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This automobile ought to wear laurels.
If an automaker’s accomplishment actually had been just about the cars, as the industry shibboleth has it, Cadillac would be riding high. Take the object of this test, the new-for-2015 ATS coupe. It proved itself a worthy entry-luxury sports coupe by just about every measure imaginable, and it is 1 of the most modest Cadillacs you can get, packing a 2.-liter turbo 4 with a 6-speed manual gearbox in a compact 2-door. Delightful to drive, properly appointed, and correctly built, it joins the CTS sedan (one particular of our 10Best Cars winners) as a globe-class contender.
And but, headline after headline is about how Cadillac is “struggling,” its sales volumes down, its leaders stirring new controversies with every pronouncement about how they’re going to “fix” things by moving the marketing group to New York, stripping the wreath from the crest on the badge, changing the naming scheme, pursuing an ambitious greater-price approach, and investing heavily to expand the range of goods. If the secret sauce is great automobiles, then what’s all that fuss about?
About the Vehicle
On the proof of the ATS, Cadillac is producing genuinely great automobiles. Some fantastic ones, even. Aside from its drivetrain, this example was no stripper: It arrived at the test track wearing the variety-topping Premium trim, which lifts the MSRP from the base $ 38,990 to $ 48,090. Aside from the usual abundance of creature comforts and showy technologies that come with such a designation and yet another 91 Benjamins, the Premium trim brings GM’s Magnetic Ride Manage variable suspension and a restricted-slip differential, both helpful contributors to the ATS’s superb handling and more than-the-road functionality.
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At the track, the turbo-4/manual combo delivered a -to-60-mph run of 5.7 seconds, just .3 longer than accomplished by the previously tested V-6/automatic ATS coupe, and finished the quarter-mile sprint in 14.1 seconds although performing 101 mph. Great numbers. It surrenders a half-second to 60 mph but finishes the quarter-mile in a dead heat with the BMW 428i that is the most direct competitor. And this ATS handily beat Munich’s base coupe in deceleration and roadholding by braking from 70 mph in only 156 feet and clawing the skidpad at .92 g.
When we pitted the 2.-liter/manual-gearbox Cadillac and BMW sedans against a single an additional in a comparison test, the BMW won but the Detroit entry’s engine has because been recalibrated and delivers a lot a lot more torque earlier in the rev band. It nevertheless can not match the simple-spinning eager character of the BMW’s mill, but it lands a stronger punch. This coupe was but 2 pounds heavier than the sedan with the same drivetrain in that comparo and 86 pounds lighter than the V-6 ATS coupe. It all appears to have come off the front axle, as the balance shifts rearward from 52./48. percent with the 6 to 50.7/49.3 in this auto.
And the coupe expands on the “fun to drive” components we located most appealing in the sedan. It has a sweetly balanced, light and lively character with crisp turn-in response, a precise shifter that’s exciting to use, brakes that are not only strong but reassuringly effortless to modulate, and a controlled ride cost-free of the excesses of roll, pitch, or head-toss.
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No automobile is ideal, of course, and this a single may well have drawn a lot more attention if the 2-door looked a tiny much less like the sedan, bolder and more daring. No 1 looks at a 4-series or an Audi A5 and says, “That looks just like the sedan without the rear doors.” Some say that about the ATS coupe, noting that the prior-generation CTS coupe was far much more distinctive. It was also tougher to see out of and the expressive style didn’t result in several sales, so this a lot more conservative strategy with the ATS is understandable. It might appear much better without having a B-pillar, but so may the 4-series and the Lexus RC, and these, too, had to yield to the require for structural rigidity and side-impact security.
Aspirations and Costs
There was only one particular extracost option on this example (the manual is a no-price option more than the standard 6-speed automatic): $ 1295 for the upgraded Kona brown leather with jet-black accents that dressed up the cabin. We liked it, but the normal cabin trimmings already meet higher standards for materials and fit. The bottom line falling just shy of $ 50K reflects Cadillac’s conviction that premium-grade automobiles must wear premium-grade stickers. Some of us have opined that this strategy is a tad ambitious—or just plain as well much. In this case, we spec’d out a 428i with equivalent gear and rang up a $ 55,000 tab. No further comment.
Cadillac currently builds cars as good as (or far better than) those from German and Japanese luxury marques. Yes, it could stand for that accolade to spread across a wider range of its goods, especially in the crossover segment, but the past couple of years suggest that future models in the pipeline need to do fine. And however, there’s all that ill news in the wind. Accomplishment should not be only about the vehicles. If Cadillac has to pay a lot more interest to dealers and marketing and brand-creating, okay, so lengthy as it keeps building cars like this ATS. Due to the fact generating wonderful vehicles is where it begins, and Cadillac has a powerful running start.
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2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe two.0T Manual Tested: This Vehicle Actually Ought to Put on Laurels
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