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Comparing Cadillac's crazy classy coupes

I just returned from the press launch of Cadillac's new ATS-V, a high-performance version of the US luxury marque's entry-level compact car. While ordinary ATVs offer a choice of a 202-horspower, 4-cylinder, a 272-hp turbocharged four or a 321-hp V-6, this one packs a twin-turbo V-6 that pumps out 464 thoroughbred horses and 445 pound-feet of hard-charging torque. Starting at $62,000 for the sedan and $64,000 for the sexy coupe, ATS-Vs are available with a 6-speed manual (with Active Rev Matching and no-lift shift capability) or an 8-speed automatic with steering-wheel shift paddles. They comes with GM's latest 4-mode Magnetic Ride Control, 5-mode Performance Traction Management (with launch control), competition-spec traction and stability controls, an electronic limited-slip differential, specially-tuned electric power steering, huge Brembo brakes, and added air cooling for their engine, transmission, and rear axle lubricants. They roll on 18-inch Michelin Pilot Super Sport tri-compound summer tires on 9-inch-wide front alloy wheels and 9.5-inch-wide rears. And they will rocket from rest to 60 miles per hour in less than four seconds while delivering 16 city EPA miles per gallon and 24 highway with the automatic and 17/23 with the manual transmission. The obvious purpose of all this technology is to effectively endow Cadillac's latest V-Series models with a rarely achieved true dual personality: go, stop, and corner like race cars on a track, then sooth, coddle, and entertain like luxury cars on the way to and from the track, or work. We had ample opportunity to verify both personalities with multiple hot laps of the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) Grand Prix course, followed by a more leisurely drive on public roads near Austin, TX. Even lacking wheel-to-wheel comparisons, we believe these hot new ATS-Vs are fully competitive with their pricier German competitors, and probably superior in some ways. So now, Cadillac will offer not one but two very sharp-looking, upscale, small-volume, 2016 compact coupes, almost the same size and at similar prices, but with totally different missions: this new high-performance ATS-V and the soon-to-be-upgraded ELR extended-range EV. The key question: why? Aside from its cramped back seat and ridiculous $76,000 starting price, I loved the ELR when it was introduced for 2014.

Here are a few of our automotive guilty pleasures

It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway. The world is full of cars, and just about as many of them are bad as are good. It's pretty easy to pick which fall into each category after giving them a thorough walkaround and, more important, driving them. But every once in a while, an automobile straddles the line somehow between good and bad — it may be hideously overpriced and therefore a marketplace failure, it may be stupid quick in a straight line but handles like a drunken noodle, or it may have an interior that looks like it was made of a mess of injection-molded Legos. Heck, maybe all three. Yet there's something special about some bad cars that actually makes them likable. The idea for this list came to me while I was browsing classified ads for cars within a few hundred miles of my house. I ran across a few oddballs and shared them with the rest of the team in our online chat room. It turns out several of us have a few automotive guilty pleasures that we're willing to admit to. We'll call a few of 'em out here. Feel free to share some of your own in the comments below. Dodge Neon SRT4 and Caliber SRT4: The Neon was a passably good and plucky little city car when it debuted for the 1995 model year. The Caliber, which replaced the aging Neon and sought to replace its friendly marketing campaign with something more sinister, was panned from the very outset for its cheap interior furnishings, but at least offered some decent utility with its hatchback shape. What the two little front-wheel-drive Dodge models have in common are their rip-roarin' SRT variants, each powered by turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines. Known for their propensity to light up their front tires under hard acceleration, the duo were legitimately quick and fun to drive with a fantastic turbo whoosh that called to mind the early days of turbo technology. — Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski  Chevrolet HHR SS: Chevy's HHR SS came out early in my automotive journalism career, and I have fond memories of the press launch (and having dinner with Bob Lutz) that included plenty of tire-smoking hard launches and demonstrations of the manual transmission's no-lift shift feature. The 260-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder was and still is a spunky little engine that makes the retro-inspired HHR a fun little hot rod that works quite well as a fun little daily driver.

2014 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year finalists announced [w/poll]

The 2014 North American International Auto Show is right around the corner, which means it's high time we found out which cars and trucks would be finalists for the prestigious North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year awards.
The finalists - three in cars and three in three trucks/utilities - are dominated by American brands, with two-thirds of the finalists hailing from either General Motors or Chrysler (don't worry Ford, there's always next year), while outliers from Mazda and Acura can be found in each contest. Here now is the list of finalists for the big prizes:
2014 North American Car of the Year: