First Drive: 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe

A work-in-progress four-door makes for a great two-door.

By David Gluckman August 5, 2014 / Photos by GM

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When the ATS sedan arrived for 2013, there was a lot to like about it—great handling in a right-sized package that was serious competition for the BMW 3 Series. A few areas, notably the powertrain, needed some work, though. The new ATS coupe debuts a stronger car than the sedan, having benefited from two years working out the four-door’s kinks.
Some slight differences between coupe and sedan are worth noting. The coupe is wider, with wider front and rear tracks, and wears staggered-width 18-inch wheels on all trim levels. It’s also shorter in height and a little longer overall. The basic look is the same, but only the hood is shared between the two body styles. It also borrows sleeker mirror caps from the CTS, uses frameless doors, and gets an integrated third brake light instead of the CHMSL-as-spoiler that dominates the rear of the four-door. The coupe is handsome, and not nearly as polarizing as the old CTS coupe it effectively replaces.
GMRELATED: 2016 Cadillac ATS-V Coupe drops body cladding for 'Ring run
Both the base (FE2) and Magnetic Ride Control (FE3) suspension setups are tuned to be slightly stiffer than their sedan counterparts. This is a plus on smooth roads, capitalizing on the best part of the ATS—its super-solid chassis. If things are lumpy where you live, you might want to go with the softer (but not soft) sedan or stick with Tour mode on the optional magnetorheoligical shocks.
The shorter coupe has its center of mass located about three-quarters of an inch lower than the sedan’s. That, in combination with the retuned suspension and wider track, means the coupe really does handle better. It should also be noted that the coupe and sedan weigh just about the same when identically equipped, so there’s no weight penalty for choosing the inch-longer car.
Then there are the improvements that apply to both body styles. For 2015, the ATS gets a massaged version of the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder—it’s standard in the coupe and an option above the base 2.5-liter four in the sedan. Torque has been increased from 260 to 295 lb-ft, which is more than the extra-cost 3.6-liter V6 offers. Improved engine programming smooths out what was a gravelly engine. You feel—or rather, don’t feel—the reduced vibration and smoother onset of boost, both gripes with the older ATS sedan.
GMRELATED: 2016 Cadillac ATS-V Sedan hits the Nurburgring
When the ATS sedan originally launched, the optional manual shifter in the 2.0T was a rubbery mess. To address that, the engineers went beyond shift bushings and went down into the transmission: new synchronizers, a different bevel to the gears, asymmetric clutch dog ears, a dual-mass flywheel, and smoothed gate pockets. Now it slots into gear without argument and with positive engagement. And the clutch pedal has a new spring as well as a clutch-delay valve to smooth out shifts. Because of the improvements to the manual and 2.0-liter, that’s now the combination to have, whereas before we favored the auto-only 3.6 V6.
Not that it was bad before, but the ATS’s ZF electric-assist steering unit has been reprogrammed to fine tune low- and high-speed assist. We didn’t have a 2014 model to drive it against, but we can at least say that the changes don’t mess anything up.
GMOn the subject of messed-up things, there are still a couple of areas that could use some work. If you go for anything but the base car (Cadillac calls it the Standard Collection), your ATS comes saddled with the Cadillac User Experience infotainment system. The user experience is, as it was on the 2013 ATS sedan, clunky, unintuitive, and slow. You can get used to its idiosyncrasies after a while, but you shouldn’t have to on a $40,000 luxury car. Hopefully the next generation of this system fixes the weirdness, or better yet starts from scratch.
The other carry-over problem is an engine lineup that isn’t smooth enough. Yes, the 2.0T has been improved, putting it on par with the 3.6 V6. But neither is the image of powertrain silkiness. Compared to BMW’s turbo four and turbo six, they’re lacking. But then the ATS still has the superior structure and is more fun to toss around than a 3- or 4-Series, so a tough choice gets tougher.
GMThe choice between coupe and sedan really comes down to style preference and options; the coupe costs about three grand more than a comparable four-door, but includes a little more standard equipment, like a rearview camera. And the way it’s styled, you need that camera. So while it hasn’t been perfected, it’s safe to say the whole ATS lineup is now stronger. A couple more years, and hopefully we’ll get powertrain improvements. That, or the upcoming ATS-V’s twin-turbo V-6 will make us forget the standard engines ever existed.
RELATED: 2015 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe gets the final edition treatment

 

 

2015 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe gets the final edition treatment

Even legends have to retire.

By Alex Kierstein May 12, 2014 / Photos by Cadillac

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The bell is tolling for the CTS-V Coupe. Currently soldiering along next to the third-generation sedan, the coupe is being taken out behind the woodshed in the classic automaker way: with a limited-edition final model.
500 Special Edition models will be built, all with the requisite 556-hp 6.2-liter V8 topped with an Eaton blower, Magnetic Ride Control, and Brembo brakes. Cliffs Notes version: It's mechanically unchanged. Aesthetic changes, though, abound: A somber, dark interior gets some menacing red contrast stitching, the grille is blacked out, and red brake calipers poke out behind graphite-painted wheels—standard limited-edition fare.
CadillacTake note: The six-speed Tremec box is still an option, and one that's highly recommended for maximum enjoyment.
Of course, it's hard to fully appreciate the outgoing model when anticipation for the third act in the CTS-V saga is building. The CTS Vsport's twin-turbo V6 is stellar, and it's got four doors. If you have to scratch the coupe itch (and the massive supercharged power itch) right now, the old car's the only salve—and it's no slouch.
READ: 2014 Cadillac CTS Vsport gets a second-chance review

 

Thanks for posting Mike. The Caddy's are nice. But I'm just not a fan of their current styling. Too many straight lines going at weird angles. The Caddy's are not my style. But then again, Caddy is aimed at a higher class of buyer than me. I'm just a blue collar working man. lol

 

Looks very similar to the cts coupe, the electric ELR that one I love and wish I could afford it.

 

I'll keep our 2011 ctsv coupe and turbo monte. Dream come true right here