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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  Best SUV - 2003 Cadillac Escalade
  By easycad - February 21 - 2:00 am

  Excellent driveability but requires constant attention to the road. So many switches and displays that take your eyes off the road. The vehicle will drift very quickly if not constantly on guard.

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  Real American Car - 1995 Cadillac Deville
  By Gunther - February 19 - 2:00 am

  Bought it with 78k miles, in nice shape. Unfortunaltely had to have air suspension (struts) and starter engine replaced. Thereafter - fun to ride. One of the few real American Cars left, although w/ front-wheel drive its safe enough for Cleveland winters. Agreed - controls for A/C could be better, also the performance of the 4.9ltr 200hp engine, however heating and cooling is fast and this is a car for cruising anyway. Roomy, safe and comfy. Towncars do not have the flat trunk, nor the front wheel drive.

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  Catera, 2000 - 2000 Cadillac Catera
  By acoalla - February 14 - 2:00 am

  Great car. I like the German aire about the car. It is very different from the American and Japanese autos. This is highly under-rated automobile.

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  I love my Caddy! - 1993 Cadillac Deville
  By Bernie G - February 13 - 2:00 am

  Overall, great car! Event though I bought it used, its reliability has far exceeded brand new cars that I bought before it (car has never left me stranded, except when it was my own fault). My next car will definitely be another Deville! And SOOO comfortable, the seats just swallow me! Negative? 1993 interior styling is too blah and "old school." I like the curvier styling (interior and exterior) of the 1996-1999 Devilles, but just couldnt afford a newer one at the time. My next Caddy will likely be a 96-99 Deville (I cant stand the squarish styling of the 2000 Devilles, though the LED taillights are cool).

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  DTS - 2000 Cadillac Deville
  By bigking777 - February 13 - 2:00 am

  Some problems with the Service Stability System computer after about 9 months. In for service 6 times until the problem was fixed. Also, an orange, watery spot in my garage below the engine compartment. They said a bubble formed in the casting of the engine, creating a tiny crack. Replaced the whole engine. No problems since. (Cadillac did rebate one of my monthly payments.) Great looks always turns heads. A quiet ride, a great sound system, great acceleration and a beautiful car have spoiled me the last couple years. I looked at Mercedes, BMW, Infinity, Lexus and Lincoln. Even with the problems in the beginning, I feel I bought a great vehicle.

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  Rapidly Declining Asset - 2000 Cadillac Deville
  By L. Hurst - February 10 - 2:00 am

  My major beef with the car has been the poor performance of the dealer. We would leave the car all day for a recall and would go to pick up the car at 5pm only to find that the parts were not available for the repair. Colonial treats us like a Chevette own rather than a Cadillac owner

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  good 5 yr car - 1994 Cadillac Deville
  By BIGBULL - February 9 - 2:00 am

  This car looked as close to new as a car could, it was beautiful. It was 7 years old had 60,000 miles when we bought it. At 68,000 mi, water pump replacement and a plastic connecting part, Cost$600+, @70,125mi. 8yrs old:transmission compleatly destroyed, Cost $3,800+, @ 71,828 mi. Ideler pulley wipped surpentine belt out, Cost $132, @72,400 mi. Radiator cracked, traded this crap in on a used truck. Selling dealer would only give a trade in of $3,500 a year later, the car still looked new and was in excellant mechanical condition when we tried to trade it. Traded it in at mega loss at a diferent dealer.

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  2002 STS Seville - 2003 Cadillac Seville
  By dvhughes - February 9 - 2:00 am

  This car is a real pleasure to drive and own. Ive owned Corvettes, Porsches, and the handling and quality of this 2002 Seville STS is very well done. Likewise the craftmanship is of a high quality. I highly recommend this model to anyone who really enjoys driving.

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  Extras, Good and Bad - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By RobinClem - February 5 - 12:40 pm

  The 2005 Cadillac SRX is a lovely car and lots of fun to drive. Do not, however, get the third seat unless you regularly transport children. it is not good for adults, and the alternate, lots of nifty little hampers, is very welcome. Cadillac will practically give you the car if you dont want the sun roof, so think that over. (Its awesome, however, for those that like sun roofs.) After six months, I may have used the navigation system three times, all in the first two weeks. For us, OnStar is a must, and we actually used it in an emergency.

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  american made/built quality??????? - 1999 Cadillac Seville
  By dmscuba - February 1 - 2:00 am

  Traded my 96 STS for the 99 with 27000 mi. Lost room in the back seat and trunk. Lost 6 mpgal in fuel economy. Keys dont work on seat memory, exterior trim falls off, console cover fell off, power port cover fell off, seat belt unit came off, rear seat pass through not working. Ride is not quality. Dealership blames the tires, says they will replace them but it wont help, need to get a different brand. Shimmies at 62mph. This is probably my last Cadillac imports offer better quality.