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Cadillac keeps filling in the gaps in its range with the launch of the ATS Coupe. Designed to be Caddy's answer to the BMW 4 Series, this is Caddy's first go at a small coupe and the results aren't half bad.
Riding on the same chassis with the same wheelbase but wider track front and rear than the ATS saloon, the Coupe's doors, roof, rear bumpers and boot lid are all new, as are the front fascia and front bumpers. The net effect is a suitably more aggressive stance for the two-door car.
Available this summer in the US in all-wheel or rear-wheel drive formats, the new baby coupe, which also debuts the new laurel-less logo, can be had with all the best bits of the GM parts bin. There's magnetic ride control, a mechanical limited slip diff and a brace of hi-po engines.
The entry-level power pack is the 272bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit that has 14 per cent more torque (400Nm) than the engine in the saloon - an upgrade that is expected to find its way to the four-door soon. The other option is the more relaxed 3.6-litre 321bhp V6 which has max torque of 373Nm.
Gearbox options are a tap-shift six-speed automatic gearbox on both variants with a manual six-speed box option on the 2.0-litre cars.
Those number and specs stack up pretty favourably against the BMW TwinPower equivalents. The four-cylinder turbocharged 420i has a max output of 184bhp, the larger 428i makes 245bhp and the in-line six 435i tops out at 306bhp.
No sign of any diesels here - or anywhere else in the Cadillac range - and no plans to export it any further than the edges of the US. But Cadillac did admit that it is looking at other variants off the ATS platform.
An estate version a la the A4 Avant is a possibility, as is an open-topped version. So expect more news on one or both of those soon.
Written By:- Pat Devereux
More of this article on the Top gear website
