MotorWeek | Road Test: 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe 2.0 Turbo

We see if the coupe de jour, the Cadillac ATS Coupe, can man handle our favorite road course.

[@williamwhite101]

I bought a 2015 ATS 2.0T sedan and could not be happier. If you read the media reviews on this car, everyone will tell you this is one of the best driving/handling cars available, especially at the price point. It is lightweight, fast, and sticks to the road. I prefer it to the BMW 3 series coupe I owned previously. It is much lighter feeling and once you feel that turbocharger you are hooked. The only thing better than the way it accelerates is the way it stops. The brakes are ridiculous. I literally came out of my seat when I had to stomp on the brakes to avoid an accident. All I saw was white smoke in the rear view after the ABS went rapid fire. It's too bad more people don't know about this car and give it a test drive. Absolutely love this car.

[@cheerthug]

williamwhite101 I love my ATS

[@redzoom7857]

williamwhite101 Right, those Brembo brakes are insane! had to make an emergency stop and was blown away by how quickly and short it stopped with such surefoooted force.

[@josephpantelidis4626]

K. A. M I’ve put a couple thousand miles on my 2016 AWD 2.0t ats and I’ve had no problems with it, drives great and smooth and the 2.0t is nicer and faster than I thought I’d be, the only problem I could think of is the rear seat room

[@aluisious]

I love reading owner reviews when they're enthusiastic.

[@1970borntorun]

You're right on all of your points!! And beyond that, even as a former BMW owner, let's be honest, BMW hasn't built a good 3-Series worthy of their accolades over the years since the E90 era.

[@twalker7]

This car is really composed on the track. I saw minimal body roll and dive in braking. After watching some of the retro reviews, you realize how good modern cars are. It gets gas mileage like an old Prelude with twice the horsepower and has style all while carrying all the latest technology. Well done Cadillac.

[@BigXSmoke1]

Motor Week really needs to calm down their background music

[@ottodob]

I thought i was having a stroke. it was just the background "music"

[@chosenclips6799]

I need this car. Definitely the best looking in it class inside and out

[@BrentPhillips]

As great as the sedan felt when I drove it, I bet the coupe feels even better.

[@oldtwins]

Watching the old retro reviews I prefer the presentation style of back then.

[@hsnse]

Just amazing styling. Its both elegant and aggressive....Im going for it !

[@Lee-it2co]

Bought a ats coupe 2.0t back in july amazing car . Performance and luxury all in one

[@zaqwertyfish]

Looking at a couple of these now. 50k miles or so for about $15,000. A lot of car for the $$. And the style is still fresh even at almost 8 years. Perfect balance of luxury and sport.

[@SmitzT]

Really nice, fast too. Would love for it to come to the UK, would be very exclusive.

[@petert7807]

I know this is an old video. But about 1 year ago I drove a 14' 3.6l awd 6spd auto. I loved it! Had a lovely balance of performance and luxury. More then enough power, stiff frame, nice steering feel. I told myself if I ever found a manual rwd in my price range I would jump on it. Well the other day one popped up, a 13' 2.0t. I ran out and gave it a try. I was massively disappointed and let down. Owners PLEASE chime in, was it my imagination or was the manual transmission terrible, almost unpleasant at normal speeds!?! Add to that even though the 2.0T was fast and had more then enough power.... It was just not a fun motor. Sounded like a miss treated rental car at high rpms, and didn't have a solid torque kick that most turbo cars have when boost comes on. Also I TEST drive the manual much harder then the v6, and it seemed to have a bit more body roll when thrown hard into a corner? I'm so let down because on paper in my price range this is the perfect car for me. Please help.

[@ezraboren2069]

The 13' 2.0t sounds like its been beat to hell its whole life

[@petert7807]

@@ezraboren2069 idk... it had 80k the 3.6l I drove had 50k. But I ended up with a bmw 128i. But still would love to try a ATS 2.0t manual again! Not to mention a 3.6l rwd with mag-ride would be a sweet find. Not sure id sell my Beemer for one, but deffinently like to test drive again. I take it your manual ATS has good shifter feel?

[@ezraboren2069]

@PETER T Yeah thats weird. I have an auto but ive heard some great things about the manual so im not 100% sure. Also idk if the 2.0 is a good pick for you. Some people swear by it probably because its lighter but id take the v6 any day. There are 2 models of the 3.6 in the ats, i belive it was 2013-2015 they had some kinks that needed to be rolled out but the 16+ was good. I think the huge plus of the 2.0 is the aftermarket is the best in the ats lineup, you can make a good amount of power relatively easily according to what ive heard, but itll never make it anything other than a 2 liter inline 4 Also the magnaride makes a world of a difference, its not even comparable. Idk how you got a magnaride on a non V car because thats really rare, but at the time cadillacs magnaride suspension they put in the cts and ats were some of the best oem suspension on a car because they were first to the electro magnetic suspension game.

[@paulcondie2520]

I have a 2015 Cadillac ATS premium performance rwd sedan with the 3.6. I've had it for 3 years now and still am impressed every time I drive it! Still look back at it every time I park and walk away! Lol. Magna ride is impressive. I love it

[@Crusher103]

i have the 13' 2.0T with the manual. The engine is its biggest let down. The turbo is soo small and focused heavily on lag free mid range punch it runs out of steam at 5600rpm, but the car has a redline of 7000, kinda pointless. Its not due to the actual motor which is actually pretty decent, head flows well, bottom end while a bit weak is adequate, personally i went the aftermarket route with a larger turbo so it would breath a little better up top but still out of juice at 6100rpm, Also i added a Lightweight flywheel&clutch, it actually likes to rev lol. However, you buy this car for the chassis, it is soo effortless, if they can get the engine right it would be a true gem of a car. I stumbled upon this car looking for a DD cruiser for my parents, mind you I had a G37 coupe in 6MT. I ended up liking it so much I bought it, figured the aftermarket could solve the engine issues.

[@jkeelsnc]

Nice car. Maybe nicest GM car made in many years. Too bad hardly anyone will buy them despite that they are some of the best cars in their segment now.

[@Fabian7024]

Love this car!

[@JoseShajiOfficial]

this car is awesome

[@05gtdriver]

Hmmm... next gen Camaro in a tuxedo.....

[@Sjrick]

ive seen a 2015 ATS for $18,000 locally.

[@KLartrandM]

I think when its all said and done this is going to be one slept on classic. Like the 2017 chevy ss. I could be wrong but i think the value is going increase down the line.

[@ferney729]

I hope I can get this Cadillac Coupe 2.0T

[@cheerthug]

They need to make an ATS hardtop convertible so it can compete with 3series and C class in all forms

[@j7...]

it does not need to compete. did you drive them all? ATS is the new standard :D

[@cheerthug]

juicy7 I have an ATS and I would love a convertible and a ATS convertible would be perfect if they made one. So I'm am considering a 4 series convertible just because ATS doesn't come in one

[@j7...]

i have an ATS as well and i'm happy with it as it is. If you'd love a convertible, why did you buy the ATS in the first place?

[@cheerthug]

juicy7 because I like the ATS. So why do you care?

[@j7...]

because it sounds like you'd prefer a convertible over anything reasonable :D

[@normt5463]

No lift-shift?

[@sandmancat294]

What tires are on these cars!?

[@TheSuperMotoHooligan]

Coupe em if you got em...

[@sirloin4372]

Why didn’t you brake boost for 0-60 run?

[@justmy2cents_]

Anyone out there with a non bias, unfiltered truth on this particular car. I am in the process of buying another vehicle a used model for running around town & occasionally a trip or two out of town 4-8 hr usually. Saw a 2013 ATS 2.0T in my area for sale & he's asking $5999 w/ 175,000 on the ticker,looks great inside & out have not test driven it yet hopefully in a couple of days. Is this a good buy ? How's the reliability? is the turbo's up to the task routinely? Things to look out for. Thanks in advance!

[@bbc_junior4863]

Surprised at its speed for being a 2.0 4 cylinder. 100mph in the quarter mile.

[@sirloin4372]

They didn’t brake boost for launch so it should and would be quicker. 0-60 is mid 5 and quarter is in 13’s. But it’s a very tunable chassis and lots of aftermarket support. You can easily get the car into the low 4 sec 0-60 and 12’s quarter for not a lot of money.

[@eltingville81]

This car doesn’t feel like it has 295 lb torque. It feels much less. I just test drove this exact car.

[@seudechrist]

Was it awd?

[@HyperRidemx]

I would have called this car Eldorado! the alphabet soup works for the Germans, but is very un-american!

[@adogg619]

HyperRide - Yes! I prefer a real name as well.

[@steveespinola7652]

Me too, ELDORADO would've been a much better name for this Caddy.

[@Pro_photo1]

No v8?

[@peter455sd]

Cadillac-less is less

[@GodlessMartyr666]

it definitely feels like a big pile of America.. still looks iight and does drive better than all the other Western turds though

[@vix121]

Not what I would call a subjective review, more like paid advertisement for Cadillac. Nice car tho, maybe a little understated?

[@johnls39]

You would say the same thing about BMW back in the day when they dominated performance. Did you not see how exceptional the ATS 2.0 handled around the track?

[@vix121]

johnls39 don't get get me wrong, its a very good car. Its the review I'm not crazy about

[@redriver15262]

Did he say Bimer? 🙄🙄🙄🙄

[@MTechn1k]

Yes, 'beamer' is what BMW bikes are called. 'Bimmer' is the name for the cars.

[@hyperlogos]

Awesome, it has the same suspension technology that Nissan was using in 1989.

[@RetroGamerr1991]

And this is a bad thing? When adjusted for inflation the MSRP of a Manual 2.0T RWD ATS is almost identical to a 240SX SE. Both are immensely fun to drive.

[@hyperlogos]

Just a funny thing.

[@TheMasterOfMovie]

It also has as many wheels as an 1886 Daimler.

[@RetroGamerr1991]

***** Had nothing but trouble with the EJ25 in my Legacy back in the day. Anyway I work for a Cadillac dealership and I've yet to see any problems with these engines and I get a lot of ATS's with way more than 60k on the clock. The 3.6 V6 on the other hand has nothing but timing chain and oil consumption issues.

[@0utc4st1985]

***** GM's 3800 turbos were pretty good. But if you want a reliable engine Subaru is definitely NOT the way to go, they have major problems with blowing head gaskets and various other problems.

[@bradh6185]

What a shame it is that GM can't get their tech system right. I would go get an ATS today if it weren't for that. So unfortunate.

[@GodlessMartyr666]

CUE isn't amazing but updates have smoothed it over the last couple years.. just need the spider webbing screen fix from a dealership for most of them.. hopefully under warranty.. I realize your comment is 3 years old but then again these cars are an even better deal now if you don't end up with a lemon. Most of the (originally) more expensive foreign rivals can be had for similar money too..

[@paulcondie2520]

I just got a used 2015 ats 3.6 premium performance in April of 2019, with 30,000 miles. Cadillac certified the dealer installed an upgraded version of the cue. No issues here! Doesn't lag like people say! Very underrated car! I payed $23,000 with 30,000 miles! Sticker was $52,000 new! Best driving car ever!!!!!!#!!

[@peter455sd]

A tiny 4 banger economy car trying to be sold as a Cadillac