First Drive: 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe

The bulk of ATSs will be sold as automatics, naturally, and the six-speed auto is actually pretty good. As the paddle-shifters are metal, they feel great under your fingertips, and the added grunt of this year’s two-litre should help with responsiveness. The 3.6L engine that’s currently the top of the range makes 321 hp at 6,800 rpm on regular gas, but can’t match the 2.0L for low-end grunt. However, it does sound even better when you wind it right out, and is just a tenth faster to 100 km/h than the turbo.

Consider the V6 all-wheel-drive version of the coupe to be the highway cruiser’s choice, and option it right up to take advantage of GM’s magnetic ride suspension. An instantly adjustable system that’s capable of tweaking damping rates constantly, it does a very good job smoothing out some of the rougher portions of the country roads we drove on. I’d maintain that the standard steel-spring sport suspension is more than good enough for the enthusiast driver, and that the basic 2.0L ATS is the most fun. However, if you want to dial back in a little more smoothness, the V6 and all-wheel-drive combination gives you that angular, wide-body look, but with very composed road manners.

Two driver-assist packages exist, one with Cadillac’s joy-buzzer safety seat, lane departure and collision warnings, and a new active lane-keeping system. This latter will actually direct you back into your lane, but it’s not like the car drives itself – leave it alone and you’ll ping-pong from left to right in your lane until the OPP pulls you over and administers a breathalyzer.

2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe. Click image to enlarge

The second system includes blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and automatic braking. Either package is available on the higher two ATS packages.

It’s curious, in its most basic form, the ATS has almost nothing in common with the pillowy personal luxury coupes of the past. To paraphrase Al Pacino’s character from Donnie Brasco, “it’s got more power, it’s got more acceleration, it’s got better handling, it’s got more power… I already said that?”

It’s a new type of Cadillac, really, and despite a few tweaks yet to be made to the infotainment, the upcoming ATS-V to be revealed at next month’s Los Angeles Auto Show has the potential to be one of the most desirable machines of 2015, and an absolute barn burner.

So don’t bother leaving a wreath for Cadillac any time soon. If they can figure out how to build more of this panache into their volume-selling crossover and continue to hone their CUE system, they’ll be just fine. Their lineup hasn’t quite been the standard of the world for some time, but this latest version of the ATS continues to prove they’re raising their standards. Now, just make sure that upcoming CT6 halo sedan shines the same beacon from the top of the line.

Pricing: 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe
Base Price (Turbo-4, RWD): $41,240
Base Price (V6, RWD): $43,440
Base Price (Turbo-4, AWD): $43,440
Base Price (V6, AWD): $45,640

Competitors:
Audi A5
BMW 4 Series
Infiniti Q60
Mercedes C-Class coupe