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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  Not sure what Cadillac is anymore... - 2002 Cadillac Deville
  By potsynolls - September 14 - 11:34 am

  I think that the devilles are good sized cars that eliminating any cramped feelings that most other cars can have. This is a definite upgrade from chevy division products, and I am sad to see the company changing its product line up into unfamiliar territory. Being a 2002 deville I have made and paid for some repairs which isnt fun, but eventually any 10+ year old car is going to need some work done to it. I am still a little confused to what Cadillac thinks that they are competing with at the same price points of everyone else. I think that the build quality of cadillacs should be the standard for all GM products instead of them continuously pumping out tin can crap to consumers.

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  46K miles and still not a problem - 2012 Cadillac SRX
  By moscoman - September 10 - 11:07 am

  With the exception of tires recently changed, this car has been absolutely a pleasure to own and drive. I waited specifically for the 2012 model to get the larger V6 with increased HP, and it has not disappointed. Extremely comfortable car to drive.

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  Land Yacht! - 1993 Cadillac Fleetwood
  By scottywood - September 1 - 4:31 pm

  I purchased a one owner 93 Fleetwood Brougham with 33,030 miles on it. Ive been looking at these cars for 20 years and now its "home". I drove over 600 miles in one day and arrived as refreshed as when I left. Imagine floating across the highway at 75 mph seated on a full sized leather sofa. When our kids are in the car they whisper and say that it reminds them of a library. Im only sorry that these beautiful American Dream Machines are disappearing.

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  Awesome Car - 2014 Cadillac ATS
  By willj685 - August 28 - 6:39 pm

  Love this car. Bought it in March. Looks sharp and people notice it. It has serious pick up and speed and excellent handling. The CUE is a little cumbersome but overall not that difficult to use. Definitely a smaller car, youre not going to be able to fit a lot of people in it, but overall it gets the job done.

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  ATS on wheels...please read - 2014 Cadillac ATS
  By caddi2 - August 26 - 11:46 am

  On 10618283 NTHSA,Called the dealership who sold us the run flat tires), tweeted GM. No one at this point has been the least bit interested in what I had I to say. After my crash, on August 11, 2014, I have found several other ATS owners that experience the same exact issue..I am the only one to suffer injuries, crash and totaled my car. What is GM or the tire manufacture or these Safety Org. waiting for someone to die. I almost lost my life my 16 daughter was in the car with me...my husband almost lost his wife and daughter, and my son almost lost his mother and sister. As I stated before please help me shed some light on this issue. If this were your loved o

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  Goodbye BMW - 2014 Cadillac ATS
  By joeeeguy - August 13 - 12:22 pm

  After owning a 2010 BMW 3 lease was up and went with 2014 ATS AWD. If your looking for back seat room this is not your car . Just me and my lady and occasional family member for any short rides. I have already done some foolish things with this car that I would not even tried with the BMW. 3 modes of travel sport, touring , snow ,all three have there moments and all work great . Love this car in aspects of travel , Cue radio very touchy would rather have knobs. No problems over 9 months 10 k miles Turns heads

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  Buyer Beware, 2015 Escalade - 2015 Cadillac Escalade
  By robin_loxley - August 12 - 5:41 pm

  I dont believe the mainstream reviewers have ever driven this vehicle. I have. We have gone from excited anticipation to disillusionment. Not what we were expecting for $93,000. I ordered this 2015 Escalade ESV Premium with every option, sight unseen, based on the great reviews & excellent presentation on Cadillacs website. That was a mistake. I own a 2008 CTS which I absolutely love to drive, a few faults, but basically a great machine, never had a problem. So when I read that the new SUV was to be partially based on the CTS, along with great reviews, I was on the hook. Keeping it brief, whats good: styling, performance, handling, ride (especially Sport), finish, sound system, GPS,

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  Best Car We Ever Drove - 2006 Cadillac STS
  By stser - August 11 - 3:13 pm

  Bought new in June 2006 for my wife and two middle school boys. Boys are grown and gone, but car is still excellent. 108,000 miles and counting. Lots of short cold winter starts which can really wear on an engine, but no problems. Used synthetic oil and changed only every 10,000 miles. Ash tray covers (f&b) both broke off, and the bushings in the front suspension have moved out of place so we do get some clunking noises over bumps. Both headlamps burned out within months of each other and were costly to replace because the whole front end had to come off. On third set of tires, otherwise no issues. If looking at used...I would buy my car again. Hope to keep it another 100,000 miles. Good GM!

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  Come on GM - 2014 Cadillac ATS
  By ctshadaflood - August 10 - 9:51 am

  I had Cadillacs my whole life. I had a skid with Infinti from 2011 to 13. Probably my best 3 years of driving, I went back to Cadi because i believed they were making a better car and the deal was also inviting. But the continuing problems surface every month. The quality is sub par to those imports. Craftmanshift is very poor. The look of the ATS performance is outstanding as the handling. I made a mistake of getting the 2.0. It has no punch from the gate. Aside all the fun this CAR has to offer. Its in the shop once a month for something. I lost the power steering once, not a good experiance. I even lost the dashboard lights,gauges.Going in now 4 mildew smell in AC, its killing me.

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  Shrinks - 2014 Cadillac ATS
  By austinp4 - July 26 - 7:01 am

  I fell in love with the car during the test drive because of the technology and the styling of the interior. Unfortunately, that ended the first time I tried to have a friend ride in the back seat. If youre over 5-9", theres no way an adult can ride behind you. If they had added 4 inches of leg room, Id love this car. I dont know why they didnt just make this a 2-seater. I may end up trading it in for something larger.