Cadillac ATS: Reimagining A Classic For A New Generation

Judy Antell |

Updated: Jan 23, 2014

Not Your Mother-in-Law’s Caddy

Girls are told that they grow up to be their mothers. I may be the only person who became her mother-in-law.

Admittedly, this was only for a week, when I drove the 2014 Cadillac ATS. My mother-in-law has traded in her Cadillac for a new one every 2 or 3 years, always choosing a red sedan and that was what I drove.

But this is not your mother-in-law’s Cadillac – or, least, MY mother-in-law’s. The sporty ATS is more luxurious than anything she would choose, and so loaded with technology that I wonder how the older generation of Cadillac buyers will react. My mother-in-law still cannot figure out Skype, and our video chats with her reveal just her chin or forehead.

CUE the Touchscreen

But the CUE (Cadillac User Experience) infotainment system is designed for the touchscreen generation, with easy access to different screens by tapping, dragging and flicking. Connecting my iPhone to the car, using Bluetooth, literally took seconds.

I never realized how greasy my fingers are until I spent a week scrolling through Sirius SX stations, adjusting the climate control (the poor Caddy had to work overtime in the polar vortex, but the car started instantly and the vents defogged the windows quickly) and getting real time traffic info from the GPS.

Heads-up Display

By far my favorite feature of the ATS is the heads-up display, in the windshield, of your speed and the direction you are heading. You can keep your eyes focused on the road and ease up on the gas when you start to speed.

The heads-up display also helps if you want to keep the fuel economy up. We got 26 mpg on the highway, even with the car fully loaded.