2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe - at Floor Show

More powerful. Better-looking. Another win for Caddy.


Naturally, the two-door shares a number of styling cues with its four-door sibling, but overall, it's a slicker, better-looking car. Which is saying something, as we like the ATS Sedan a lot.

Performance-wise, the sedan's powertrain options carry over to the coupe. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo sees its torque figure bumped to 295 lb-ft, but power stays the same at 272 hp. There is also the option of the 321-hp, 276-lb-ft 3.6-liter V6. All-wheel drive is available with either engine, and as with the sedan, the 2.0 Turbo model can be ordered with a six-speed manual. Cadillac's excellent Magnetic Ride Control suspension appears in the coupe, too.



Inside, you're still saddled with the CUE infotainment system, now featuring an in-car Wi-Fi hotspot. A text-to-voice system adds the ability to have the car read your incoming texts aloud through the speakers. Also piped through the speakers? Engine noise. That's a coupe-exclusive option that we could maybe live without.

David Leone, Cadillac’s Executive Chief Engineer, didn’t like it when I suggested that electric power steering compromises driver engagement.

“Our EPS works wonderfully,” he said.

Cadillac’s rack-mounted, belt-driven assist motor interacts between the steering rack and the road, not the steering wheel and the rack. Mr. Leone insists that this setup maintains more feel and simultaneously minimizes adverse feedback. In other words: Don’t knock it till you try it. Fair enough.

The system certainly does an admirable job in the ATS Sedan, and the coupe sits an inch lower than the four-door. It also includes one-inch wider front and two-inch wider rear track widths. That, coupled with a longer rear overhang, gives the coupe more visual presence. The base engine is the sedan’s mid-level 2-liter turbo inline-four. For 2015, it comes with a fatter torque curve and higher peak, now 295 lb-ft. This update may win us over, as the original engine felt peaky and underwhelmed our picky right feet. Of course, as long as you’re willing to stick with a two-pedal setup, the 321-hp 3.6-liter V6 carries over.

Cadillac intends the ATS Coupe to spar with Audi’s A5 and their perennial nemesis, BMW, by challenging the 4 Series. It should also tango with the Lexus RC350 once that car rolls into town. The ATS plans to jab with lighter mass and more hard-edged styling, then TKO its opponents by way of sharper driving dynamics. That may work, but competitors tend to challenge with competitive moves and superior refinement. Cadillac addresses this with new apps, 4G connectivity, and other features, but mainly, the coupe doubles down on handling.

Leone repeated three words multiple times during our talk about the ATS Coupe: nimble, agile, and powerful.

With the way the sedan briskly darts from one apex to the next, we believe it.