Overview & Reviews

Owned by General Motors, Cadillac is America's most prestigious domestic luxury automaker. For most of its existence, the company was known exclusively for its cushy, senior-friendly sedans, but in more recent years the automaker has revised and expanded its lineup in a successful effort to attract a new, younger generation. Cadillac's roster now includes SUVs (its Escalade is a favorite of both rappers and suburban moms), a crossover and even a high-performance wagon.

Born in 1902, Cadillac was founded by Henry Martyn Leland, a manufacturer of automotive components. He named the company after a noted French explorer who discovered Detroit in the early 1700s. Leland helped create one of the company's earliest offerings -- the Cadillac Osceola, noted for being the industry's first concept car and the first closed-body car made in America. Only one Osceola was made, but it helped spark a trend; closed bodies caught on and spread like wildfire through the industry.

Cadillac quickly gained a reputation for specializing in precise craftsmanship and for using standardized parts. The success of early Cadillacs like the Model A and the "30" made the brand a sales success, so much so that the automaker was purchased by General Motors in 1909. The marque became GM's luxury division, and its list of innovations grew. Cadillac was the first U.S. auto manufacturer to produce a V8, the first to use thermostatic control of a cooling system and the first to offer dash-controlled headlights. During the 1930s, the brand earned a strong reputation for producing powerful and smooth V12 and V16 engines.

Soon after World War II, Cadillac history hit a high point as its tailfinned and chrome-laden cars became the epitome of American postwar automotive style. Cadillac's tailfin took its cue from Lockheed's P38 Lightning Aircraft, and was the brainchild of designer Frank Hershey. Vehicles like the Coupe de Ville and Fleetwood El Dorado made Cadillac a staple in upscale neighborhoods and among the Hollywood set.

By the 1960s, Cadillac's flashy tailfins had given way to a new styling cue: vertical taillights. This attribute was in evidence on one of Cadillac's most successful new cars of that decade, the Fleetwood Sixty Special. The Fleetwood offered luxury features that were cutting-edge for its day, such as fold-down writing tables, footrests and a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel.

The gas crunch of the 1970s, however, started a downward trend for the company. Cadillac's Titanic-sized behemoths that ruled the highways in previous decades were increasingly out of touch and out of favor. Cadillac responded to the changing times by downscaling the dimensions of many vehicles in its lineup. Despite this smart maneuvering, the automaker's fortunes suffered in the late '70s when it unveiled a diesel engine that quickly earned a reputation for spotty performance.

The 1980s saw the redesign of the Seville, a vehicle whose unique bustle-back styling sparked a trend and inspired its share of imitators. That decade also witnessed the rollout of the Cimarron, a small car that was essentially a rebadged Chevy Cavalier, the latter an economy car not exactly known for excellence. Understandably, the Cimarron never caught on with the public. Things got worse when Cadillac launched a series of underpowered, unreliable V8s during the first half of that decade that, along with the notoriously unreliable diesel, cost the automaker thousands of customers, millions of dollars and immeasurable damage to its reputation.

By the early '90s, Cadillac started a major turnaround as it brought out redesigned, stylish models with vastly improved engines. Shortly after the new millennium bowed, the company adopted its "Art & Science" design philosophy. With styling cues that included sharp, almost severe lines and stacked headlamps, Art & Science was first seen on Cadillac's 1999 Evoq concept roadster. By the mid-2000s, this bold new look had reinvigorated the company's sales, and was seen on hits such as the Escalade SUV and the CTS sport sedan.

This fresh styling, coupled with improvements in performance and overall product quality, has done a great deal to help Cadillac recover much of its previous status. Today's Cadillacs, which include coupes, sedans, crossovers and SUVs, are known for offering powerful engines, chiseled lines, sharp handling and a full accoutrement of luxury features.

User Reviews:

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  2001 Catera Sport - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By Leo01 - February 8 - 10:22 pm

  It took 4 countries to build this car.. German Opel omega body and wiring British L28 V-6 engine French Peugot trans Cadillac interior and soft suspenion.. If you own one of these cars go to a euro shop for repairs. Not GM. They know better. How to make your Catera better. Get stiffer shocks and springs and other small parts. You will be happier knowing the road Change out your interior. Amazingly you can force a 1998 camry seat set inside witout the power options an lose 200# of weight. Change your timing belt and tensioners. VERY IMPORTANT ON THIS CAR. SAME AS YOU WOULD A HONDA ACCORD!! Know your fuse boxes. Most electrical issues start there. Premium fuel only. Shell or Chevron. Just trust me on this!!! If you are into extensive mods Early CTS v6 manual trans will fit with some modification and some electrical work. Opels had manual trans in Germany. Enough of my blather for now.

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  Mechanics hate Cadillac - 2006 Cadillac SRX
  By GB - May 13 - 11:24 pm

  I imagine the reason why these are so hard to keep in working condition is because mechanics hate to work on these Cadi's. Cadillac makes it very hard to even switch a bulb for the blinker, so many parts to move out of the way, so much time to replace anything. Even dealerships do not like to look at them.

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  High-maintenance car - 2002 Cadillac Deville
  By William Wu - November 21 - 3:27 am

  Ive been driving with Cadi for one year. I regret purchasing it and decided selling it recently. Ive put too much money into this car, and it isnt worth it.. A new problem would occur every three to four months so that I had to take it to get repaired. It just made me upset. As a student, I need a reliable car.

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  Not happy with 2015 CTS - 2015 Cadillac CTS
  By Donald Konicoff - January 8 - 4:04 pm

  I traded a 2008 CTS with a 6 cylinder engine for a 2015 CTS with the 2.0 turbo. I liked the 2008 but the front seats were very uncomfortable. The new one with the turbo I dont like. It is noisy and jerks a lot when the turbo comes in. Also the CUE system is horrible. It is not at all intuitive and takes a while to get used to. Next car will be a Hyundai Genesis.

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  I want my Lincoln back! - 2015 Cadillac XTS
  By John R. Clausen - December 26 - 1:01 pm

  Probably my last car due to my age. I have owned many cars but not a caddy until now,, a nd I must say Im a little disappointed. The infotainment system cant hold a candle to my past Lincoln. The Lincoln was also more roomy up front and had a better standard engine. Another disappointment for me was the dash lighting. At night it is awesome but during the daylight it darkens out and becomes almost a blank. Is it not necessary to view your instrument panel during the day also? Car handling is great and the look of the car is great, but Ipaid for a lot of extras that dont measure up! Also the forward crash monitor and its notifier, that is the red lights that appear and the alarm dont respond until you are too close to the car ahead of to avoid an accident. I could go on but as I said when I started this, I wish I had my Lincoln back!

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  ownership and it woes - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By linda lawson - December 1 - 10:40 pm

  bought my 2005 cts and drove it 3800 miles and it used 5 quarts of oil just about ruined the engine had I not decided to do an early service the engine would have been shot. I have been around cars and worked on them all my life and I have yet to understand this excessive oil consumption as being normal. I have owned several gm products and this is the first one I have had with this problem. would I buy another one no way. gm needs to man up and fix this problem and not charge the consumer who spent their hard earned money to buy a car they thought was going to be reliable. no wonder people are turning to Honda and other cars

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  40000 miles not good - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By chris tillett - October 12 - 9:52 pm

  1st off, what a beautiful car, comfy, decent mpg! But, this car was always serviced at a Cadillac dealership, at 38000 miles breaking system complete rebuild, not as good as new ! Then both valve cover gaskets, front seat electronics. At 39000, all seals in lower engine replaced at 40000 mile service! Big expense ! Very nice car, but, are you telling me a Lexus , Mercedes or competitive luxury car would need this?? I no longer trust this car as reliable, but, is pretty. My 4th Cadillac , shame that Cadillac doesnt have reliability for price. Prestige not worth it

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  My beautiful Caddy - 1991 Cadillac Deville
  By Jim W. - September 22 - 3:01 pm

  If this car wasnt so great looking Id had gotten rid of it a long time ago. Ive owned many GM cars and even a Dodge and VW Rabbit and this car has had more things go wrong with it then I have ever had with any other car. Major things like the on board computer, the fuel tank and fuel pump had to be replaced twice, A/C stopped working, and now the injectors are going bad. It has 97,000 miles on it. good points....gets excellent gas mileage even in town I average 20 - 23 and on the freeway at 65 mph I get around 28 to 31. the engine is very powerful and responsive. bad points there is always some little thing breaking down and repairing this car is very expensive

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  CUE and gloss interior horrible - 2014 Cadillac ATS
  By Frank - August 22 - 1:45 pm

  What was wrong with the interior controls in my 2013 CTS. This new interior is the worst. You may meme me jump ship over it.

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  Good car when new, but its falling apart - 1999 Cadillac Deville
  By danieluga - June 19 - 9:52 pm

  Bought the car new in November 1998. It was great for about 7 years/50,000 miles then started leaking coolant. 16.5 years/135,000 miles into its life it overheats going 15 miles down the road. Happily traded it in a few days ago for a new Prius. Cadillacs seem to be great when new but dont stick around for the duration. Northstar engines are economical and powerful but have issues...done with Cadillac