The present invention pertains to a solvent based coating composition comprising A) at least one toner base comprising an acrylic polyol, a cellulose resin, a polyester polyol, and a pigment, B) at least one connector base comprising at least one resin compatible with the resins mentioned in toner base A), and C) at least one reducer base free of resins and pigments.It has been found that the coating composition of the present invention does not have drawbacks such as insufficient hiding, a high sensitivity for cloudiness, and a loss of brightness or color. Such drawbacks are often found in base coat compositions. Furthermore, the coating composition of the present invention provides a very flexible application window. Due to a selection of resins, additives, and/or fillers to be used in the connector base (B), the use and properties of the coating composition of the present invention can be modified. For example, an interior coating may be prepared from the coating composition of the present invention with excellent properties such as gloss level and scratch resistance.