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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  2000 seville - 2000 Cadillac Seville
  By roaree - April 24 - 2:00 am

  Grand style, easy to take care of, small gas tank not good for long trips, easy to live with, repairs and service very nice compaired with the BMW I had before this auto, nice power from the V8 that I never get tired of. The BMW fit like a leather glove, the Caddy is ALL AMERICAN- heavy duty and in your face!

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  Classic Muscle Wrapped In Luxury - 1992 Cadillac Seville
  By jlwisu - April 22 - 2:00 am

  A Home Run From Cadillac... I am not necessarily in Caddys Target Market being an early 20s male, But I have a soft spot for Gadgetry, and more importantly muscle... and this car has both!!! Now dont get me wrong... It is not a 70 Charger R/T, or a 427 Cobra... But it has a Big, Smooth V8, and a throaty exhaust, inside of an eleganet luxury car with GREAT lines. I have a 92 (The 1st year of the redesign), and the STS has only improved since then... But 92 was the Pioneer year that got us where we are today in STS technology!!! I plan on buying a second STS next year, probably a 98 or a 99 to add to the collection!!! I am an STS fan for life!!!

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  92 Seville-Nice car but plenty of minors - 1992 Cadillac Seville
  By iadrew - April 15 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned this car for 7 1/2 years. It had 7k when we bought it and just turned over 70k. For the most part, its been reliable. I love the power and the ride, but Ive had plenty of minor problems that annoy me and add up over time. Ignition problems, power window & antenna problems, CD player problems, an oil leak... Repairs for these items ranged from $80-400 each making none of them too major, but they add up and diminish faith in GM & Cadillac. Now I have an A/C problem with a quote of $1100 to repair. That may be the end of this relationship.

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  The car that will take you back home - 1990 Cadillac Brougham
  By Roman - April 13 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle in 1994, All I can say is it served me faithfully. Besides general maintenance and a little rust by the door handles the only thing I replaced was the water pump. Until now the vehicle is still running great!

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  Catera hardship - 2000 Cadillac Catera
  By que psi - April 13 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Catera about a month ago. I had been looking to buy a new one but they stop making them and this was the only one on the lot. Got a great deal on the car and about two weeks later the windsheilds decided it wanted to crack. So they put me in a Deville and I feel in love and traded my Catera the next day.

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  Owners Manual gibberish - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By Ron Lessley - April 11 - 6:03 am

  The Owners Manual is not user friendly. It took two Tech reps two hours to program the features, so how does GM expect the buyer to utilize the gibberish that passes for a manual. Just to use the CD, reading the manual is useless -you have to sit in the car and press buttons at random to get this feature going. Where is the user guides (photos, VHS) that came with the old STS? When thats all done, the glove compartment is too small to hold any- thing more than a pair of gloves and all the other compartments are too skimpy to be of any use. The time display (clock) is too small unless you like squinting to read the numerals. Apart from poor GM design on important utilities?

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  fleetwood - 1995 Cadillac Fleetwood
  By rene - April 9 - 2:00 am

  I realy like the cadillac

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  Cadillac Deville Review - 1999 Cadillac Deville
  By Henry - April 8 - 2:00 am

  Like the comfort. Ease of controls. Roomy. Reliable engine.

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  Once You Own A Cadillac... - 1995 Cadillac Seville
  By Mike Printz - April 3 - 2:00 am

  Once I changed the tires over to the Bridgestone Potanza 950s I was very happy with the handling and ride of the 95 Seville. Still rather see all that horsepower driven by the rear wheels.

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  Great Bang for the Buck!!! - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By mutbreath - March 25 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car for several factors including I must say the 0% interest and the deals that were to be found due to the fac that this car was discontinued. I have had no major problems over the first 7000 miles and it is truly fun to drive. It could use a little more off the line acceleration but it is truly the "Caddy that Ziggs". I would reccommend testing one for your self if you can still find them. Especially the Sport model. The larger wheels and stiffer suspension makes this car long for the open road.