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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  NoCTS4ME - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By NoCTS4ME - August 27 - 2:00 am

  Spent more time in the dealership garage than mine. Constant problems - 2 engine oil coolers(within 3 weeks of each other)tail lights & headlight repacements(lost count),squealing brakes, brake light switch, key stuck in ignition, NUMEROUS electrical problems. Fun to drive but most of time spent on road was behind a tow truck! Cant give away the worst car I ever owned. NO RESALE VALUE.Just traded UP to an ALTIMA. No CTS for me.

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  GM pulled the wool over our eyes... - 1997 Cadillac Deville
  By wordofmouththeonlywa - August 22 - 2:00 am

  GM sold us a bill of goods here. As soon as the warranty was up (only 4 years) this p.o.s. started falling apart. The name CADILLAC used to mean quality that you could trust. I have seen nothing but problems with this car. From headlights literally falling off to fuel sensors or pumps or something shorting out IN the gas tank causing the electrical system to go haywire??? You tell me why I should pay over $40g for this again??? Very disappointed and of course GM says, "Thank you for purchasing a Cadillac and we appreciate your informing us of how to improve our products." Basically "screw you sucker. We got ours."

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  Garbage - 1996 Cadillac Seville
  By Joannie - August 10 - 2:00 am

  My service engine light has been on continuously for 3 years. The air conditioning does not work and I have spent thousands of dollars attempting to rectify whatever may be wrong with the electronic system of the car. I was told by one mechanic, "There were problems with the computer systems of the 1996 Cadillacs but your car is not under warranty."

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  Seville Woes - 1994 Cadillac Seville
  By heagil - May 23 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned 2 Cadillacs so far, and they were absolutely wonderful Automobiles until they hit 70,000 miles, both vehicles disintegrated before my eyes. I have paid more in repairs for the Seville than I paid for it in the first place. In the last year I have had to replace the transmission, water pump, shocks and struts, power window motor, front brake calipers and rotors.

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  WORST CAR IVE EVER OWNED!!!!! - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By SCOTT NELMS - April 14 - 2:00 am

  THIS CAR HAS LEMON WRITTEN ALL OVER IT! BEEN IN SHOP OVER 30 DAYS WITH MAJOR PROBELMS. HASNT STARTED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, MAJOR A/C PROBLEMS, HEAD GASKET BLOWN OUT, FRONT TIRES WORN OUT AT 10,000 MILES, INJECTOR PROBLEM, TERRIBLE GAS MILEAGE. AND ZERO ASSISTANCE FROM CADILLAC IN TAKING CAR BACK!!!! DO NOT BUY ONE

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  Dont Purchase a Cadillac CTS - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By carol cosentino - January 27 - 12:46 pm

  My 2005 Cadillac CTS looks great, but has a terrible ride. Going over a bump, the car shimmies and has bad tire bounce. The back seat is very uncomfortable due to the bouncing. I took it back to the dealer and was told that this is how the car rides, it has a sporty ride. Someone should have told us this before we purchased it. We cannot take it on long trips, it is too uncomfortable. Our Toyota Camry rides much better, for much less money. Also, Ive had to replace the passenger rear tire twice due to flats. People have gotten into the car and asked if it has shocks. I test drove the car before purchaseing it and it did not ride like the one we bought.

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  What happened to Cadillac? - 2017 Cadillac XTS
  By Chris - January 1 - 4:18 am

  I rented this vehicle for 12 days in San Diego over the holidays. In spite of reading the manual twice and calling Onstar (they were no help), I could not figure out even the most basic commands like getting the seat memories to stick or getting the trip meter to appear on the display. Even more infuriating: most of the time when exiting the car, the drivers seat would move back and the outside mirrors would point towards the ground. While I appreciate the cars attempt to ease egress and spot puddles, the problem is the seat and mirrors would not return to their previous position when getting back in the car! Its really aggravating having to reset these items every time you go somewhere. My opinion is CUE is a disaster. It was easy pairing my phone, however. Additionally, the XTS now has rubberband 19 tires that ride like crap! I could feel every little imperfection on San Diegos crappy side streets. On the plus side, the cars handling was quite good. The XTS is a blast to throw around corners, although I miss the sound of a V8 and the car could definitely use 50 more lbs. feet of torque. Overall, I dropped this car off thinking Cadillac doesnt know what the cars mission is and who their customers are. I do know I could never spend $55K on a car whos controls cant be figured out, with a ride that my Ram 1500 puts to shame!

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  Ill be glad when its gone - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By Kcsmom98 - December 24 - 2:00 am

  I found a really cute Catera for 15,000 with 24000 miles and thought I was getting a good deal. I was very wrong. Since the date of purchase, about 18 months ago, its been in the shop numerous times. Once for recalls, then back again because the belts that were replaced were squeaking, the exhaust rattles, the steering wheel squeaks when you turn, it leaves a "mystery puddle" on the garage floor everyday, revs too high when casual driving. Overall I would NOT recommend this car to anyone. It is cute to look at but that is it not worth the headache.

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  Run, dont walk away from this one - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By Vinman - December 24 - 2:00 am

  This was by far the worst vehicle I have ever owned. I constantly had the car in the shop for nuisance repairs to the brakes, electrical system, and finally a completely dead engine. Anyone considering buying one of these cars MUST have an extended warranty because you WILL use it. Unfortunately the first engine gasket blowout that I had leaked oil onto the spark plugs and wires. Those parts are not covered under warranty because they are maintenance items, yet cost $800.00 to replace. Whatever happened to $5 plugs and $50 wires? In addition, I thought that Cadillac (Opel) engines should at least last more than 60,000 miles before deemed DOA.

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  Junk Car - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By allendr - November 26 - 2:00 am

  Terrible workmanship. How many parts are there that could break.