A basecoat composition includes an acrylic polymer prepared from a combination of monomers including at least about 30% by weight ethyl acrylate, methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, or a combination of these. The basecoat composition also includes methylated melamine-formaldehyde resin and up to about 10% by weight of a butylated melamine-formaldehyde resin, based on the weight of the basecoat composition vehicle and butylated melamine resin. An at least partially cured layer of the basecoat composition offers improved adhesion with a coating composition layer applied over it and cured, whether the coating composition layer applied over it is another layer of the basecoat composition itself or a layer of a clearcoat composition.