Cadillac ATS-V
The Cadillac ATS-V is fading off into the sunset, and there were no shortage of headwinds that have plagued the car since it launched. Namely, the lack of brand cachet, living with the oldest CUE layout of them all, and twin-turbo LF4 V6 engine that seemed like a questionable choice for a company with plenty of performance V8 engines on the shelf. However, the moment one drives a Cadillac ATS-V, especially with a six-speed manual transmission, its performance is undeniable, and it’s quickly realized why the ATS-V is not only a cool and unique choice, but a future classic, as well. So it makes our 10 coolest GM cars list.
Cadillac CTS-V
A 640 horsepower velvet-wrapped sledgehammer with a polished steel finish. The Cadillac CTS-V looks and drives equal parts mean and nasty. A burbling supercharged 6.2L LT4 V8 engine that is full of bad intentions. Yet it has our practical doors, and a profile that could otherwise be overlooked by the masses, amplifying its F-22 stealth fighter design. The CTS-V might be the coolest, most confident Cadillac of them all.
Cadillac CT6 Platinum
A full-sized Cadillac sedan will always be cool. The Cadillac CT6 Platinum is especially so because of its unique powertrains and cutting edge technology elements. Super Cruise will continue to be a party trick for quite some time, and remains exclusive to the CT6 for now. On the performance side, the 2019 Cadillac CT6-V delivers 550 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque from an all new 4.2L DOHC Blackwing V8 engine, along with evermore sinister looks. And just like other icons of cool, the CT6 will be taken from us far too soon.
Cadillac Escalade
The Cadillac Escalade is arguably the brand’s flagship. Big, bold, and plenty beautiful. Its presence is always felt. A new Escalade based off the GM T1 platform is expected soon, and is expected add more refinement, power, and compounded levels of cool.
Chevrolet Corvette
Very uncool people may drive Corvettes, and do uncool things with Corvettes. But that’s what happens when something is so popular – the fanbase broadens into multiple demographics. And the Corvette is the best selling sports car in America. That doesn’t take away from all of the things the Corvette family can do, and why it makes our 10 coolest GM cars list. It’s also one of the more practical sports cars on the market, with ample storage space found in coupe body styles, the introduction of performance data recorder to aid in becoming a better performance driver, the introduction of valet mode to keep the sketchy kid with the keys from getting too carried away, and a track-backed mechanical warranty.
Chevrolet Colorado ZR2
Chevy’s medium-sized go-anywhere, do anything truck is perhaps the best interpretation of the youthful vagabond spirit that’s been blooming in our society these days. It has damper technology rooted in Formula 1 racing, adapted for extreme off-road conditions. It comes in diesel flavor. And the ZR2 Bison collaboration between Chevrolet and AEV is a pioneer project for the auto industry. It might be the coolest truck out there.
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro has transformed from a one-trick pony car into a world-beating sports car with an American spirit since its reintroduction nearly a decade ago. It’s built in Michigan, on the same line as some Cadillac cars. And there’s a variant for nearly every garage. Whether it’s for track time attacks, drag racing, grand touring, or top-down cruising, the cool Camaro can do it all.
Chevrolet Volt
A more pragmatic choice for the electric car curious compared to battery-only offerings. Charge it up. Fill it with gasoline. Utilize the hatchback at Ikea. Autocross it. Commute with it. Road trip with it. Sleep in it. The Volt makes our 10 coolest GM cars list because it’s arguably the best passenger car from Chevrolet, and the take-home choice for multiple GMAuthority writers.
Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback Diesel
The Chevrolet Cruze sedan makes for an anonymous appliance. A Cruze hatch makes for an even more practical appliance. But a Chevrolet Cruze Diesel Hatchback with a six-speed manual transmission makes for a long-range fuel sipper that can haul plenty, and the powertrain combination gives friends just enough of a clue that you did plenty of automotive research before landing on this unicorn of a car.
Buick Regal
Buick’s cool midsize car is ironically not much of a Buick at all, but rather a rebadged Opel product imported from Germany. Yet because it’s an Opel, the Buick Regal offers buyers a combination of styles. The one that we love the most is the Buick Regal TourX. The liftback design of the Regal is already plenty useful, but the wagon profile of the TourX yields a cavernous 73.5 cubic feet of storage space. Why would anybody get a lame crossover SUV with an option like this? The Regal TourX makes our 10 coolest GM cars list because of that.
Comments
Good choices mostly. But I would replace one of the fugly red cars, with a black Malibu Premier. I like the way it looks. And with the 122 CID LTG engine. With the optional 19 inch tires, it well embarrass a lot of muscle cars from the 60s.
All good choices; and thanks for including the Regal TourX; now, if I just had the funds…..,
“The Volt makes our 10 coolest GM cars list because it’s arguably the best passenger car from Chevrolet, and the take-home choice for multiple GMAuthority writers.”
Which of course makes it the perfect car to hit the chopping block!.. Glad we have ours.
Well, NO.
Count me unimpressed until I see a modern El Camino or Chevelle.
And monte Carlo.
It is a shame cool with the public is not the same as this list.
Today it is more about what the general public wants and it is not wagons, diesels, hatches to ICE/Hybrid cars.
Even as it pains me to say as a former owner the El Camino, Monte Carlo and Chevelles are DOA with today’s market unless they were low volume and priced high enough to make them profitable for the few of us still interested.
The auto enthusiast is a minority and the group is growing smaller every day. Even those of us left do not buy what we cry for. Anyone here own at least one of these cars? We had so many say give me a Diesel Cruze Hatch but anyone own one? The Buick wagon?
Nobody told the people that keep buying Dodge Challengers.
They are only selling 60k units on a very old paid off chassis.
This is why you are not getting a new platform with less weight and better handling.
Enjoy it while it last as it is not a formula for the future. Jeep got all their investment.
I just pray the Mustang and Camaro can grow global sales to keep them viable.
All the muscle cars used to be based on or shared a platform with standard models that sold hundred of thousands of units.
Like the Camaro and Mustang sharing the platform with many other models yet still selling in six figures.
Today the numbers are below 100k and they all will have to find new ways to pay for the ever expanding development cost.
Ford is even moving to move the Mustang to a platform that supports a SUV.
It all comes down to economics. If they can’t make money they will cancel them.
Interesting.. Camaro is hands down the best sports coupe/Pony car not considered an actual “sports car” on the market. No BMW, No Audi, No Mustang, no Challenger can touch it in terms of performance ESPECIALLY when the dollar comes into the conversation… yet it gets a bad rap for being exactly that. Chevy.. the next Camaro should go on Alpha-L so we can carry kids and car-seats… have more glass for the blind folks.. and just go back to looking like a 1970 1/2 redo so sales will pick-up,.
On to the Vette. I kinda resent that comment about UNCOOL people. I’ve had a Vette since I was 23 years old.. and have never been called uncool. The Vette gets a bad rap because there are some new money types who get them and show little class in their new found performance capabilities or the female attraction this car brings. Its EGO.. plain and simple.. But most Vette owners who have been Vette owners for more than one generation are pretty down to Earth guys
The problem with the Camaro is that it may be a great performance car, but it is useless as an everyday car, rear seat room, visibility. The Challenger may be old, but it still looks cool while being everyday usable. For 4 doors, if the choice was Impala or Charger, the pick would be the Charger.
I, for one, don’t need the latest and greatest in technology or performance in a vehicle. As long as it is usable and still looks good, I’m okay with that.
Sitting at work one day, a co worker out of the blue says “My F-150 has more horsepower than your Silverado.” I reply that “It doesn’t matter, I don’t care.” He was quite perplexed that I didn’t care.
Our most recent iteration of the Impala (2014-2019) was more like a CAPRICE if anything else.. and perhaps would have been called such had the Caprice at the time of its introduction wasn’t being used on the ZETA based Police car. That being said.. the Impala should not be getting the axe.. and if GM were smarter they would keep the magnificent CT6, upgrade it further in materials, kill every model below Premium Luxury, and then give Chevy a rebodied Omega in 3.6L, 6.2L, and SC 6.2L to amortize costs. The Chevy version would welcomed and slightly shorter at 199-200 inches, while the CT6 would remain 204. The Chevy version with avail AWD.
To the Camaro.. People complained it was too heavy when it was on Zeta.. GM changed it to the lightweight, obviously smaller Alpha and then people complained. Yes they should have used the version under the CTS instead of the ATS, but again.. I think Chevy’s goal was to completely kill the negative thoughts of the past pertaining to the old Camaros and Firebirds of old.. that they were only good in straight lines. Not the case in this version as it can easily handle as well, if not better, than almost anything out of Germany. What GM NEEDS TO DO IS STOP INNOVATING!!! AMERICANS BUY COROLLAS IN MILLIONS FOR GODSAKE. Americans are conservative, and will complain that they want European like characteristics from American cars, but then complain when they get it.
According to a local dealership, the CT6 is not going away. Its all smoke and mirrors.
I pray to god that he was correct!!
The most telling thing about this list is that it’s a big stretch to even come up with 10. On top of that, many of these listed are either already dead or have very questionable futures (Camaro & Regal).
GM has for whatever reason decided not to offer much of anything in the performance truck/SUV/CUV area? Yes, they have the Tahoe RST w/ optional performance upgrades, but it’s nearly invisible and it’s $70K+ MSRP is far beyond the reach of most that it would appeal to.
As GM continues to focus on China and autonomous vehicles, it has (in my opinion) allowed many of it’s current vehicles for the domestic market to be mediocre at best. The new half ton trucks are a perfect example. A few new ideas and innovations, but also clear evidence of cost cutting and cheapness.
What is forgotten here is while cool cars are cool most are marginal profit makers.
Toyota and Honda went to the top of the list with nothing exciting. VW the most exciting thing in their line up was the GTI and it is mild by comparison.
I get it cool cars are fun and the fact is I make a living because of cool cars. But I also understand the economics of them. By the time a company pays the high development cost they either need to sell ton of them at a low cost or fewer at a higher cost. Or they just sell what the majority of the market is buying and sell it a high return on investment.
We are several generations in on people who are indifferent on cars. So the people at the automakers have to look at where the money is coming from. In the past we had the Cobalt SS, the HHR SS both great performance vehicles. We had the Tahoe SS a real killer. The RWD Implala SS and Chevy SS, the G8 GTP, SSR and more. Great cars but they made little money and sold in very low numbers.
People cried for Hatch backs, wagons etc. they sold even worse. No it was not the lack of marketing.
The greatest issue is so many on the web say build this or that and nearly all never buy one of their recommendations.
As they say talk is cheap but unfortunately not car development.
I hate to say this but as long as the market keeps declining sales on performance we will be stuck with the family trucksters.
All automakers are going to cut corners moving forward as if they don’t the prices will continue to rise beyond the too expensive prices we have now. This is why the ride sharing is being looked at. The time is coming only a few will be able to afford to buy a car.
I do not say these things because I like what is coming. I say them as so many need to start facing the cold harsh reality that is coming. We as auto enthusiast are faced with times that will make the 70’s look fun.
At least even the basic cars today have 300 hp and handle better than performance cars of the past. We are not stuck with 90 hp 4 cylinders.
Again, high performance does not necessarily equal cool. A V6 Challenger still looks cooler than the highest performance Camaro to me. The ’70’s were a lot more fun car wise than today. Slapping SS decals on a Tahoe does not make a cool vehicle, it still looks like a run of the mill Tahoe. Chevy SS? Maybe if they actually tried to sell them, it would still be around. At GM, auto styling has died a long time ago. Can’t even get two tone paint on a pickup truck.
Chevrolet and Ford would be great companies again if they’d stop soley focusing on appeasing the chinese market and give us (the working class Americans) great cars that we can afford. Dodge has sold more modern muscle cars (challenger and charger) not solely because they are nice looking, retro themed cars, but because Dodge offers an affordable V8 option, the 345ci 5.7L Hemi V8 pushing out 370hp and 395lb ft of torque. Not to mention Dodge’s R/T lineup of the Challenger, Charger and Durango aren’t race cars or track cars. Now I love the SS Camaro and the SS 1LE but let’s face it, how often do most of us get to the track or any of that stuff? Now, Chevrolet has a great V8 engine that is truly underused and that is the Gen V L83 5.3L V8. In it’s workhorse truck form, the engine puts out 355hp and 382lb-ft of torque. While that is 15hp less than the 5.7L Hemi and also 13lb-ft of torque shy, this is also a non-performance oriented setup. I’d be inclined to believe that a stock LS3 throttle body, intake manifold, head and cam package, a Tri-Y exhaust manifold design (similar to the LS7 Z/28 exhaust manifolds, a GM performance intake and a factory high flow exhaust system would put the power output around 400hp maybe even 415hp with about 420lb ft of torque. While they aren’t top notch numbers, It would be potent enough for an entry level V8 Camaro and GM wouldn’t even have to manufacture anything new.
GM honestly in my opinion could do alot better. While the new Camaro is pretty decent, I’m hoping the next Camaro will be more like the 98-02 Camaro. Now obviously, not exactly like the 98-02 Camaro but something with a hatchback and T-tops (like the current Corvette has) but with more of that shark body the Camaro is known for. Obviously the new Camaro will have an improved Alpha-2 VSS-R platform under it so the ride wont be an issue
Now with that being said, GM needs a RWD platform performance sedan. Contrary to someone’s dumb belief, Sedans aren’t dead. Granted Chevrolet needs to do more marketing and make this more of a main stream car this time but a 415hp RWD sedan based on the Alpha-2 VSS-R platform with an optional 6.5L 485hp LT1 and a 755hp LT5 would be out of this world. Now while I love the Impala, this should be the Chevelle as it’s a midsize car. and as such it should take a few styling cues from the past and put it on an all new car. Personally, I think the styling of the 1967 Chevelle would be best.
Also for these cars, the 5.3L should get the name SS-327 while the 6.5L would get the SS-396 designation. Hey if it works for Dodge, why not Chevy? Also, performance cars should get the red outlined bow tie.
There’s also the SUV lineup. The Trailblazer SS needs to return and a Colorado-based 5.3L Blazer needs to hit the scene as well. The trailblazer needs to look like the currently upcoming blazer but be Traverse sized on a rear wheel drive based platform with All wheel drive, a 10-speed automatic, Brembo brakes, magnetic ride, dual mode exhaust, lowered magnetic ride suspension, 22×10″ wheels, wide tires, improved aerodynamics and a Camaro-like ride and handling setup. The Colorado needs a SS-327 package, lowered performance oriented etc. The Silverado needs an SS-396 package for the street as well. The silverado also need a ultra high luxury/ultra high performance Cheyenne with the 650hp LT4 V8, 10-speed auto, Brembo brakes, magnetic ride, lowered retractable running boards, chrome trim, 22×10″ wheels, High Country level luxury, Corvette-like styling, etc. Also the Trail boss needs an off road performance package (read: Scottsdale) as well.
Doing that, getting rid of a few models (Trax, Equinox, Traverse, Sonic, Cruze, Spark, Impala (unfortunately) and Malibu (fortunately)) will give gm room to play with. Now of course there will be electric and hybrid cars, but that’s what the Buick lineup is for. take all of those ideas for hybrids and electric cars and autonomous vehicles and stuff Buick full of them. Leave GMC for their trucks and Cadillac for the new Blackwing series engines and electric super cars (where the corvette should go!) This give GM a balanced lineup (Chevrolet = all of us bacon eating, beer drinking, weekend loving, lawn cutting on Saturday morning, gun totting, “baby it’s cold outside” singing, God fearing, working class, in the driveway with a set of Craftsman tools, working class gear head enthusiasts! GMC= because some of us are all of that above and still professional grade, Buick = millennials, dreamers and these modern Starbucks drinking, panera bread eating, edge of society hill living, podcasting/social media zombie people who need autonomous cars because they can’t put social media down long enough to drive or do anything productive in society. Sorry, kinda went on a small rant there. And lastly Cadillac = Because I live in society hill too, but you live on the main floor and I live in the Penthouse and why have Starbucks when I drink champagne on my Yacht and coffee straight from Columbia and I actually paid the guy standing there on my yacht with the long hair and the smile to prepare my salad and this bottle of smart skinny water that i’m drinking cost more than your whole week of spending at Starbucks and yet i still wanted to drive an American car and look down my nose at you like all of the other people in my country club who drive Mercedes Benzes, Audis & BMW’s! Yay! Not to mention this is a Yorkie, not a Chihuahua. Or the other half of Cadillac owner’s who are actually cool and love and respect American Luxury and really get the point of American Luxury hyper sport cars and super american luxury. Sorry, ranted again) but you guys get the point.
Btw the Colorado needs to look more like the Silverado and the ss-327 Colorado needs a cowl induction hood like the 70 Chevelle, stripes, lowered, short bed, and dual exhaust exiting on both sides of the truck in front of the back tires with dual tips on each side. The Silverado needs a two tone paint on the Cheyenne model as well as the Scottsdale and some of the other trim levels.