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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  make date problem - 2009 Cadillac CTS
  By James ODunn - March 17 - 9:10 am

  Depending on whether you got yours early or late in year makes a huge difference, the early months that year of 2010 where horrible and the later month models were better made parts. Labor and design on some parts to me at Cadillac is the problem...

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  Keeper - 2004 Cadillac Deville
  By archielmj - March 13 - 11:30 pm

  Bought this sparkling mint charcoal 04 Deville in 2009 for 45% of what it cost new with 55,000 km on it and had never seen rain. Deep tinted passenger and rear window and put on a Corsa aftermarket exhaust to give it a sexy look and sound. 5 yrs later, ive changed the oil, put on a new set of Michelins and kept it garaged. I love cruising in safety and style and this big ol caddy gives me that. I cant imagine selling it since it wouldnt bring much, and to replace this level of luxury and comfort without laying out large money isnt going to happen. There is something to be said for the looks and manners of this 11 yr old car, and will likely keep it for another 10 years or more.

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  Wanted to love it...but in the end...didnt! - 2008 Cadillac DTS
  By phillip_g - March 12 - 5:58 pm

  I have loved Cadillacs since I was 5 years old and rode with my Granny everywhere in her many Cadillacs over the years. I am not the typical age of the traditional Caddy buyer. I like the size, comfort, and style of large American Cars. Family has always driven Caddys or Lincolns and I carry on that tradition with a great amount of pride. Purchased Certified-Used in early 2011, traded a 2005 Deville DTS that I loved. The 2008 DTS is NOT a sports car nor is it intended to be. I am so very disappointed in its reliability issues not only for the cost but also for sentimental reasons.

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  MY ELDORADO - 2001 Cadillac Eldorado
  By Joe Criscione - February 24 - 2:49 pm

  I bought my 2001 EldoradoETC with 85K miles on the clock. ck engine lite, wheel bearing, motor mounts, starter motor, about 1500.00 dollars worth, also replaced all the sensors. But smetimes when you buy a used car you have to invest a few bucks to straighten stuff out. All that being said, My Eldorado runs PERFECT, Gets 29MPG on the road, and looks acts and feels like the thorobred she is. Love the car and it was well worth the money I payed for it including the repairs. I think GM is on the right road offering 2 dr Cadillacs.

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  Cadillac IS back like never before - 2014 Cadillac CTS
  By Richard Domingues Boscovich - February 23 - 6:12 pm

  OK. I grew up lusting after BMWs 3 & 5 series, and love what Audi has done with itself over the past several years. I am not your typical Cadillac buyer by any stretch of the imagination. I love Formula 1, soccer ( football everywhere else) and any auto sport with the exclusion of NASCAR. Having said that, I have always kept an open mind all things automotive. I regularly test drive cars from numerous manufactures, and judge cars by their merits, not brand reputation. So when I wanted a performance sedan, I tested all of them. The CTS v Sport is, hands down, the best handling sport sedan period. Not BMW, Jag, Lexus.. nothing. The quality, feel and finish is excellent. Drive it!

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  Its my own fault - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By David H Myers - February 18 - 2:12 pm

  After my wife totalled my Chrysler 300, she bought a 2001 Catera from our mechanic. The sold it to us for $600 + $2,400 in repairs. It seemed OK at first. I suppose I shoudnt have let her buy such an old car. The water pump went, then the fuel pump, then the key lock. As stated by others, the sunroof has a mind of its own. I am spending, on average, about $600 / month to keep this thing on the road. It still needs from front end work. They dont make the part for the electronic anti-theft key anymore mechanic had to order the part from MO. I have put my wife to task to do something about this thing. We have to get rid of it.

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  Great Car! - 2013 Cadillac XTS
  By terryauto - February 13 - 12:32 pm

  Gosh I love this car! This is one of the best cars I have owned and I have owned everything from a Chevrolet, Honda, Nissan, Lexus, Mercedes, Volvo, BMW and so on. The overall style and ergonomics really fit what I was looking for and I looked at many cars to compare for this purchase from Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Lincoln. I read all the reviews and while some I agree with and some i disagree with, that is why they make so many brands and models. As far as the CUE system, it took a little time to get the hang of it, but when you do it works great! Some critics say the car is under powered and they need to get a life, you want that much power, buy a sports car, this is luxury!

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  Very Pleased - 2014 Cadillac SRX
  By lala20 - January 21 - 12:19 pm

  I have driven my SRX for 2 months and am very pleased. This is my first Cadillac, and I am very impressed with this brand. I get above 17 mpg driving in-town. The rear window is smaller than the one in my former, larger SUV, but with the SRXs rear view camera, this has not been problematic.

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  Stay Away - 2007 Cadillac SRX
  By dme2 - January 17 - 4:06 pm

  Purchased this car used, as we never buy brand new. Have owned and Eacalade ESV, Mercedes M Class, Audi A4, etc prior. Never have I had a car that I hated more than this. Poor gas mileage, slow to accelerate, oil always low, panoramic roof broke twice, lost just goes on and on. Constant mechanical issues. Took to dealer a few months ago because steering gave out. Gave me a list of things wrong including the entire power steering system. Every last bit of that was shot. Unacceptable for a car with 100K on i and a car I properly maintained. These problems added up to the tune of $6,000. That was last straw. Traded it, got nothing for it, but so happy to be rid of it. Went with a Lexus RX 350

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  Not worth it! - 1995 Cadillac Deville
  By orangeavenf - January 17 - 10:12 am

  This 95 was a pretty lady that turned on me! This car is horrible. I bought car with 95,000 miles, drove it for about 2,000 miles, and ever since its spent more time in the shop than on the road. The reliability is on par with a 1970s snowmobile. I spent $600 replacing transmission solenoids, $300 on a starter, fixed a broken engine mount, a rusted metal coolant line, and now my mechanic cant get the Service Ride Control message to go away, leaving me stuck with a car thats worth $1,000 or putting another $1,000 into modifying the air suspension. Its just a bad choice thats led to a terrible experience. I wouldnt do it again!