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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  My fourth Deville/DTS - 2007 Cadillac DTS
  By 1SEXYDTS - July 8 - 4:41 pm

  07 DTS Luxury II ( which is the 08 luxury III) Have owned the performance too. Turn on the Peter White cd. Open the sunroof and drive to another level of comfort. Handles well. People are surprised about the Northstar gas mileage which is excellent for a car over two tons. Excellent crash test ratings. Ive bought new before, but this time I went for one that was exactly what I wanted if I had bought new, plus certified gives me another 80,000 miles and 6 years bumper to bumper. ( it is one year old and has 20,000 miles. The beautiful real burled wood is very high gloss. Lots of new equipment to play with. Love the shiny chrome wheels &saved over 25,000 buying it a year old.

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  Like New - 2005 Cadillac XLR
  By mmb - July 8 - 3:13 pm

  Really love the car, only top does not operate properly. Have to have serviced, but under warranty.

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  My New Vehicle! - 2008 Cadillac SRX
  By Mickey - July 8 - 8:33 am

  I have always been loyal to GM. This time, I purchased instead of leasing so I drove everything, BMW, Volvo, Maxda, Acura and settled on the SRX. I couldnt be happier, the ride is beautiful, the inside "top notch" not like the Enclave which was my first choice after I traded the Buick Rendezvous. Rear seat leg room better than any car I test drove. I am 6 feet tall and the vehicle is very, very comfortable all the way around. The extra seating in the cargo is useless to me so those will always stay down.

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  Caddy Got It Right - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By caddyman28 - July 7 - 10:04 am

  Great mileage for a large car 22 mpg with city and highway at 75 with 4 people. All toys of a Lexus at a lot less. Was going to by a new Dodge Charger SE plus for 23k. Did the math and got this car for less, more features with Cadillac CPO until 2012. Handles good, quiet and build quality is good. Caddy is back.

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  Great Car Unless in Snow or Accident - 2006 Cadillac CTS
  By Sk00ts99 - July 7 - 9:04 am

  Bought the car in 06 and loved it from the start, until the first snow hit and I realized how much rear wheel drive stinks. I was all over the place, must have had a few mini heart attacks on the commute home from work. The worst was a few weeks ago, I was rear ended and sandwiched between 2 cars. No air bag deployment and my seatbelt brought me up to the steering wheel, then decided to kick in and pull me back, the car just broke apart. I was sad, but will definitely go with something else now, with better fuel mileage and NO REAR WHEEL DRIVE!!!!

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  Satisfied - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By Gloria - July 6 - 1:47 pm

  The leather on the drivers side started to split and have dry cracks in less then three years old and I wonder if it is due to the heating element in the seats. This is the first time having the heating element on my seat and I welcome this during the winter months but the leather did not last. The leather type material around the joy stick element is starting to peel exposing the metal. The black paint around the stereo CD is starting to peel as well. The electronic seats on the drivers side starts to squeak when it goes forward and backwards. Dont know what causes this when the passenger seat does not make this sound.

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  Rattle from Center Console Area - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By Joe N - July 6 - 9:43 am

  Likes: (1)Price (2)American brand (3)Style improvement over outgoing model Dislikes: (1)Started making rattles from center console (perhaps from fan) within first 1000 mile (2)Noisy engine at idle (3)Screaming engine at full acceleration (4)Terrible sound system for base model (5)Very few options for base model (6)Handsfree bluetooth should be a standard feature

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  problem after problem - 2000 Cadillac Catera
  By Charles Fields - July 4 - 12:57 pm

  Cadillac should be sued for making a piece of crap like this. I own a 2000 catera, and it stalls out at random. The rpm dont go above 1 when idling. My fuel cap censor is going haywire, my check engine censor is on the fritz as well. If Cadillac is going to keep making vehicles like this, then they need to go back to square 1 at the drawing board. Its my first car and I thought it was nice. It was nice for the fist 6 months, now its been sitting in my driveway for the last 7 months.

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  Best car ever - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By Ron Taylor - July 4 - 10:00 am

  I have to drive for about an hour each day, and I have tryed a number of different cars, but now having this CTS, I love the drive each day. I decided to get the NAV system and sport package, and they are well worth it. I am certainly hooked on its quality and "head-turn" factor. Its got about enough power to beat anything normal on the road, even though its a 4- door "pure-luxury" vehicle. Its even great in the snow, as I have had occasion to prove...

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  Love my Caddy ! - 2005 Cadillac Deville
  By skates186 - July 4 - 7:25 am

  This is my fourth Cadillac, all bought used, and this is just about the best one. I got it with 16,000 miles on it, and it drives and looks like the day it rolled off the showroom floor. The price was great ($ 18,500 on a car that stickered for approx $57k 3 years ago), partially due to it not being the most recent body style, but it has every option with the exception of navigation. American cars have really come a long way, and I hope that more people will start to realize it and not choose foreign solely because of the prestige factor.