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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  Piece of Junk - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By ej - April 21 - 7:15 pm

  Love the car when its not in the warranty service shop. Have 24,000 miles on it, and it has had two major repairs. First, at 12k miles, the cheap plastic clips that hold up the wiring harness broke in cold weather and the fan destroyed the harness. Then after the check engine light came on at 24k, and the inferior timing chain had to be replaced. Now, Im told the service codes indicate the cam/crank misalignment. Pretty sad for GMs "flagship" car line. Then theres been constant leaks in the door seals (repaired three times), which whistle above 40 MPH. The premium Bose sound is a disappointment This is my 1st & last Cadillac.

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  Run from this one. - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By Dorothy - March 14 - 11:52 pm

  Bought this car from dealer as a certified used vehicle with 42,000 miles. Service engine light on and off as well other indicator lights for no apparent reason. Long story short, at 80,000 miles everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. With a loss of apx. $4,500.00 in repairs, parked the thing, using it as lawn ornament. Engine and cooling system is crap. Cadillac offered $1000.00 rebate if we would buy a new cadillac. Needless to say you know what I told them. The Bose radio is great...What can you say. Run run run even if someone tries to give you this car, you will be doing fix and repair daily.

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  Like throwing $ away - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By Mark - March 12 - 3:30 pm

  I can not begin to say how disappointed I am with this car. As soon as the warranty expired it has cost nothing but money and time. My average annual repair bill in in excess of $3000 and the average repair takes 3 to 4 days to get corrected due to misdiagnostics by the shop technicians. This on a car with less than 100,000 miles on the odometer. I completely understand why GMC is on the verge of bankruptcy. And my forgiveness to those who will lose their jobs when they finally close the doors, but if you build junk and offer bad service you dont deserve to be in business. My experinece with this car has been so bad I will never buy another vehicle from the Big 3. Ever!

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  AVOID Cadillac products like the plague - 1992 Cadillac Deville
  By 6dutchman6 - March 1 - 3:16 pm

  PROS: Yah right CONS: 1. Stupid computer controlled climate control system that never kicks in right away while your freezing your butt off in minus degree weather. 2. Faulty parts abound, this thing literally falls apart and leaves on the side of the road stranded, one time on a -36 C night. 3. Unreliable, its seen more miles behind a tow truck. 4. Only Cadillac can make a car that breaks while washing it. FAULTY seals let water into manifold $170.0 repair.

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  Squealing Brakes - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By Gaylan B. - March 1 - 10:50 am

  Everything is fine with this car except the brakes have been squealing from day one. Initially, I was told that the problem was due to weather conditions, but eventually a dealership in Texas informed me that the quality of the metal used to make the brakes was inferior, and there was nothing to be done to resolve the problem, except to replace the brakes in hopes of getting some that do not squeak. I have been waiting for the new brakes for over three weeks. It is disheartening to be driving such a car and the brakes sound so terrible.

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  Stay Away From The Northstar V8 - 2008 Cadillac STS
  By Will - February 16 - 5:49 pm

  I have owned 2 Cadillac STSs thus far. The First was a 2005 with the V8 and the one I have now is a 2008. They are great cars for the thought but stay away from the V8 North star engines by all means. At around 87, 000 and up the V8 North star starts going to the ground with problems. The found out problem with this engine is the design for the cylinder head mounting studs start to loosen due to corrosion and the material or metal used for the Head studs that clamp them down. This leads to head gasket failure and even engine damage. You can get the head gaskets fixed but the problem will come back after 30,000 miles or so, ultimately leaving you with a reoccurring and expensive problem. You can re-drill new studs in the engine and the problem still will come back. Its a nice luxury / performance car overall but I recommend buying the V6 with the 306hp. Oh and on my 2005 car the transmission started to give up on me. I think the 5 speed can barely handle the V8 power, the 07 and up have 6 speeds that are more adequate.

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  Dissappointed, and surprised - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By Jamie K - February 15 - 10:44 am

  Disappointed, and surprised. Others dont agree. My father picked up the newly redesigned CTS last year as his third Cadillac. As I am a huge BMW fan, the 2008 CTS falls way behind. First, big improvement over the embarrassing interior design of the first CTS, but the looks deceived me. When I drove the car, I was disappointed in many things. The drivers seat is too tight and not appropriate for a luxury car. The dashboard looks beautiful, but its functionality is poor, and again too tight a fit. Acceleration is typical GM, jumpy with an intense torque if you dont have a gentle-minded foot. The dealer-installed rear bumper proximity beeper is downright annoying.

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  Save Dollars Buy a Denali - 2007 Cadillac Escalade
  By GOBOILERS1 - February 2 - 9:06 pm

  Traded my04Denali for this and have been disappointed.Took major downgrade in bells and whistles which is just wrong for the price. Wifes 02 Trailblazer has more! Seats are hard, small and uncomfortable. Traded because Denali seats had no support and Escalade is like sitting on a box. GMs "new improved" rain sensing wipers are terrible.Watch the car in front - you will hit it before it wipes! Wind noise is pathetic! I know it is a big box but come on! My friends Expedition is soooo much quieter. The third row seats weigh a ton! Majir pain to take in and out. When out the big plastic strips that seats ride on are in the way. GM saved a few bucks with no light in glovebox or under hood

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  Disappointed Driver - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By catera cruiser - January 8 - 9:53 pm

  This was my first Cadillac. Two year after owning this car nothing worked correctly. Every 3 months I,m spending $1000 in repairs at the dealer. Usually I have to make several trips to the dealer to fix the same problem. Currently,I have no heat in the car, the headlights have died (the dealer is charging $340 per bulb.) The odometer has stopped working, the light on the dash board has gone out. So far its been to the dealer three time for this heating problem.

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  Another GM Turkey - 1993 Cadillac Deville
  By Bigguy - January 8 - 3:07 pm

  Well, its sitting in the driveway waiting for a recycle dealer to pick it up. The tranny went out for a second time and I aint gonna put any more money into it. The car has 85k miles, the tranny went out at 60K. Shop says these 90s model V8 FWDs are prone to tearing the tranny up, poor design by GM. Another problem has been the battery- it seems all the fancy electronics, especially the "Load leveling system" drain the battery and cause premature failure there too.