Cadillac’s lightweight ATS Coupe is a winter-ready driver’s car
Cadillac recently launched a two-door version of their award-winning ATS Sedan, bringing the sleek ATS Coupe variant to market with unique body panels, a revised stance, exclusive wheels, lowered ride height, and a wider track. Far from a sedan with two doors removed, this latest ATS variant effectively tweaks up an already fantastic driver’s car with added stability and plantedness.
Standard with a 2-litre turbo four-cylinder engine packing 272 horsepower and a just-launched torque boost to 295 lb.-ft, ATS Coupe is standard at $42,240 with rear-wheel drive and a six-speed manual: a tantalizing setup that isn’t prohibitively expensive, offers a robust and manly clutch and shifter setup that doesn’t feel like it’s made of boiled lettuce, and puts drivers at the helm of a proper and classy gentleman’s sports coupe.
If you’re a cold-blooded Northerner, you might opt for the available ATS4 Coupe, with the ‘4’ referencing the add-in All Wheel Drive (AWD) system. You’ll lose thes stick, since AWD models only come automatic, but extra traction, confidence and all-surface stability are the key benefits.
With power from the 2-litre turbo engine and the AWD system on board, pricing starts at $43,440. There’s a 321-horsepower V6 available if you need more jam, which you don’t.
The turbo four is the engine to have. It won’t satisfy fans of an aggressive exhaust note, though it is smooth as glass, absolutely brimming with on-demand torque, and makes a tastefully restrained growl when opened up.
There’s virtually no performance penalty over the V6, which is noisier, and importantly, the 2.0T makes more torque, and is smaller and lighter and puts less weight over the front wheels for even more immediacy and eagerness to the steering and handling and other lightweight factors of friskiness.
Handling prowess aside, the ATS4 Coupe impresses in several areas when the going gets slippery.
First, the calibration and networking of the tester’s AWD and stability control systems impresses. Even on a backroad lined with ice stripes, the tester’s rear followed the front obediently and truly, with minimal fuss and squirming from the AWD system beneath, or the stability control system which can numb the throttle pedal and apply single-wheel braking. The traction enhancing systems here feel, very much, like they’re working with the driver, rather than against them. Even driving on very challenging low-traction surfaces, the action of both systems is rarely felt as more than a little squirm or squiggle from under the car.
Braking is much the same: even on split-traction surfaces, or diagonally across alternating stripes of pavement and ice, ATS stays straight, true and stable. The action of the ABS system is relatively quiet, smooth, consistent and drama-free, too. Note that the tester wore a set of Hancook iPike winter tires, giving the AWD and stability control and braking systems more traction to work with.
All said, when the going gets challenging, drivers can expect to feel well backed up and fully supported in safe, careful and confidence-inspiring driving, thanks to the expert and effective calibration of the ATS4 Coupe’s traction-enhancing systems.
Even from a dead stop on a very steep and icy hill, the tester’s AWD system did the uncommon: after a moment of slipping, a single front tire found a touch of traction, used it, and pulled the car over the hill. Almost nothing I ever drive up this traction-test hill ever pulls that off. So, The AWD system knows what it’s doing—and though it can feel a little abrupt when pushed to work hard in tests like the above, its effectiveness is remarkable.
Highway cruising in the snow? Though the ATS4 Coupe feels light as a whole, the heavyset steering makes it easy to dial in gentle inputs and lock the car into its lane when driving very carefully is the order of the day. Powerful xenon lights and remote start help further winter driving comfort and confidence, too.
Confidence-inspiring wintertime traction aside, numerous other reasons make the ATS4 Coupe worth a test-drive. Cadillac’s signature Magnetic Ride Control suspension system, which actively alters shock absorber damping qualities with millisecond precision, turns in as fantastic a balance of handling ability and ride quality as I’ve ever seen. The slim weight and a new premium steering system feel meant for one another, and the ATS Coupe offers a compelling blend of the lowest starting price and highest standard power output amongst its competitors from BMW, Audi and Mercedes.
Complaints? The instrument cluster looks oddly old-school and low-budget compared to the rest of the ultra-modern cabin, and the ridiculously-sensitive occupant sensor in the front passenger seat sounds the ‘BUCKLE UP’ alarm if you put anything, even your cell phone, on the front passenger seat.
Ultimately, those after a well-priced driver’s luxury coupe with an absolutely bang-on blend of ride quality and handling, as well as winter driving confidence and highly-effective traction and stability systems, will find the ATS4 Coupe 2.0T hits the mark.