ATS is a 2.0L Camaro with 4 doors so that could be fun. But, is the back seat big enough for your youngen? Can you get 3 youngens across the back seat?
Edit. I checked. The ATS coupe has only 2 rear seat belts. The sedan offers 3 rear seatbelts but it still might be tight.
In reply to John Welsh :
Appreciate the insight. I took it to a large, empty parking garage and the chassis felt pretty nice during a brief workout. Even with the awd & luxury trim weight I think the 4 cylinder turbo was pretty peppy. It did have a sport mode, paddle shifters and brand new pirellis on it... I bet a tune and cai could be sourced.
This one is a 4 door and I crept into the rear myself. At 6'2" and 300 lbs I fit behind my wife driving but it took a little doing. Headroom was tight! It was fine for my large 7 year old and should work for a rapidly growing girl...
Drivers seat felt tighter than I remember from driving similar vintage camaros but had enough hip and elbow room. Was very plush and comfy so that probably takes up some space... my wife will be the primary driver so ultimately her call, they are holding it over the weekend so we can think it over.
Nicest Lexus GS or ES 350 you can find.
Since looking at ATS sedan, how about Lincoln MKZ sedan?
There is a hybrid fwd'er that is the rare combination of lux and mpg.
There is a 2.0t that is fwd or awd and I thought she might like an awd sedan.
There is also in the last years a 3.0tt that makes 400 hp in awd! Much to my amazement, the whole MKZ line including the 3.0tt only calls for regular gas (not Premium.)
Historically, Lincoln depreciation is a real thing and since you're shopping used that depreciation might work in your favor. February 2020, just weeks before covid became a thing, I almost bought a MKT (fancy Flex) and I walked from the dealership because we could'nt see eye-to-eye over $1,500 price difference for a 2017 CPO'ed MKT w/40k for $22k. I later bought a 2019 Moper Van for $15.1k w/40k. The vans a great deal and more versitile but the MKT would have been a better highway cruiser.
In reply to John Welsh :
Great minds think alike, I spotted a couple yesterday at the dealer and checked them out.
They are definitely in the discussion. The two I saw were both awd 4 bangers and loaded. Plenty of comfort, but second place to the Caddy for luxury and style. Not by much, mind, and they are probably subjective observations.
I dunno when they did a face-lift (2017ish?) But the older ones are kinda ugly up front. Thanks for reinforcing that I need to do a little more research on these. I'm hoping for a long term ownership and they might be a really good option.
Fwiw wifey really liked the Equus I showed her online. In person she realized that it actually is longer than the Grand Cherokee it would replace.
There is something nice about the largest full sized options as far as luxury and the depreciation is real. It just turns out that the largest vehicle we drove was too big for her tastes. Even with the 5.0 V8 it was a lot of mass to move around...
Moving forward it seems she prefers a bit more nimble and punchy versus the larger, heavier options. Thanks again for all of the input it is super valuable.
In reply to tb :
Lincoln Continental too but I'm not sure what it offers over the MKZ chassis-mate other than higher price.
tb said:Fwiw wifey really liked the Equus I showed her online. In person she realized that it actually is longer than the Grand Cherokee it would replace.
With the exception of the Suburban/Excursion, I've noticed you usually have to go down one size class when moving from CUV/SUV to sedan in order to have approximately the same overall length. CUVs may be relatively wide and tall, but are usually relatively short.
In reply to eastsideTim :
I will remember that, I don't always pay attention to sizes and classes so I am learning a lot on the fly.
Her impression is that the Grand Cherokee always felt bigger than it was so she doesn't want anything too large again. In reality the Jeep was kinda mid sized for an suv so her perception is off.
None of which matters subjectively, jusy gotta manage to make her happy somehow...
We have had a day off from car shopping to go over options and consider the cars we have tested. Several we very good cars and get good chatter both from friends and on this internet thing, so I am not worried about making a huge mistake.
It will be a shared vehicle, but mostly for my wife so I am making her take the lead in decision making. It seems like she has talked herself into the Caddy ATS and I support that. Her hesitation was mainly that the Caddy reputation is as an "old man's car" in her mind but she realizes that isn't true.
Unless anyone tells me to run away and keep looking I will try to pick it up tonight. Many thanks to all!
tb said:In reply to eastsideTim :
I will remember that, I don't always pay attention to sizes and classes so I am learning a lot on the fly.
Her impression is that the Grand Cherokee always felt bigger than it was so she doesn't want anything too large again. In reality the Jeep was kinda mid sized for an suv so her perception is off.
None of which matters subjectively, jusy gotta manage to make her happy somehow...
A lot of the size feel is turning radius. A larger vehicle that still turns tightly is much easier to live with.
I've been impressed by the Mazda offerings in the upscale CUV class, especially for drivers feel, but they are all CUVs now.
Buick TourX or 2017+ Mazda CX-5 were the two top contenders when my wife and I were on a similar search. The Mazda won out due to better pricing when equipped with heated seats new vs new back in 2018. Really happy with the CX-5.
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