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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  Bull on Wheels - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By D Bolden - October 7 - 2:00 am

  This car has given me nothing but hell since the day I bought it. From the beginning I had cooling, elctrical, and small performance problems. Ive spent over $4,000 bucks, and as I speak Im looking for another car.

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  Worst purchase ever - 2004 Cadillac SRX
  By worst ever - September 4 - 2:00 am

  I have 7,500 miles on this poor excuse for a quality car and have had two major computer failures and three failures of smaller proprtion. Additionally they now have a recall on the product. Their on board computers are riddled with bugs and glitches

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  not a good buy! - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By blokespeed - July 25 - 2:00 am

  The worst vehicle I have ever purchased,went back to the dealership too many times.Heated seat on drivers side burnt through leather and through my jacket!Both were replaced by GM but dealership did not seem to care too much.Steering rod ends last 45K miles this is why tires do not last also alot of tire shops cant do alignment because of no lip on wheel.Check engine light came on every 2 weeks.Trans module failed $650.00 fix.Hated this car with a passion just traded it in for a toyota,value of cadillac depreciated $15000 in 3 years!No more GM for us.

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  Big gas hog - 2004 Cadillac Escalade
  By Josh1 - June 28 - 2:00 am

  Oversized and hard to park. Expensive to drive. Doesnt fit in city driving. Not much better on the highway.

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  Stay Away - 2002 Cadillac Deville
  By tnd - June 4 - 2:00 am

  Have had this car 2 years & has been recalled more times than I can count. They have problems with airbag so they just diconnect til the program gets fixed. This has been going on 2 years.Wires in steering wheel get jammed in telescope car completley shuts down. Gas tank problems etc. Car is not worth 2 years later what is owed on car (loan was 0 interest.) Do Not waste your $$$$$ on this piece of garbage.

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  Problems with the GM 6 speed transmissions - 2016 Cadillac XTS
  By J B - February 21 - 5:16 am

  Buyers should be aware that Cadillac has problems with the transmissions. I read online that other owners have had problems after 100,000 miles. Mine is already hard shifting! Dealer claims nothing is wrong. Took it to a two third party transmission shops and both said that they are aware of transmission problems with the GM 6 speed transmissions. Buyer beware.

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  98 Catera full of problems - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By noxoc - January 21 - 2:00 am

  Very disappointed in this vehicle. Expected better quality. Feel like I bought a Yugo instead of a Cadillac. Problems include door hinge straps coming unwelded from door frames, cigarette lighter falling out of console, cup holders broke first time used, stereo speaker covers fall off, coolant leak somewhere near intake manifold, battery goes dead when vehicle sits unused for more than 2 days, wheel jack & tools made from cheap materials - bent into unusable shape used. Poor customer service from Cadillac.

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  to many break downs - 2001 Cadillac Seville
  By casting223 - January 13 - 2:00 am

  The car was alright for the first 25000 miles. Since then We have had it in the shop 11 times.

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  All Bark, Dont get BITTEN - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By sosorry - December 4 - 2:00 am

  This is a feeble attempt by GM to build a car to compete with European autos. They fail in every category. The car is all sizzle and no meat! The over-all quality is typical of all domestic cars. It is filled with plastic and poorly fitted components that rattle, squeak and creek after the first month. It is surely one of the worst cars I have ever owned. GM has has no interest in correcting the problems I have had with my CTS. I made an impulse purchase, boy am I sorry!!! I never thought I would say give my Catera back!

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  catera 98 issues - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By talari - November 5 - 2:00 am

  this car has been a nightmare from day one....goes thru tires and alignments like crazy, cant let it sit while on vacation...battery goes dead...probably from some short in the system. have had numerous quality issues. would never buy another cadillac again