Quote:
Originally Posted by RPM90
This is an amusing review.
A BMW 3 series wins, NOT because of it's handling and fun to drive factors, but because of an interior design opinion.
I recall the 3 winning many times even when iDrive was considered the worst of it's kind.
My, times surely have changed. 
I'm amazed at how negative he is towards the handling on backroads even with a sport line 328i that has the sport suspension.
My 335i Msport has the M adaptive suspension, and I don't know if it's really that much stiffer or better in "sport" mode as the standard sport suspension. But, I was down in southern Indiana around Bloomington last week and the handling and control were excellent with my 335i.
Yes, it could use a bit firmer spring, or thicker sways, but over all there is no way I would describe it as not having "an ease" about how it's does things.
In this review he pretty much makes the 328i sport line sound pretty bad when being driven as a sport sedan on twisty imperfect roads.
Is the adaptive suspension that much better than the standard sport suspension?
From his description the 328i sport is as lackluster as any other car compared to a 3 series, when you compare the 328i to the ATS with it's magnetic ride control.
It almost sounds as if he's not driving a sport line, but maybe a Lux or Modern with the standard suspension.
If the sport suspension garners those types of comments, then the Lux and Modern may be no better than an Accord or Camry.
But then, he picks the 328i as the winner?!
WTF? He sounds confused.  |
Perhaps there is nothing wrong with a Sport line 328i handling on backroads. It could be that the ATS with the FE3 suspension is that much better than the 328i.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gator15
I think the ATS is a great car and it will only make the 3 series better. One of my biggest issues with it is the CUE system, as was pointed out in the review. When will the American car manufacturers realize that touch screens in a car are an awful idea? Yes, they are very cool and work very well when you are not moving. However, as soon as you begin driving, it is impossible to select anything you want without taking your eyes off of the road, and even then it is difficult. I say this from experience with another GM nav/audio/climate system. In my mind, when you combine these basic functions into a touch screen, it disqualifies the car for me. I don't care how well it drives or how fun it is, if I can't reach over and turn the a/c on without taking my eyes off the road for 5 seconds, I will not buy it. Even as a passenger, I have found the GM touch screens frustrating and difficult to use. The iDrive is reason alone to buy the BMW.
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Why would anyone want to mess with CUE or iDrive when driving either one of these cars?
Quote:
Originally Posted by RPM90
The reviewer of the ATS says "with the performance packages adjustable shock absorbers...".
But the problem is that the ATS 2.0 'Performance' variant does not come with the adjustable magnetic suspension.
On Cadillacs website, the ATS 2.0 Performance model doesn't even show the adjustable suspension as an option. It shows the 2.0 Performance model as having a "sport suspension", and the magnetic system has an "X" showing it's not even available on that model.
To get the magnetic system and "performance" suspension you have to step up to the next model the "2.0 Premium", but it costs more than the MSRP shown for the ATS tested here.
So, what gives?
Also, part of the cost when opting for the manual trans, includes the addition of a mechanical LSD.
That LSD is standard in the 2.0T Premium pkg, and you can have LSD with auto trans with that pkg.
Seems that either they are using the higher cost 2.0 Premium ATS, which includes magnetic dampers and the "performance" suspension, or the ATS used is a 2.0 Performance ATS that uses the standard non-magnetic damper sport suspension.
If it is the standard sport suspension, then the ATS chassis and no adaptive suspension is even better than even the reviewers thought.
The "FE3" option includes the magnetic dampers, but that system is not shown on Cadillacs options list.
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I'm pretty sure they were testing the 2.0T Premium, but the reviewer just call it the wrong way as "with the performance package adjustable shock absorbers...."
I think Cadillac might've made a mistake in naming their Collections. The Premium should've been called "Performance" as it includes the performance options such as the performance suspension, MRC and LSD.