Once you set off, however, it becomes a little easier to define the two. The Cadillac, for starters, is the louder car, with a nice, slightly metallic exhaust note that has obviously been tuned for those wanting a little more from their sports coupe in the auditory feedback department.

The Lexus is quieter at the outset, but as you start to delve deeper and deeper into the powerband, the RC, too, begins to make its presence felt as the engine is allowed to breathe a little more freely.

Having said that, while both cars feature almost identical claimed 0-100 km/h times, the ATS feels like the faster car; could be thanks to the noise, but it’s more likely thanks to it being the lighter of the two cars, by just under 200 kilos.

It’s quite surprising, actually, just how fast the Caddy feels as you really start to get on it; the naturally breathing V6 reaches peak power at 6,800 rpm, peak torque at 4,800 and the engine really is a free-revving dynamo. The Lexus, however, actually reaches peak power 400 revs sooner, but again, the added weight ensures the Caddy feels the zippier of the two in a straight line.

With luxury sports coupes like these, however, an all-out assault on the senses isn’t necessarily what the doctor ordered for every customer.

In that light, the Lexus wins out in the refinement department. The engine’s a little quieter, yes, but road and wind noise is also reduced. It also rides smoother, has a fantastic sound system (who cares about engine noise when you have a sound like this) and provides an overall feel of luxury as opposed to sporty rambunctiousness, like the Cadillac.

Indeed, it’s here that we first see a divergence – a real divergence ­– between these two cars. The thing is, one of them is used to appealing to its crowd (40-something empty nesters, we’ll say) and the other is going for a slightly younger customer base. Can you guess which is which?

If you guessed that the Lexus knows its market, then you’d be right. Cadillac, however, is very open about just who they’ve got in mind for the ATS Coupe, and that’s younger professionals that would normally buy a BMW 3 or 4 Series. And that means it has a bit of a steeper hill to climb. The Bimmers have been at the top in this segment for a long time, and they know what they’ve got to do to stay there. The Cadillac has some in-house competition, too, in the form of the ATS Coupe with a 2.0L turbo four-banger, and a manual transmission available with this base powertrain.

Both Brendan and I agree: that’s what the younger buyer is likely to go after. I will take it one step further, however, and suggest that if a buyer looking for a little more athleticism from their coupe were to give the Caddy a try – yes, V6, automatic, and all – the decision may not be quite so black and white.

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