2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe: No Surprises
Fewer doors, quicker acceleration, and no more wreaths.
January 2014
BY JEFF SABATINI
MULTIPLE PHOTOGRAPHERS
Six years ago, Cadillac surprised the Detroit auto show crowd with an audacious “concept” for a two-door CTS that even the most dim-witted at the old, pre-bankruptcy GM must have thought was a good idea for production. When the first CTS coupe finally emerged, it stood as a testament to the “new GM,” which would produce stunningly designed cars people actually wanted to buy.
Indeed, the coupe consistently accounted for more than a quarter of CTS traffic while also blessing Cadillac showrooms with its good looks. Yet we’re told that there is no plan to update this crown jewel for the third-generation CTS, which will make do with just a sedan body style. Instead, Cadillac will push the compact ATS coupe, which arrives at this year’s Detroit show with some fanfare, although the sort usually accorded a Member of Parliament rather than the Queen.
Sharing much (perhaps too much) with the sedan, the 2015 ATS coupe’s clarion call to enthusiasts comes from its 2.0-liter, turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder. GM has plumped up the torque curve such that all 295 lb-ft are available from 3000 rpm. That’s a 13-percent boost compared to the sedan, which should help offset the 45 extra pounds the (claimed) 3418-pound coupe is carrying around. Cadillac quotes a 5.6-second 0-to-60-mph time from the revised engine mated to a six-speed automatic, which matches our best run in the V-6–powered ATS sedan.
While the coupe will also be available with that 321-hp, 3.6-liter V-6, the big engine is automatic-only, just as in the sedan, so the turbo four is the only way to get the six-speed manual. All-wheel drive will be available, but the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four that GM has been sticking under most every hood in its passenger-car lineup, including the ATS sedan, thankfully does not find its way under this one.
That hood is one of the few pieces of sheetmetal not unique to the two-door ATS, which has its own front fascia, roof, doors, fenders, and trunk. If only they looked more exciting on the car than they do in that sentence. The Cadillac design team played it safe in lopping off the ATS’s rear doors; the most shocking thing about the car is Cadillac’s new crest, without its traditional wreath. (And we’ve been exposed to that treatment since the brand debuted the Elmiraj concept in the summer.) While the coupe still retains the clean and attractive lines of the sedan, its bustle butt and twin exhaust pipes are nowhere near as dramatic as the CTS coupe’s behind.
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The ATS coupe does boast a wider front and rear track than the sedan, which combined with its available FE3 sport suspension with magnetic ride control and a mechanical limited-slip differential, has us delighted to get behind the wheel. Weight distribution shifts rearward by one percent, to 51/49. Combine these factors, and it’s reasonable to expect the coupe to improve on the sedan’s already stellar handling.
So good on Cadillac for doubling down on what the ATS does best, while also upgrading the CUE infotainment system with features like text-to-voice and 4G LTE wireless hotspot functionality. The coupe also deploys the car’s audio system to amplify the sound of the engine, although Cadillac points out that only the “authentic” sounds will be enhanced. If it takes features like these to sell a few more ATS coupes, and thus bolster the market for these sporty variants, so be it. We’re certainly in favor of smoothing out the few uneven edges of the ATS sedan, although we might have stopped short of clipping Cadillac’s topiary.
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