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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  Great 2009 DTS - 2009 Cadillac DTS
  By vfrosh - August 3 - 10:37 am

  I purchased my 2009 DTS with 29K. I have owned it for a year. I average 20K miles yearly. The car has held up well. It is a fun comfortable, fast, and pretty car. This is my 12th caddy. I have owned four new caddys and eight used ones. The used caddys offer the best savings from depreciation. I usaually purchase 2- 3 year old caddys. I put 50K miles on my new caddys and usually average 130K on my used caddys.

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  Awesome - 1997 Cadillac Deville
  By youngcaddy - July 23 - 2:18 am

  Im 17 and my grandfather gave me my 97 cadillac deville delegance. defenitly an awesome car especially for my age. i use it for speed really. very fast. very comfortable. and the backseat is like a bed )

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  Luxury, Performance, and Fun - 2005 Cadillac Escalade
  By mikeygg69 - July 1 - 9:18 pm

  This is the best truck I have ever driven. Every time I drive my Escalade SUV its like an adventure from the stereo system to the beefy performance and luxurious ride, 2005 Cadillac Escalade is the best SUV ever. I have never heard a better stereo system in my life, and I actually own a BMW with a Harmon Cardin stereo system. It cannot touch the Escalade. It is like my own personal symphony orchestra at a touch of a button. I attempted a trade in a year ago, but change my mind after the test drive. I am fully convinced that the 2005, Cadillac Escalade is the best SUV truck available, hands down. If you want a reliable truck, go find you a 2005, Cadillac Escalade truck.

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  AMAZING! - 2011 Cadillac Escalade
  By chevyboy108 - July 1 - 3:14 pm

  By far the most refined, up-scale SUV on the market. Driving the 2011 Cadillac Escalade is fun, exhilarating, and just down-right exciting. With its 6.2L V8 engine, acceleration and towing is unprecedented. And for the size, gas mileage is amazing.

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  Loving my SRX - 2011 Cadillac SRX
  By cadcoo - June 21 - 11:22 am

  Purchased the SRX May 2011. I love the drive, ride, and design. It gets tons of looks on the road. I purchased the black ice after going back and forth from the red to black ice. Of course I had to pick the 2 most popular colors so it took some time for the dealership to find just what I wanted (I had to have black interior b/c I have 2 kids). I wish I had purchased the premier with air conditioned seats, but I saved $3000 not getting them so I just use the app on my iphone to start my car and cool it off.

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  DTS Luxury III, Total Comfort at reasonable price - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By bsdtwd - June 19 - 10:03 am

  Bought mine gently used with 23,000 miles. Just off lease. Has everything but distronic style cruise. My wife loves the cooled seats and massage. Just had heated windshield fluid option disabled due to recall. Worked well. Got $100 back from GM. I replaced the third brake light on trunk lid. LEDs were going out and I discovered issue as I replaced it. The first screw, of seven, was over torqued during manufacture and let water into the led housing. You must replace entire unit. About $125.00. I see lots of DTSs with same issue. New one works well. Only other repair was front wheel hub/bearing. Rough winter/potholes in Ohio. A great car, fantastic ride and the last of the big ones.

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  Bose Stereo Issue Debugged - 2008 Cadillac STS
  By cfazzari - June 4 - 2:02 am

  In an earlier review I wrote the Bose system was basically terrible. The lows had no THUMP the Mids were Watery and the highs were muted. Apparently There are five different listener settings: Centerpoint, Driver, Talk, Normal and Rear. Centerpoint is the setting to use. The other four settings make the system sound awful at high volumes. Centerpoint wakes up the entire system and is easily comparable to the Boston Acoustic sytem I just came out of from my SRT8 Charger.

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  AMAZING - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By emcee2 - June 3 - 1:01 am

  I got this car for my 17th birthday and couldnt be more pleased! The BOSE sound system is tremendous and the sportiness keeps it young. :D It rides super smooth and Ive never had a complaint about comfort. The price is outstanding for what all it has to offer and Im honestly in shock at how convenient this car is. Its roomy, sporty, beautiful, and smooth... What more could you ask for?

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  Batmobile... All Grown-up - 2008 Cadillac DTS
  By miguelski - May 23 - 11:29 pm

  In considering a replacement for my 2004 black Supercharged SS Monte Carlo (Batmobile) I looked for an American made "grown-up" 4 door car. My internet research led me to the Certified 2008 black-on-black Cadillac DTS which I purchased. I am very pleased with my purchase.

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  Excellent Ride - 2011 Cadillac SRX
  By pro13 - May 18 - 7:11 pm

  I returned my BMW to lease this SRX. I dont regret it one bit. I love the higher view and the ride is so smooth I have had the car for two weeks and I already have 700 miles on it.