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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  NO MORE GM - 1995 Cadillac Seville
  By NO MORE GM - November 13 - 2:00 am

  POOR QUALITY FOR THE PRICE. HAVE REPLACED FUEL PUMP, ENGINE MOUNTS AND THE BODY MOLDING IS FALLING OFF.

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  My Last Cadillac - 2000 Cadillac Catera
  By DavidE - November 11 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Catera for luxury, dependability and looks--because my father has owned eight Cadillacs. I have a car with tire, alignment and electrical problems, is expensive to maintain and gave me many other headaches. Despite textbook care, I am on my third set of tires and fourth battery. My AC has never cooled properly and re-programmed the sunroof at least 100 and the power windows and locks, the radio, headlights and trunk release have all been broken. I wanted Cadillac luxury, I got the Cadillac runaround and a lot of knowing nods from service people who know what a lemon this car is. Cadillac should be ashamed to put their name on this vehicle.

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  CADILLAC STS 97 - 1997 Cadillac Seville
  By mcGOO - November 3 - 2:00 am

  THIS CAR LEFT ME STRANDED 4 TIMES. OIL LEAKED OUT COMPLETELY. ALWAYS GET EXTENDED WARRANTY YOULL NEED IT NO LEES TAN EVERY 3 MONTHS. I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS CAR, I ASKED DEALER TO BUY IT BACK AND THEY OFFERED ME HALF THE MARKET VALUE! I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER CADILLAC!

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  Wheres the closest Lincoln dealer? - 2003 Cadillac Escalade
  By Matt 221 - October 19 - 2:00 am

  I have been nothing but dissappointed with this vehicle. From the slugish controls, to the cheap interior design. I mean it looked great at the dealership, until I got it home. It does have good power, but that just isnt enough.

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  Catera ,german for "No One Can Fix it" - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By Captain Canuk - October 18 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car off of lease with only 45k on it. At first we thought we had a great car. The ride was great and the handling was beautiful. After the first couple of months things started to go, front left signal light just fell off(poor plastic???bracket)then the tires started leaking (rusting rims after 50K same problem they had in the 70S),water pump,air conditioner pump,leaky oil cooler,driver side mirror discoloration, front breaks and finally the timing belt (recall). Our warranty is coming to an end in May and we are going to ditch the car for an import maybe we will upgrade to a Corolla!!

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  Caddillacs in general - 2003 Cadillac Deville
  By marie h - September 16 - 2:00 am

  There must be some reason why NO Dealer will give a reasonable trade in allowance for a Caddy. They are unreliable, costly to repair and flat out dangerous after the warranty runs out. Ive had 4, and will NEVER buy it again. Dealer in Atlanta was deceitful. EVERYTHING went wrong in that piece of junk. NEVER will I buy another Caddy. More gadgets do not make quality.

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  Dont get caught - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By Mad as Hell - August 31 - 2:00 am

  My father has purchased nothing but Cadillacs for as long as I can remember. You can imagine how excited I was to purchase my first. Low mileage and every feature I wanted. Well, it would be nice to drive the car instead of repairing all the time. Leaks in power steering, ABS, Traction control and to top it off $400 for brake pads. This car has been a nightmare. I want out and cant get enough for it to pay off the loan!

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  Not what I expected - 1992 Cadillac Eldorado
  By Tom Donnee - August 27 - 2:00 am

  Ive had nothing but problems with this car since I bought it. The ABS quit, the A/C leaked, The brakes leaked, the Catalitic converter failed and the radio reception was poor. The dealer was unable to fix the radio, now would Cadillac stand behind me after I complained. There were quite a few other problems also. Each one cost $2- 500 to repair.

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  PLEASE DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY - 1999 Cadillac Catera
  By TSharpe - August 20 - 2:00 am

  I purchased a 1999 Cadillac Catera in June, 2001. To date, it has been in the shop at least eight (8) times. The transmission light stays on (though Cadillac can never figure out why), the radiator light comes and goes, the radiator has gone bad twice, the check engine light stays on (again, though Cadillac cannot figure out why), the tires go bad quickly and the front end alignment is always out of whack. Please, dont waste your money. I paid 20,000 and it is not only worth $10,000 on a trade.

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  Oye, Cateras break down a lot! - 2000 Cadillac Catera
  By Joef - August 15 - 2:00 am

  Lets see, before 20k miles, New tires, 10 balances on the old tires, new breaks and rotors, 8 new window sensors, rear subframe was not bolted on from the factory (car drove sideways ate tires) which Cadillac was kind enough to make me pay for (12k miles). Car is rusting (again Cadillac is letting me pay for the fix). 5 different times the check engine lights came on. Puked radiator fluid allover my garage, (towed), puked tranny fluid in my garage (towed). Moon roof locks up pretty much all of the time, but I figured out how to reset it. I will never buy another Cadillac