Seat Time is a chance for us to share our impressions of vehicles being tested in the Autoline Garage and at media previews from around the globe.
Reviewer: Ben Sanders
Manufacturer: General Motors
Make: Cadillac
Model: ATS Coupe
Type: Coupe
Competitors: BMW 428i Coupe, Audi A5, Mercedes-Benz C250 Coupe
Price: Base: $44,935. As Tested: $50,100.
Made in: Lansing, Michigan
Drivetrain: 2.0L Turbocharged 4-Cyl.; 6-Speed Automatic; 272 Horsepower; 295 lb.-ft. Torque
EPA Ratings: 21 MPG City, 30 MPG Highway, 24 MPG Combined. 24.5 MPG Observed.
Final Impression:
If there was one phrase that kept dancing through my head as I drove GM’s latest coupe it was, “Junior’s First Cadillac.” Of course, at a price tag of $50K that would be Junior Executive, thank you very much, nevertheless this is a not-quite-grown-up car. The rear-wheel drive ATS Coupe equipped with the 2.0L four banger is pleasantly petite and just enough fun without getting you into too much trouble, but it’s unmistakeably a luxury vehicle.
The first thing you notice about the ATS is its more humble stance. As a notchier notchback it forgoes the fastback profile of its bigger (and longer in tooth) brother, the CTS Coupe. Happily, the Kardashian-sized bedonkedonk is out too, and we’re left with contours more akin to an Audi A5. But it doesn’t stop there.
See, 18-inch wheels are the only size available on the ATS Coupe; those are hardly tiny rims and yet roomy cat throws (designers’ cheeky term for the gaps around the wheel) make them look, well, modest by Cadillac standards. If the CTS aspires to supermodel styling, then the ATS is elegantly subdued.
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