[Mak135i]

I drove the ATS 3.6 again yesterday and then the 335i M-Sport with sport auto afterwards so I can make my mind up about which one to lease for the next 24-30 months. The ATS interior is impressive; quiet and seemed very well finished. The touch screen CUE system seems novel but I am a neat freak and all the finger marks on the screen would drive me crazy! Still, most importantly, the drive was good. I even got a little over steer coming out of a low speed corner which is easily corrected with the throttle (my other car is a C63 so I'm used to that).

However, the BMW is just better in every respect. It's noticeably quicker in a straight line; quicker in turns with some under steer which is easy to deal with. The electric steering is not totally devoid of feel (in sport and sport+ modes); it's actually quieter too. The interior (Sport seats) seemed more comfortable and just as well made.

I think the clinchers for me were:
1. The BMW N55 engine is cheaply and easily modified to yield another 40-50 rwhp (thus making it very quick)

2. Even though comparably equipped 335 is about 7k$ more, the lease payment on a 30 month, 15000 miles lease is LOWER than on the similar (27 month) Cadillac lease! The reasons are the residual values (Cadillac is lower on 27 months than BMW is on 30 months) and the BMW discount from invoice I was offered!

So, even though I cannot be considered completely objective (I had a 2008 135i up until 2 years ago), the BMW 335i is the better car and the better deal.