and now these cars are doing 9 second 1/4 miles on stock turbos and stock internals, just a few mods and fuel. NO other car is doing that from my research. This car is the ultimate 9 second car on a budget and its good that most people have no idea about it.
Great car. It’s too bad they discontinued both the ats-v and cts-v. Both cars packed a serious punch and were right up there with the competition. The second generation cts-v was my absolute favorite, just a sharp looking car.
yeah I had a few of CTSV the thing that killed the last gen was the horrible auto gearbox and the deletion of the 6 speed manual now the fugly CT5V Blackwing comes with the proper manual but looks like a Lexus crossed with a Buick in my opinion.
@@autofanaticcars you are probably the 1st I've ever heard refer to that 10 speed as horrible, wait until ur only option is electric u will beg for another horrible 10 speed lol.
I have a 10 speed in mine right now and let me say it really shocked me with just how good it is. I actually let it shift for me, something I could never do in my V2 coupe. Needs some downpipes tho
@@autofanaticcars - though I'm too poor to buy a 3rd Gen CTS-V, I'd likely pass on one over not having a manual as you said. I recently bought a 2006 CTS-V and the manual was a huge part of my decision. But I disagree on the Blackwing - I'd love one.
I personally don't mind the interior. This car is still the next car I want. You can swap the gauge cluster for the V3's and it totally changes the look.
Absolutely love my ATS-V. With a proper tune the A8 is much better. Still no ZF but much better than they left the factory. I just got over 31 mph avg on a trip to Birmingham from Nashville and back. Not many tuned v6 turbo cars doing that and capable of a 10 second quarter. Damn shame GM never bothered to market the car. But in other ways I do have a pretty rare car because of it and it's absolutely phenomenal to drive.
Agree and too bad owners/reviewers (this one included) don't understand that cue is NOT a button-operated system, maybe the car wouldn't have been shunned by the talking head media and the masses.
Manual... Is there anything else lol and I always recommend 2018 or 19 with Que 2.5.. Or you can get it from 404 parts.. Next year when my drive train warranty ends its probably tapout tune for me....
Yes, the engineers at Cadillac have learned more about suspension and chassis through their racing program. That has been incorporated into the blackwing plus more. I own a BW 4 so I might be a little biased.
Might not see my comment, but BOY YOU HIT EVERY POINT OF A CAR ENTHUSIAST LOVES. And yes DAMN SHAME SUCH BEAUTIFUL,MANUAL CARS ARE LEFT MY THE WAYSIDE ...I WANT 1 TIL THIS DAY , COUPE OR SEDAN ... IN MANUAL
Happy to see this vid drop and your pure enthusiasm! Been driving my 6MT ATS-V (locally) for 3 years now & still going STRONG with no mechanical issues whatsoever! I have to agree one of the greatest sport sedans ever & that's coming from prev E39 M5 and E92 M3 ownership (although I'd love to have one or both of those back in my stable someday). So many ppl slept on this car and its really been underappreciated by many. A real world class machine & sleeper! Also the 6MT sedan was ultra rare at just 437 units produced from what I gather. Nice work! -@redlineleather
glad to hear your ownership experience the ATS-V was truly a car developed by some very passionate engineers at GM and it is such a shame how badly is failed to capture a wider audience due to lack of marketing because it was just so good. I honestly love the car and was going to buy one prior to my Alfa Romeo QV. They are two very different cars but the ATS-V has superior brakes and an easier chassis to drive hard where as the Alfa will bite your ass and send you into a tree like most Italian sports cars but that also adds to the character as well. I hope to get a video up this summer on the CT4V Blackwing and maybe the CT5V Blackwing but it seems all the dealers are ordering these cars with the auto box and i wont even bother reviewing one of those because the manual is what sets it apart from everything else.
LF4 utilizes different block and heads that are specific to ATS twin turbo variants... so not just "beefed up (LFX) internals" as most reviewers claim.
Pretty nice car, Phil. Before I bought my 16 GT PP I was looking at the SS because my wife wanted me to get a 4 door car, but the manuals were just not available. These were nice and would have made a good option, but were just out of my budget. Always a good time "riding" along with you!
I honestly don't have a problem with the cue it works awesome on the steering wheel buttons but I didn't buy it for that it looks awesome and handles better than my vette on the track!
Agree and the problem is most people don't realize CUE is NOT button operated. It is touch with haptic feedback like your mobile. Not sure why people can't figure this out and stop trying to use the trim accents to change settings. Not rocket science... well not for some anyway.
Right? Once you start using AA or Car Play, it just looks like every other car and the only buttons i use off the screen is for the AC. Volume buttons suck, but I just just use the ones on the steering wheel.
I've got the XTS VSport, first year 2014. Different mission,, I know.. Cadillac built amazing an amazing line beginning in 2014. So much more interesting than the competition. Great video.
When I worked at gmc buick we had the caddy repp stop by in one when it came out we all had a chance to drive it wow!! It blew our minds how well rounded this was what a shame and for the money back then I think it was 70k loaded I belive
yeah this platform is incredible and this was the car i was trying to buy before the Alfa QV but it just so happened the Alfa we special ordered for a client was never picked up he told me I could take it and rolled the dice and glad I did. Both cars are the best sport sedans in this segment. I hope to get some of the new Blackwings on the channel if our local dealers ever get ones with a 6 speed i do not want to drive the auto boxes
@@autofanaticcars I really think u will like the new ct4 blackwing with the 6speed Phil it’s an amazing car 475hp and the interior has been appropriately modernized too!! That cue was a disgrace and the actuall area engineers used to hate to come out and diagnose issues with them too!!
Great Vid, but just so you’re more familiar… the engine was first seen in the 2014 rwd drive CTS V-Sport as the first twin turbo Cadillac engine, the LF3. For the ATS-V they bumped the power up a bit with larger turbo internals, etc and deemed it the LF4 as a more dialed-in track weaponized version. The ATS-V’s interior definitely lacks. The CTS V-Sport Premium has much more amenities though and is a mirror to the interior of the CTS-V3. Parts on both car’s are practically interchangeable. The LF3/4 platform is a gem that more need to become familiar with!
yes i almost was considering a V Sport because the Gen 3 CTSV was so delayed in production. I really liked the V Sports to drive but hated the automatic gearbox and it just did not have enough grunt for me so I never bought it and I waited for a CTSV instead which was a great car minus the weight and horrible automatic gearbox. the manual transmission is what makes the ATSV so much more special and I am happy to see GM brought that back on the new Blackwings except i have yet to see any in stock at a dealer without the automatic.
@@autofanaticcars what’s amazing is how much power is left on the table by GM with the LF3/4. With tuning by Schmidty Tuning. We have many 600whp V-Sports & 700whp ATS-V’s with very minimal mods + tunes. With just a tune alone though, we have V-Sports that run stock CTS-V3 times & traps at the track and ATS-V’s that walk out on those. Very underestimated but very strong engines. They are just now starting to get a lot more respect with the advent of the CT4-Blackwing. Thanks for your video my friend! We love seeing any light brought to the LF3/4 platform & community!
The lf3 has a different crank and pistons ... the internals of the engine are entirely different so no the lf3 and lf4 are not the same ... the lf4 is just a way better engine designed for racing hence the different internals... don’t try amd slide your lf3 as the same as a lf4 bc it’s not buddy
@@victorhernandez2933 very interesting to know! Question, what is the life horizon gonna look like for these engines, in your opinion? Are they going to last? Or are they so finely tuned and precision-made that they are gonna not last long, sort of like the high performance german turbo engines that are very picky and require $10,000 dollar, expensive preventive maintenance every 100,000 miles?
@@victorhernandez2933 also, where are we going to find engines?? if there weren’t many made? Are we going to find ourselves stranded where owning these cars when they’re getting to 10 years is a very risky proposition?
If you're deciding on whether or not to buy this based on the CUE or the gauges, this car will be wasted on you anyway and you should just move on and let somebody who appreciates the engineering take it. I ordered mine the year they came out and I've spent less than 5 minutes in that time caring about either.
The are excited but they can't afford it ! But yes they needed to advertise more ! Im good with it because when i take mine to the car show im usually the only Ats-v there ! Its always Cts-v there
How's it going! Awesome car! I'm looking at a 2018 Cadillac ATS-V automatic. What do you think about the automatic? Nice car though. Don't know if I should look for a manual because I know it's rare. Thinking on jumping on the automatic before it's gone. It has low miles and it's clean... What do you think?
One problem with many automakers, including GM, is they expect instant success. The ATS is a great car (although the interior issues should have been addressed), but ZBMW didn’t have instant success in sport sedans. It took great car after great car after great car. GM doesn’t have this long term vision.
Huh? V Series cars have been available since 2003 and some generations such as Alpha chassis ATS are better performance cars than German cars. If folks stopped worrying about badge hunting and peer pressure, they'd realize how good the V Series Caddys truly are.
You forget about one of the finest handling cars in the world - according to Liebermann and Camissa - the 6th Gen Camaro particularly the SS/1LE and ZL1/1LE. They are both on the Alpha chassis same as the ATS-V and subsequent cars that followed. The 1LE Camaros are surely future collector cars with the ZL1/1LE named particularly by Hagerty and Hemmings simply due to the rarity and quality of performance. Interestingly the ZL1/1LE (In Manual) is still in production today - get one if you can! Simply look at the ZL1/1LE Nurburgring time of 7:16 on YT done back in 2017, goes to show GM is at the top of the game when it comes to chassis tuning and performance.
you are absolutely correct the 6th Gen Camaro is an incredible platform to drive GM did some stellar engineering on this Alpha platform watching all the old engineering videos from years ago was very cool to learn more on what they did.
@@autofanaticcars You can spend days on all the easter eggs with the ZL1/1LE alone. Shame that GM doesn't have the marketing budget of Porsche and German brands to complement all their engineering prowess and work done. In so many ways (as someone who owned M cars before) - Camaro 1LE's are the best M cars on sale today - Power, Brakes, Aero, Tuning and most importantly - chassis. These are gems that most people have no idea about and will regret not having years down the line. I used to own a C7 Z06 - quite simply the chassis could not handle anything more than 500hp on a backroad or track. The chassis was quite inferior compared to the Alpha platform Camaro. 3 years ago I made the best decision to date which was to switch my C7 Z06 to a ZL1/1LE (6 spd Manual). Quite simply the best car I have ever owned. The ZL1/1LE is not a jack of all trades - it's the master of one. Honest with no slop in the suspension which 'transmits' instead of gliding. Backroads or Track - always on point.
as a huge Shelby GT350 fan and owner i agree the only thing that makes the Shelby more special is the flat plane crank NA engine but the Camaro is a far better and easier to live with platform and better engineered chassis by far. the 1LE has me tempted to say the least i love it in black its menacing.
@@autofanaticcars I agree. The ZL1/1LE has a great color palette outside of black as well. The bone/chassis is world's better than the Mustang's S550 (also having driven the GT350). Interesting little facts (less known) about the ZL1/1LE - - Has thinner rear glass than the ZL1. - The 6th gear is even shorter optimized for the Nürburgring so it goes like a bat out of hell even in 6th. - The Aero was developed in the Mercedes F1 Wind Tunnel in Brackley, UK. - The stock ZL1/1LE wheels are the only forged wheels in production from GM at the time of the ZL1/1LE release. None of the C7 (Including ZR1) or C8 Vettes so far had forged wheels from the factory. That explains why Vettes have had so many wheels cracking.
thats cool info thanks for sharing, I know my 5h Gen Camaro and C6 ZR1 had CHINA wheels on those cars back then. My Cadillac CTSV wheels I think were Taiwan but not certain.
What is wrong with people and using auto climate controls?! Regardless of the center switch panel just set the damn temp to auto and never touch it again. Why this guy is struggling to use an auto climate system is beyond me. AUTO, SYNC, and set temp to 70 or whatever and never have to touch that panel again. On top of that, you can also use the screen to adjust climate. I swear all these RUclipsrs pick on the system because that’s what the other RUclipsr did. It’s really not that bad and works just fine if you know how to use it, but this guys got the settings all over the place.
Did not know this it is such a shame how badly GM cost cut the new Blackwings to a point that the full exhaust is cheap mild steel not even stainless. I personally like the ATSV more in many regards especially styling
@@autofanaticcars been watching your channel all weekend. Freaking love it. I have came across your videos in the past here and there, but I really dived into it this weekend. Thanks for all the great content. I love the diversity of all that you cover. All good stuff.
@@autofanaticcarsyes the exterior design is nicer to me than the new blackwing. I am waiting on an allocation for a Blackwing but I'm very tempted to getting a ATS V for half the cost and still have fun and all that extra cash I can mod and fix it. Its very hard to find what I want though. Less than 45k miles, sedan, manual and no sunroof.
In the case of GM performance cars, the long term trend shows manual trans is a very small % of sales. Even when both options are available, and this data goes back over 20 years. This even holds true for Camaro buyers with SS 1LE being the exception.
"It's American; you can easily fix it yourself - you don't need no fancy diagnostic equipment". What flavor of Kool-Aid are you drinking? Show me a car made since 1980 that can be repaired with basic hand tools. Better yet, how about a video showing a fix it job on any late model luxury vehicle with a serious electrical issue? I'll supply all the tools you want, up to a multi-meter.
and now these cars are doing 9 second 1/4 miles on stock turbos and stock internals, just a few mods and fuel. NO other car is doing that from my research. This car is the ultimate 9 second car on a budget and its good that most people have no idea about it.
Great car. It’s too bad they discontinued both the ats-v and cts-v. Both cars packed a serious punch and were right up there with the competition. The second generation cts-v was my absolute favorite, just a sharp looking car.
yeah I had a few of CTSV the thing that killed the last gen was the horrible auto gearbox and the deletion of the 6 speed manual now the fugly CT5V Blackwing comes with the proper manual but looks like a Lexus crossed with a Buick in my opinion.
@@autofanaticcars you are probably the 1st I've ever heard refer to that 10 speed as horrible, wait until ur only option is electric u will beg for another horrible 10 speed lol.
I have a 10 speed in mine right now and let me say it really shocked me with just how good it is. I actually let it shift for me, something I could never do in my V2 coupe. Needs some downpipes tho
they are still here but better on the alpha ll chassis and both come with a manual ct4/5 blackwings
@@autofanaticcars - though I'm too poor to buy a 3rd Gen CTS-V, I'd likely pass on one over not having a manual as you said. I recently bought a 2006 CTS-V and the manual was a huge part of my decision. But I disagree on the Blackwing - I'd love one.
Thanks for the review Just picked up a 2017 ATS-V with 7000km pick it up on Friday
enjoy it the car is awesome
I personally don't mind the interior. This car is still the next car I want. You can swap the gauge cluster for the V3's and it totally changes the look.
thats good to know, rowing the gears on this car is just a very gratifying experience you never get tired of.
@@autofanaticcars Agreed! I've had a manual since I was 15 and I'm 37 now, I love it!
Absolutely love my ATS-V. With a proper tune the A8 is much better. Still no ZF but much better than they left the factory. I just got over 31 mph avg on a trip to Birmingham from Nashville and back. Not many tuned v6 turbo cars doing that and capable of a 10 second quarter.
Damn shame GM never bothered to market the car. But in other ways I do have a pretty rare car because of it and it's absolutely phenomenal to drive.
nice the 6 speed here was amazing to drive i miss this car this video is almost 4 years old when i filmed it
The ATS has incredible engineering from the stem to stern. The suspension is great.
Agree and too bad owners/reviewers (this one included) don't understand that cue is NOT a button-operated system, maybe the car wouldn't have been shunned by the talking head media and the masses.
Owned one for two years now... It's an awsome daily driver...
thanks for sharing do you have the auto or the 6 speed version?
Manual... Is there anything else lol and I always recommend 2018 or 19 with Que 2.5.. Or you can get it from 404 parts.. Next year when my drive train warranty ends its probably tapout tune for me....
@@wendellperson2450 - congrats on the car and especially the manual!
The CT4-V Blackwing is just a refreshed version of the ATS-V. Performance is virtually identical.
Real question, is it worth getting the CT4 BW or just spending half as much for an ATSV
Yes, the engineers at Cadillac have learned more about suspension and chassis through their racing program. That has been incorporated into the blackwing plus more. I own a BW 4 so I might be a little biased.
The bw looks better imo.
@@daboxer181 hell no youre crazy lmao
Might not see my comment, but BOY YOU HIT EVERY POINT OF A CAR ENTHUSIAST LOVES. And yes DAMN SHAME SUCH BEAUTIFUL,MANUAL CARS ARE LEFT MY THE WAYSIDE ...I WANT 1 TIL THIS DAY , COUPE OR SEDAN ... IN MANUAL
Happy to see this vid drop and your pure enthusiasm! Been driving my 6MT ATS-V (locally) for 3 years now & still going STRONG with no mechanical issues whatsoever! I have to agree one of the greatest sport sedans ever & that's coming from prev E39 M5 and E92 M3 ownership (although I'd love to have one or both of those back in my stable someday). So many ppl slept on this car and its really been underappreciated by many. A real world class machine & sleeper! Also the 6MT sedan was ultra rare at just 437 units produced from what I gather. Nice work! -@redlineleather
glad to hear your ownership experience the ATS-V was truly a car developed by some very passionate engineers at GM and it is such a shame how badly is failed to capture a wider audience due to lack of marketing because it was just so good. I honestly love the car and was going to buy one prior to my Alfa Romeo QV. They are two very different cars but the ATS-V has superior brakes and an easier chassis to drive hard where as the Alfa will bite your ass and send you into a tree like most Italian sports cars but that also adds to the character as well. I hope to get a video up this summer on the CT4V Blackwing and maybe the CT5V Blackwing but it seems all the dealers are ordering these cars with the auto box and i wont even bother reviewing one of those because the manual is what sets it apart from everything else.
LF4 utilizes different block and heads that are specific to ATS twin turbo variants... so not just "beefed up (LFX) internals" as most reviewers claim.
Pretty nice car, Phil. Before I bought my 16 GT PP I was looking at the SS because my wife wanted me to get a 4 door car, but the manuals were just not available. These were nice and would have made a good option, but were just out of my budget. Always a good time "riding" along with you!
Damn! Never knew they made an ATS-V manual !! Sucks that all the 3rd Gen CTS-V's were auto's. Now I can add the ATS-V to my list of cool rides.
I honestly don't have a problem with the cue it works awesome on the steering wheel buttons but I didn't buy it for that it looks awesome and handles better than my vette on the track!
This chassis is one of the best ever in the sport sedan segment hands down.
Agree and the problem is most people don't realize CUE is NOT button operated. It is touch with haptic feedback like your mobile. Not sure why people can't figure this out and stop trying to use the trim accents to change settings. Not rocket science... well not for some anyway.
Right? Once you start using AA or Car Play, it just looks like every other car and the only buttons i use off the screen is for the AC. Volume buttons suck, but I just just use the ones on the steering wheel.
I've got the XTS VSport, first year 2014. Different mission,, I know.. Cadillac built amazing an amazing line beginning in 2014. So much more interesting than the competition. Great video.
I just picked up an auto and they are for sure a hidden gem
enjoy it see if you can get autobox programmed properly it will help
I love all the V's Cadillac made! Wish I could afford one. I've got Cadillac tastes on a Buick budget lol! I'd like that turbo on my Lacrosse!
When I worked at gmc buick we had the caddy repp stop by in one when it came out we all had a chance to drive it wow!! It blew our minds how well rounded this was what a shame and for the money back then I think it was 70k loaded I belive
yeah this platform is incredible and this was the car i was trying to buy before the Alfa QV but it just so happened the Alfa we special ordered for a client was never picked up he told me I could take it and rolled the dice and glad I did. Both cars are the best sport sedans in this segment. I hope to get some of the new Blackwings on the channel if our local dealers ever get ones with a 6 speed i do not want to drive the auto boxes
@@autofanaticcars I really think u will like the new ct4 blackwing with the 6speed Phil it’s an amazing car 475hp and the interior has been appropriately modernized too!! That cue was a disgrace and the actuall area engineers used to hate to come out and diagnose issues with them too!!
Aftermarket exhausts really help the sound. I have a few vids with the Borla catback and catless downpipes. Night and day.
yeah they do my friend who owned this V bought parts but never installed them i forgot why
The G M test drivers said the ones they love testing on the track is one Z06 two they said Ats-v! That sats alot
Dream car
Great Vid, but just so you’re more familiar… the engine was first seen in the 2014 rwd drive CTS V-Sport as the first twin turbo Cadillac engine, the LF3. For the ATS-V they bumped the power up a bit with larger turbo internals, etc and deemed it the LF4 as a more dialed-in track weaponized version. The ATS-V’s interior definitely lacks. The CTS V-Sport Premium has much more amenities though and is a mirror to the interior of the CTS-V3. Parts on both car’s are practically interchangeable. The LF3/4 platform is a gem that more need to become familiar with!
yes i almost was considering a V Sport because the Gen 3 CTSV was so delayed in production. I really liked the V Sports to drive but hated the automatic gearbox and it just did not have enough grunt for me so I never bought it and I waited for a CTSV instead which was a great car minus the weight and horrible automatic gearbox. the manual transmission is what makes the ATSV so much more special and I am happy to see GM brought that back on the new Blackwings except i have yet to see any in stock at a dealer without the automatic.
@@autofanaticcars what’s amazing is how much power is left on the table by GM with the LF3/4. With tuning by Schmidty Tuning. We have many 600whp V-Sports & 700whp ATS-V’s with very minimal mods + tunes. With just a tune alone though, we have V-Sports that run stock CTS-V3 times & traps at the track and ATS-V’s that walk out on those. Very underestimated but very strong engines. They are just now starting to get a lot more respect with the advent of the CT4-Blackwing.
Thanks for your video my friend! We love seeing any light brought to the LF3/4 platform & community!
The lf3 has a different crank and pistons ... the internals of the engine are entirely different so no the lf3 and lf4 are not the same ... the lf4 is just a way better engine designed for racing hence the different internals... don’t try amd slide your lf3 as the same as a lf4 bc it’s not buddy
@@victorhernandez2933 very interesting to know! Question, what is the life horizon gonna look like for these engines, in your opinion? Are they going to last? Or are they so finely tuned and precision-made that they are gonna not last long, sort of like the high performance german turbo engines that are very picky and require $10,000 dollar, expensive preventive maintenance every 100,000 miles?
@@victorhernandez2933 also, where are we going to find engines?? if there weren’t many made? Are we going to find ourselves stranded where owning these cars when they’re getting to 10 years is a very risky proposition?
If you're deciding on whether or not to buy this based on the CUE or the gauges, this car will be wasted on you anyway and you should just move on and let somebody who appreciates the engineering take it. I ordered mine the year they came out and I've spent less than 5 minutes in that time caring about either.
How many miles it got now?
American muscle. Love it.
The are excited but they can't afford it ! But yes they needed to advertise more ! Im good with it because when i take mine to the car show im usually the only Ats-v there ! Its always Cts-v there
How's it going! Awesome car! I'm looking at a 2018 Cadillac ATS-V automatic. What do you think about the automatic? Nice car though. Don't know if I should look for a manual because I know it's rare. Thinking on jumping on the automatic before it's gone. It has low miles and it's clean... What do you think?
The automatic were awful on this generation of GM cars it was the biggest complaint and reason i sold my CTSV back then
Really great looking car. They loose me at the back though
Would love to have it.
hello yall... my question is, how can i get rid of that fake engine noise being pumped out of the speakers?
One problem with many automakers, including GM, is they expect instant success.
The ATS is a great car (although the interior issues should have been addressed), but ZBMW didn’t have instant success in sport sedans. It took great car after great car after great car. GM doesn’t have this long term vision.
Huh? V Series cars have been available since 2003 and some generations such as Alpha chassis ATS are better performance cars than German cars. If folks stopped worrying about badge hunting and peer pressure, they'd realize how good the V Series Caddys truly are.
I will NEVER buy a performance car with an automatic unless it's electric.
You forget about one of the finest handling cars in the world - according to Liebermann and Camissa - the 6th Gen Camaro particularly the SS/1LE and ZL1/1LE. They are both on the Alpha chassis same as the ATS-V and subsequent cars that followed. The 1LE Camaros are surely future collector cars with the ZL1/1LE named particularly by Hagerty and Hemmings simply due to the rarity and quality of performance. Interestingly the ZL1/1LE (In Manual) is still in production today - get one if you can! Simply look at the ZL1/1LE Nurburgring time of 7:16 on YT done back in 2017, goes to show GM is at the top of the game when it comes to chassis tuning and performance.
you are absolutely correct the 6th Gen Camaro is an incredible platform to drive GM did some stellar engineering on this Alpha platform watching all the old engineering videos from years ago was very cool to learn more on what they did.
@@autofanaticcars You can spend days on all the easter eggs with the ZL1/1LE alone. Shame that GM doesn't have the marketing budget of Porsche and German brands to complement all their engineering prowess and work done. In so many ways (as someone who owned M cars before) - Camaro 1LE's are the best M cars on sale today - Power, Brakes, Aero, Tuning and most importantly - chassis. These are gems that most people have no idea about and will regret not having years down the line.
I used to own a C7 Z06 - quite simply the chassis could not handle anything more than 500hp on a backroad or track. The chassis was quite inferior compared to the Alpha platform Camaro. 3 years ago I made the best decision to date which was to switch my C7 Z06 to a ZL1/1LE (6 spd Manual). Quite simply the best car I have ever owned. The ZL1/1LE is not a jack of all trades - it's the master of one. Honest with no slop in the suspension which 'transmits' instead of gliding. Backroads or Track - always on point.
as a huge Shelby GT350 fan and owner i agree the only thing that makes the Shelby more special is the flat plane crank NA engine but the Camaro is a far better and easier to live with platform and better engineered chassis by far. the 1LE has me tempted to say the least i love it in black its menacing.
@@autofanaticcars I agree. The ZL1/1LE has a great color palette outside of black as well. The bone/chassis is world's better than the Mustang's S550 (also having driven the GT350).
Interesting little facts (less known) about the ZL1/1LE -
- Has thinner rear glass than the ZL1.
- The 6th gear is even shorter optimized for the Nürburgring so it goes like a bat out of hell even in 6th.
- The Aero was developed in the Mercedes F1 Wind Tunnel in Brackley, UK.
- The stock ZL1/1LE wheels are the only forged wheels in production from GM at the time of the ZL1/1LE release. None of the C7 (Including ZR1) or C8 Vettes so far had forged wheels from the factory. That explains why Vettes have had so many wheels cracking.
thats cool info thanks for sharing, I know my 5h Gen Camaro and C6 ZR1 had CHINA wheels on those cars back then. My Cadillac CTSV wheels I think were Taiwan but not certain.
What is wrong with people and using auto climate controls?! Regardless of the center switch panel just set the damn temp to auto and never touch it again. Why this guy is struggling to use an auto climate system is beyond me. AUTO, SYNC, and set temp to 70 or whatever and never have to touch that panel again. On top of that, you can also use the screen to adjust climate. I swear all these RUclipsrs pick on the system because that’s what the other RUclipsr did. It’s really not that bad and works just fine if you know how to use it, but this guys got the settings all over the place.
Fyi another fun fact is that all ATS-V’s came with carbon fiber hoods from the factory for weight reduction. A lot of people don’t know this
Did not know this it is such a shame how badly GM cost cut the new Blackwings to a point that the full exhaust is cheap mild steel not even stainless. I personally like the ATSV more in many regards especially styling
@@autofanaticcars been watching your channel all weekend. Freaking love it. I have came across your videos in the past here and there, but I really dived into it this weekend. Thanks for all the great content. I love the diversity of all that you cover. All good stuff.
thanks for watching lots of cool stuff on here for enthusiasts
@@autofanaticcars Can you provide some other examples of the "cost-cutting"? Probably not but I'm interested to learn more.
@@autofanaticcarsyes the exterior design is nicer to me than the new blackwing. I am waiting on an allocation for a Blackwing but I'm very tempted to getting a ATS V for half the cost and still have fun and all that extra cash I can mod and fix it. Its very hard to find what I want though. Less than 45k miles, sedan, manual and no sunroof.
have the V coupe....that has the normal knob interior that Q was the worst thing.....it stopped me from moving up
yea the CUE was a disaster now Ferrari uses a similar haptic touch system on the new ROMA and everyone seems to hate it.
@@autofanaticcars real car guys like cars...not ipads ....lol
What gt350 has a dual clutch?
There is even auto wipers
old vid filmed last fall?
I filmed this in November 2018 quite a long time ago
My thing is, car manufacturers know we want manuals, why put one in a car that cost 80K plus? And wonder why they go by the way side...
In the case of GM performance cars, the long term trend shows manual trans is a very small % of sales. Even when both options are available, and this data goes back over 20 years. This even holds true for Camaro buyers with SS 1LE being the exception.
CTSV “dragster” no no.. the v community turned those cars into dragsters. They’re also intended for road courses thats been the idea since the v1.
If you mention alfa romeo one mor time .... lol
Nice car but sorry, the HVAC and main head unit have to work flawlessly otherwise it's just a sinkhole
"It's American; you can easily fix it yourself - you don't need no fancy diagnostic equipment". What flavor of Kool-Aid are you drinking? Show me a car made since 1980 that can be repaired with basic hand tools. Better yet, how about a video showing a fix it job on any late model luxury vehicle with a serious electrical issue? I'll supply all the tools you want, up to a multi-meter.
Geez you rode that 2nd gear almost as long as you stop talking long enough to take a breathe.
guess you never drove this car on such a road because this is how you keep peak power to have more fun you know.
Made in Mexico that car and quality don't belong in the same sentence
no idea where your getting that information but i highly doubt this car was made in Mexico.