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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  ED39206 - 1999 Cadillac Seville
  By ED39206 - March 20 - 4:47 pm

  My mother bought this vehicle after my dad died in 99. Thank God for warranties. When it ran out, let the fun begin. They use cheap quality parts and is not equal to the price you pay. Last night, March 20, 2008, the bolts and lug nuts broke off the front tire, leaving only one to hold the tire on, the other one that was on was loose. Today they tell me the hub assembly for the opposite wheel needs to be replaced. WHAT! This car only has 60,000 miles!!! Not to mention the oil leak that was reported back in December 07. That will cost about $6,000. The price you pay for a cadillac is not worth the value.

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  Lemon year-run as fast as you can - 1994 Cadillac Eldorado
  By Karla - March 15 - 5:26 pm

  I bought this car with 57,000 on it and have put almost $10,000 into it in the last 2 years and it keeps breaking down about every 2 months and cost about $500 or more to fix. I feel guilty selling the car to somebody else because I know they will have the same trouble. The car stalls after you drive 5 miles. I get it fixed and then it works for a while and then breaks again. It pours oil. The tranny is jerking and pretty much I feel like every time I drive it I am lucky to get it home to the driveway again. It is a beautiful Pearl White car and I wish someone could pinpoint the stalling problem. If anyone knows about the stalling let me know. It stalls when I slow down or stop.

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  2014 SRX - 2014 Cadillac SRX
  By bill - March 9 - 4:42 am

  Better options out there. Cadillac CUE is disappointing, other car is BMW 650I and iDrive blows this away.

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  So far so good - 2002 Cadillac Deville
  By Tommy from Jersey - February 11 - 4:05 pm

  Purchased used from dealership. Car is in good condition was garage kept. Ride good fuel about 25 MPG Highway mostly. City about 15 . Always wanted a Caddy even though it is 6 yrs old with only 35,000 miles drives great.

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  2001 Base Catera - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By Good Car - February 2 - 10:02 pm

  Runs great, smooth ride. For under $6000 with 58,000 miles, it is a great car for the money. I would have never spent $30,000 for a new one.

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  Mechanics job security - 2000 Cadillac Catera
  By Unhappy owner - January 21 - 2:32 pm

  I bought this low mileage Catera for my son because it appeared to be in excellent condition and it appeared well cared for. It was probably low mileage because it likely was in the shop all the time like I have experienced! I thought this platform was supposed to have been a well engineered Opel model brought to the U.S. to compete with the best sports sedans of the world? In the 1st 7 months, I spent over one third of the cost of the entire car on repairs! The car has nice features and is a good driving car, but I would be afraid to take it out of town in cold weather out of fear of being stranded!! I had hope to find my son a reliable car to take to college...I was very wrong!

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  Catera - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By dp - December 10 - 2:35 pm

  Dont buy a Catera! We bought one in Feb. 07, and it ran great for 2 days total. Needed a new head gasket..it only had 60k miles on it. Great ride, great looking car but not reliable at all. The day we picked it up we were told by a mechanic that did not inspect the car that it was a piece of junk! He predicted either head gasket problems within 6 months. Two days after we got it, had a new radiator put in. Then, everything was leaking (transmission fluid, oil, water, brake fluid). We finally sold it for less than 1/4 of what we paid for it after 4 months..apparently everyone else knew about those problems but us!

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  Really bad - 2007 Cadillac Escalade
  By john - November 28 - 12:13 pm

  This is my second Escalade and I was really excited about it. I bought a fully loaded awd black black. The problem is the transmission feels as though its going to fall out of the car....the wors shifting ever. I manually shifted to see what gear 4 and 5th are the worst. Also the 55 lbs seats...I mean come on...my 125lb wife has no chance at getting them in/out. This car really is disappointing and they will feel it.

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  Just an okay car, nothing special - 2017 Cadillac XT5
  By Arletta - October 24 - 10:48 am

  THERES SOMETHING GOING ON WITH THE SUNROOF. While driving with my sunroof completely open, for some reason it does something to your ears. it feels as if pressure is in your ears. somewhat like flying on an airplane. I thought it was me, but I allowed three friends to drive the car, and they experienced the same feeling. The only way to eliminate the problem is to open a side window. That defeats the purpose of using the sunroof. Its a great looking car, but I wish I had chose something else.

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  Much to be desired - 2007 Cadillac DTS
  By BJ TX - October 16 - 10:22 pm

  The car looks nice enough but interior design needs help, may as well put the radio and A/C panels & controls on the floor since it is necessary to turn & look down to see them. The seat belt buckle is difficult to find jammed up by the center console. The plastic interior is poor quality for a LUX car. The ride is smooth the engine power is good, steering could be tighter. This car rides and handles no better than my base 01 De Ville and lacks the comfort. The controls in the arm rest are poor design resting my arm on it the windows go down and the controls are touchy. There are too many DIC switches. The tire monitor has stopped working. Rear visibility past the rear doors down the side.