Overview & Reviews

For five years, the Cadillac DTS served as a relic to the brand's past. While its name followed the latest Caddy nomenclature, under the skin it was a refreshed version of the Cadillac DeVille that preceded it. For more than 50 years, the DeVille was a dominant player in the full-size luxury segment, offering the traditional American big-car virtues of spaciousness and a quiet, well-cushioned ride. As the decades wore on, it slowly adapted to changing wants and needs, finally downsizing to (relatively) manageable dimensions -- in terms of both physical size and power plant volume.

Though the Cadillac DTS was popular with those who valued the traditional large American luxury car, it was behind the times in terms of design, engineering, interior materials, precision build quality, handling dynamics and even a general level of prestige. Granted, you got an enormous car with plush seats, lots of stuff and a Cadillac badge for a price that undercut smaller luxury cars. But for a used luxury sedan choice, we'd recommend something a little more modern, be it from the Cadillac portfolio or elsewhere.

Used Cadillac DTS Models
The Cadillac DTS was produced from 2006-'11.There were four trim levels available. The Base, Luxury and Premium trims came with a 4.6-liter V8 that produced 275 horsepower. The Performance trim was replaced by the Platinum for 2010, but both featured a 292-hp version of the same V8 along with a standard Magnetic Ride Control suspension. Power was sent to the front wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission.

As was traditional for a full-size Cadillac sedan, the DTS could be had in five- or six-passenger configurations. Given the car's generous proportions, interior room was excellent. Front passengers were coddled in soft leather bucket seats (or a 40/20/40 leather bench on the six-passenger version). Rear passengers enjoyed just as much legroom as those in front. For luggage, the DTS offered up a nearly 19-cubic-foot trunk. The amount of available equipment was generous, but overall design and materials lagged behind the import-brand competition as well as those Cadillacs introduced later in its life. Controls were at least easy to operate compared to newer, more technologically advanced luxury sedans.

On the road, the Cadillac DTS displays plenty of power for quick passing maneuvers and effortless high-speed cruising, while the suspension offers a compliant ride. Still, virtually every other large luxury sedan offers just as much or more power from V6 engines, while also offering more confidence-inspiring handling. The Performance/Platinum model's Magnetic Ride Control suspension does a notably better job of controlling body motions than the standard setup, resulting in a less floaty and more precise feel. Regardless of trim, road and wind noise are almost nonexistent.

Changes were few for the DTS beyond some minor standard and optional equipment updates. Buyers should note, however, that stability control was not available on the base trim. As such, we'd avoid that (the next trim up was vastly better equipped regardless of year).

Consumers interested in a used DTS prior to '06 will want to check out our review of the car's predecessor, the DeVille.

User Reviews:

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  Typical GM Incompetence - 2007 Cadillac DTS
  By No more GM - November 10 - 8:08 am

  Car has many, many problems, including cooling system probs, power steering pump, suspension problems, brakes are horrible, sunroof leaks, needs rear control arm ($1200 job), & too much more to list. going back to foreign car! For a 55k car new, GM is a joke!

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  Cadillac DTS 2006 - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By sdi206 - February 16 - 8:17 pm

  I put 126k miles on 2006 DTS and engine failed with cracked engine block. I got breaks done once a year because break pads just wore out. I had to replace tires every 10k miles. Stability track warning light always came on. Continuous problems with arm bars and tire rods. Gas guzzler. Arm rest broke. Overall just a cheaply made care...Not impressed. Glad I bought a Lexus this time. Service at Caddy is bad and fails to compare to Lexus. Never again.

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  GM definitely stands for Government Motors - 2007 Cadillac DTS
  By grant21 - February 8 - 6:58 pm

  Wow, I am well into my 40s and have easily owned as many cars in my life but it doesnt get any worse of a car than this. I have owned my one owner 2007 DTS for about 16 months now and have had it in the shop for many repairs (exactly 33 times) 3 brake jobs, 2 water pumps, heated/cooled seats motor replacements, sunroof leaks, low oil pressure sensor, etc..etc.. the list goes on. I will never own another GM vehicle of any sort after owning this and having a better look at everything on this car and a real eye opener to GM autos in general. Two Really Big Thumbs Down...( & thats only because i cant post profanity on this site).

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  Poor craftsmanship - 2007 Cadillac DTS
  By airforcdinstar - October 28 - 7:42 pm

  I purchased the car Certified Pre-Owned with 68000 miles. It has been in the shop 4 times for Wheel bearing, hubs, fuel sending unit, transmission leak,engine valve cover gasket and some other things. I purchased this car thinking Cadillac was a step up from some of the poor quality Chevrolets I drove. WOW I was wrong. I traded in a brand new 2011 Ford Taurus that I couldnt affford so I traded down and Paid 15,500 for this car. Thankfully its under warranty, however Cadillac service center managers are very aggressive and challenge me on all the repairs, thankfully I am a mechanic for the Air Force and I know a little bit about cars. This car is a nightmare and Cadillac service is horrible!

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  worst car ever and service - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By oscar - January 9 - 10:35 pm

  worst car ever, Iv had my car for 2 years.12 times back in dealer for all kinds of electrical problems, transmission, drive train, suspension was out at 30000 miles and dealership manager said that everything is normal, same was with transmission at 5K miles car was jerking ,the gear change was wery rough, and again I was told by the service manager ,everything is normal, it took 6 trips to the dealer and and 40K miles later to make the dealer look at the problem again and finally figure it out.My advice for potential cadilac DTS buyer: If you are planning to buy the car for driving ,not sitting in a garage, please buy different car , Youll save yourself a lot of nerves,honestly!!!!

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  Never Again - 2007 Cadillac DTS
  By Never Again - August 31 - 7:51 pm

  How GM can continue to produce garbage like this and still stay in business eludes me. This is the second new Cadillac Ive owned, my 04Deville was a total lemon and I thought it was an anomaly, unfortunately it wasnt, my 07 is an even bigger lemon! I dont know where to start, the car breaks down almost constantly, everything from electrical to drivetrain, even the heated seats broke. The front wheel drive system, axils, seals and transmission are a mess. The car spends more time in the shop than in my garage. If I was to give a complete list of everything thats been repaired on this car it would take an hour to read. About all this car does is look good standing still.