2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe: The Second Front

The 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe lacks the visual flair of other recent Cadillac two-doors but the most appealing aspects of the ATS sedan have been retained.

After having driven the 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe under a canopy of fall foliage along the shores of Lake Ontario, it's fair to say that the new model is at least as good as its four-door line-up mate.

As with every other two-door luxury car currently in its class, the 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe asks you to pay a price premium for the privilege of amplifying style and reducing practicality.

This is a fun to drive sporty coupe that provides solid cornering and braking capabilities.

The extended leather in my test vehicle was a nice touch.

It's nice to see this formula presented in a less-diluted manner than what is on offer from the latest generation of German-sourced premium cruisers.

It tones down the Art and Science angles that dominated the previous-generation CTS Coupe.

The ATS Coupe evolves the attractive, yet more conservative shape of the ATS sedan.

I was able to slide the seats back in the ATS Coupe until I couldn't even touch the firewall with my feet.

The added soft materials on the dash and door panels elevated the interior to a sufficiently luxurious level.

There's also a wider track for the ATS Coupe that helps to beef up its first impression.

While you can also order track-ready pads and additional engine and oil cooling for the ATS Coupe, it would be a bit of a stretch to repurpose the two-door as a weekend toy.

Rear seat riders must endure fairly tight confines.

You're not paying less to get less with the Cadillac - you're simply benefiting from pricing that's intended to lure in first-time buyers.

Cadillac claims that the turbocharged ATS Coupe will leap to 100 km/h a little bit quicker than the BMW 4 Series equipped with a similarly-sized mill.

When one door closes another one opens - at least that's how things seem to be shaking out at Cadillac.

I prefer the available 3.6-litre V6 that can be ordered with the ATS Coupe.

The ATS Coupe comes with the occasionally-frustrating, but still-useful CUE touchscreen and capacitive touch panel interface.

For those concerned with heritage and history, the new vehicle also marks the first model to appear in the modern era without the wreath surrounding the Cadillac badge.