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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  1993 Allante Its like a bad drug! - 1993 Cadillac Allante
  By chargalant - September 7 - 11:19 pm

  Have had mine since Jan/2001. I knew the 93 was special w/the Northstar system. It has always been a pleasure to drive...and I drive hard and agressive and the car takes it all and askes for more. Power, handeling matches a Corvette. Styling is and always will be timeless, thanks to Pinnin Farina. I am amazed how cheaply theyre selling for these days. As much of a headache this car is, Id have sellers remorse if I got rid of it. But the cost & frequency of repair has exceeded the amount I paid for this car. Quirks abound! Yet this car will get very collectible at some point. Just dont know when. But its a Caddy w/Italian styling, power and it IS a roadster!

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  NO WASHER HEATER - 2007 Cadillac DTS
  By captfx - September 5 - 7:33 pm

  Pros: I love the styling. After 4 years I think I like the look even more than when I first got it. It is a real head turner. I get a lot of nice complements. I have the black with black interior. Although a step down from the performance model the car is a rocket. I love driving it. Cons: Cadillac recalled the windshield washer heater. It could leak, short circuit and may cause a fire. Their solution was to remove the unit and 4 weeks later send you a check for $100. Hard to believe. They should have replaced the unit instead they took the cheap way out. They did this with other Cadillacs and Buick. I hope they dont recall the a/c or power steering. Because of this my next luxury car

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  Fun Ride - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By jmrwest - August 24 - 10:37 am

  Bought the 04 CTS Sport used in June 09. Had 86k at the time. Fun car to drive. Great performance. So far had to replace the water pump, and throttle body at about a $700 a clip. Seems to go thru tires pretty quick too. Put a new set on about 12k ago and they wont last until next inspection April 12. Overall, got a great deal on this car. Paid about $11k. Still cant believe I paid that amount for such a sweet ride. Very reliable. Have taken on long road trips and love the performance.

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  Watch out for that "service stability track/ abs" warning - 1999 Cadillac Seville
  By life02 - August 11 - 6:01 pm

  Just purchased my 99 STS 2 months ago after my 94 Eldo was backed into by a raised pickup I had the Northstar oil leak controlled in the Eldo - it only had 88K miles on it - just loved the style/ ride the STS has 1 previous owner actually a "little old lady from Pasadena" carfax showed 30+ entries for ALL services at dealer in Pasadena area she even bought the tires there! No evidence of any major probs in the records but then again, surprises do happen!

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  2005 cadillac srx - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By jane52 - July 21 - 3:49 pm

  this car has been well taken care of but to be a 2005 very disappoint in 6 months time my power steer went my air compressor all coils plugs and two canister in gas tanks and the catlyer coverter really disappointed in all of this.

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  Must have got the one diamond amongst the broken glass. - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By jlblack - June 18 - 3:14 am

  While everybody else hates this car, I love it! I bought last year for $2000. I immediately had to buy a new radiator for it for $200 that I installed. I was quoted up to $750 for one, so call around when buying parts. I abuse this car! The sport button is on half the time, I take corners at above twice the recommended speed. This car is glued to the road. It sails at 90 mph with no problem. If you can work on cars yourself and want cheap luxury then this is the car for you. For what I paid for it if a major repair comes up then its off to the junk yard, but until then, get out of my way! You can buy a Haynes repair manual for an Opel Omega from the UK. Same car. I did.

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  Disappointed - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By natural_99_99 - June 1 - 11:19 pm

  I have been a proud owner of my CTS until recently. I have made sure the oil was changed every 3,000 to 6,000 miles as needed. Just with in the last month my CTS started cutting back when my wife was driving it. I checked oil in car & it was fine. dealership did a diagnostic test on the car and contacted me that same day and advise that the CTS had no issues & everything checked out fine. Within two weeks she was experience same problem I checked oil level & it was no oil at all. Went to pick up some oil put in car. Then I test drove the CTS next day & had no problem until I picked up some speed then it cutback some and engine light came on. When I went out to leave on tuesday it would not start out all & had to have it towed to dealership. Thats when I was told that i need a new engine. The repairs would cost $6200. I have recommended Cadillac CTS to numerous people never again. I am disappointed I had a chrysler sebring before this car that I traded in with 230000 miles on it. Cadillac is suppose to be a step above that. Its wrong how this economy is set up to bail out GM but I cant even get a $6200 repair covered by the company that should have failed.

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  2000 Seville STS, Great car but expensive to keep. - 2000 Cadillac Seville
  By fcareaga - May 27 - 10:15 pm

  I bought this car used with 140k miles, Ive put about 12k miles in the the last couple of years. I LOVE this car, but its really expensive to keep up and Im getting ready to sell it and get a Lexus LS400. The car is sexy, fast and comfortable, but everything goes wrong on it. It leaks coolant, probably has a bad head gasket, it starting idling rough, has the known vibration issue above 60 mph...and other minor issues. You would think that a car that was MSRP $54k would be built a bit better.

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  After 4 yrs of ownership, I still love my Escalade - 2008 Cadillac Escalade
  By rydan93 - May 26 - 10:01 am

  I bought my 2008 Escalade brand new. After 4 yrs I still love this vehicle. It is super comfy and I have had no issues with it other than a few nit picky cosmetic replacements. The engine and computer system have never given me any trouble. I would have expected a vehicle of this price range to come with blue tooth, but they did finally add it on the 2009. My favorite thing about this truck is the engine! I love that loud roar of my 6.2 liter when I crank it up. The 22" wheels arent to bad either! I have always felt safe driving it and long trips are easy.

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  Where did all the oil go? - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By joez34 - May 16 - 9:13 am

  I love or should I say "loved" this car for the many years I have owned it. The car performed perfectly until 55,000 miles when it began drinking up a qt of oil every 1,000 miles. No leaks, and No Smoke, just a quart of oil gone. The worst part about it was I didnt figure this out until the car was down 4 qts and started to make lots of noise. No LOW oil level or pressure indicator. Sorry GM, I traded in the CTS for a NEW Lexus ES350. Maybe Ill be back in a few years, but for now Im gone.