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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  I Feel Lucky - 1999 Cadillac Deville
  By junebreeze - July 10 - 5:13 pm

  I bought this car because it had low milege and I was able to buy it very cheap because it was already 11 years old. I am sooo glad I found it. It rides like a new one. I have had it 2 years and I know it only has 60,000 miles on it but I can not say one thing negative about it. The power is wonderful, the traction is tops. The gas milege isnt even bad for its model and size. The paint job is a beaut. It gleams! Thank you Cadillac!

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  So far ... So Good - 1991 Cadillac Allante
  By rszymanski - July 2 - 11:37 pm

  I picked up a red Â’91 Allante 1 month ago. Beautiful vehicle! Tranny slips but I knew that going in. Simply going thru the gears manually solves this issue. The exterior is stunning without being gaudy and the car still turns heads at stop signs/lights and parking lots. Driving it sparingly over the last few weeks, I find the car accelerates much better than expected but subsequently delivers less MPG than I had anticipated. I am loving this Allante!

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  Good Buy, Good Car - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By alex153 - June 7 - 12:55 pm

  I have had the experience of driving literally hundreds of cars, and I decided to buy this one as my daily driver (awd, every option ticked). I have had minimal reliability problems and the dealer was always excellent at getting it resolved on Cadillacs bill My advice to anyone reading these reviews is that if someone is complaining about the reliability of their CTS they bought used with over 30,000+ miles (Thats a lot to me to be calling "new"!), you take that risk when buying anything used as the previous owner could have rode it hard and put it away wet with no maintenance. Ive seen every brand have its problems (last BMW was a nightmare).. The pros have given it good reviews..

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  The Best - 2007 Cadillac Escalade
  By highflier1 - May 28 - 5:10 pm

  This is my favorite vehicle by far. I have the ESV with all options. I love the size, the ride height, the roominess. I am 64" and this vehicle gives me the headroom, legroom, hiproom, shoulder room I like. I like riding high up and the visibility is superb. I can take 6 people in comfort and still have room for luggage etc. The Lexus, Mercedes, Infinitis, etc of the world cant compare for room. Also the Escalade has a panache, cache, a presense all its own. It is distinctive and not like the clone SUVs you see everywhere. As well, it is truck based, solid as a rock, heavy, sturdy, and reliable. Safety has a lot to do with physics, when bigger hits smaller, who wins?

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  Wow! My dream car - 2008 Cadillac SRX
  By caddyboy2012 - May 12 - 12:08 am

  I bought my SRX since mars and I love it. The fuel economy not so bad for a truck. The performance is great. I love drive my SRX4 :)

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  Not Bad... But - 2012 Cadillac CTS
  By bgk99 - April 17 - 2:32 am

  A 47,000 dollar luxury car for 34,000 with all of the rebates and incentives just blew away the Audi, Lexus and Acura for deals. Ive owned MBZ E350, G35, Porsche 911, Acura TL. So far, its OK and there are little "annoying" things about the car (especially the phone system), but it DOES drive smoothly despite being a "heavy" car. Pick up is "pretty good" but not "excellent" (guess Im spoiled)

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  Gonna take it to 250k! - 2004 Cadillac Escalade
  By d1tinez - March 24 - 10:51 pm

  We love this truck! Keep in mind it is just that...a full size truck, just all dressed up. We bought it used with 76K and in 1 year we have already crossed 100K, and not a flicker. I am a huge fan of this GMC line up. The ride, power and class is second to none. We plan to go 250k miles before we upgrade to another. This is the best family vehicle! Lots of power, comfort and class. Buy one and you will see why most Escalade owners go for a second.

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  It makes we wanna SHOUT!!! - 2006 Cadillac CTS
  By dobyns - March 21 - 4:34 pm

  This CTS is so much fun to drive my wife and I have to debate every day who is going to drive it that day. With its sporty exterior I turn heads every where I go. The factory sound system is amazing quality. The seats are extremely comfortable and the dual climate zones make it even better. My 3 children never complain of being squished in the back seat since we have gotten it and I dont have to worry about their safety with the 6-point airbag system. I think I am falling in love all over again! (Dont tell my wife) LOL

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  1991 Cadillac Seville - 1991 Cadillac Seville
  By billmyong - February 26 - 4:54 am

  I have owned this Cadillac since new. It now has 191,000 miles and although I have had work done on it, it is all maintenance. This is one of 4 Cadillacs I have owned and it rides the best. At 20 years old it rides better than my 2012 Lexus.

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  Very happy with the SRX - 2012 Cadillac SRX
  By commander58 - January 13 - 1:34 pm

  2012 FWD Luxury model. Great lease value compared to competetors such as Acura MDX. Infinity EX, FX, etc. Delaership experience excellent. SRX rides fantastic. Road noise non-existent. Handling, acceleration, shifting of the transmisson all great. Seats are firm, but I find the SRX to be very comfortable. Great feature content on the Luxury trim level. Averaging 21 mpg with mostly highway driving. Very pleased with the exterior & interior appearanc eand build quality. I was in the market for a luxury SUV/CUV and found this to be the best value out there. I have not had a GM product for quite a few years, and Im very impressed so far!