2013 Cadillac ATS Long Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

2013 Cadillac ATS Long Term Road Test

A review of the parking brake in our long-term 2012 Cadillac ATS.

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quadricycle

I can see how this could be counter-intuitive. "Just another thing about this car that drives me crazy." This is sad to hear about the ATS, I had high hopes.

dslay04

Audi's are the same way. This prevents an accidental engagement with your leg or hand

hank39

@dslay - didn't think about it in that way. Makes sense on conceptually, but I guess for most people it seems counter-intuitive.

sharpend

It's perfectly straightforward if you are used to PULLING UP on a handbrake to engage it as millions have done for decades.

themiddleroad

I still can't get my head around wanting a Caddie. Mom had a Sedan DeVille from the 80's. It was smooth, but turned like a pig and broke down all the time. It also squeaked like shoes made of mice. I rented a 2007 or so DTS. Well, it was somewhat comfortable and good for a long drive, but it had the same squeak and turning issues. Then I test drove a first-gen CTS-V. At 50k miles, it was falling apart. My 1995 Dodge Neon held up better than that piece of crap. GM still doesn't get it. They probably never will.

And that's just an idiotic location, where it can be accidentally hit. Even if it was, the computer can stop it from engaging. Stupid engineering.

themiddleroad

I still can't get my head around wanting a Caddie. Mom had a Sedan DeVille from the 80's. It was smooth, but turned like a pig and broke down all the time. It also squeaked like shoes made of mice. I rented a 2007 or so DTS. Well, it was somewhat comfortable and good for a long drive, but it had the same squeak and turning issues. Then I test drove a first-gen CTS-V. At 50k miles, it was falling apart. My 1995 Dodge Neon held up better than that piece of crap. GM still doesn't get it. They probably never will.

And that's just an idiotic location, where it can be accidentally hit. Even if it was, the computer can stop it from engaging. Stupid engineering.

legacygt

But when you have a parking brake lever you pull to engage and push it back down to release. I guess the world is just waiting for some standardization here.

keviiinn

while the return of this format of Long Term Road Test updates is a welcome change, I hope it's not too little too late. to tell you the truth, this is the first time I've even been on this site since the switch to this "What's Hot" thing. and only because I got the link from Twitter.

stovt001_

On the other hand, with a hand lever you pull to apply the brake and push to release. So it is consistent with that logic.

bayoujay1

But when you have a manual parking brake, you pull up. Same logic, no?

veedubber86_

That's dumb.

agentorange

As a handbrake user and rabid hater of the foot operated parking brake, I don't see a problem other than it is not a PROPER handbrake in the middle of the car.

prndlol

So is there a big fat leather-wrapped lever between the front seats to open the hood?

white97c5vette

Seems simple to me, pull out the switch and swap the wires

azsvt

Donna, I am guessing you never drove a car with a hand operated parking brake. With those, you pull up on the lever to engage the brake and press a release button on it to disengage. As you can see what is "natural" to you would be "unnatural" for those who have used a hand operated parking brake. What you SHOULD be complaining about is that there is no hand operated brake. The ATS foot or electrically (as in your car) operated parking brake makes it virtully impossible to do a proper J-turn. This is supposed to be a driver's car after all.