If you’ve heard the hype from here to Katmandu, Cadillac built the ATS to take on the world. Every aspect of it has been honed from pure unobtantium, designed by the world’s top boffins from wheel to wheel, roof to bottom, to be the greatest automobile ever hewn from pure fiery goodness.
Except the manual transmission, which in average production streamlining fashion isn’t available on the larger V-6 engined models. No matter, because the royal we should be lucky that Cadillac gave us a six-speed manual to play with. Or maybe we shouldn’t. How bad is the Cadillac ATS manual? It was the deciding factor for Motor Trend to pick the archnemesis BMW 3-Series over the ATS.
We, on the other hand, gave it a more favorable review.
Ye GM of olde would tell reviewers and the buying public to suck it up, build the thing unchanged for six years, then fix the transmission right before it pulls the plug. (Ask your uncle Oscar what a “Pontiac Fiero” is.) But this being the newer, trimmer GM, Cadillac engineers have yanked manual-transmission ATSs from production while they sort out a fix for the transmission.
Reportedly, they told Motor Trend, they will be installing softer bushings for a less notchy, more precise feel. They’ll have an easy job of it: of the 600 or so ATSs that went out in September, no manual transmission cars have been delivered. Hence, no recall necessary. Of the typically low take rate for manual-equipped luxury sedans, those who are brave enough to opt for one will find themselves hopefully free of complaints—and hopefully with better perception.
Source: Motor Trend
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