5L was that I averaged 25 mpg in largely staid driving around town.
The Brembo brakes were fantastic and the brake pedal provided an even, linear response.  Steering required some effort and was nicely tuned for an electronic arrangement.  (I ve given up hope of any sort of feedback from electronic steering setups these days.)  Visibility was restricted thanks to the large B- and C-pillars.  The C-pillar is on the order of Kia Optima dangerous so be careful when changing cruising tug boats lanes.
In conclusion, Cadillac deserves kudos for the ATS.  It s a tremendous improvement over the 2013 Cadillac CTS that I just rented, cruising tug boats that CTS representing the previous generation of Cadillac design and lesser GM quality.  It s unfortunate that this particular ATS was only equipped with the 2.5L, but I m guessing that National is tentatively cruising tug boats testing the rental waters with the 2.5L model.  Higher trim 2.0L or 3.6L models may soon be on their way.  Afterall, I've personally rented a large gamut of CTS and SRX Cadillacs ranging from base models with zero frills cruising tug boats to top-of-the-line ones with all the trimmings.
The ATS is only classified as an LCAR at National so that means you ll likely be able to rent one of these without an upsell price that a specialty GXAR/UXAR might ordinarily command. **Note: Fellow Flyertalker jzweighaft has brought it to my attention that Hertz has advertised the V-6 ATS as being part of the Prestige Car Collection, but I have yet to see it in actual Hertz inventory.  Also, a Prestige Car will generally command a higher daily rate than National s Luxury Car.**