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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  The best EXT yet! - 2007 Cadillac Escalade EXT
  By neil - December 24 - 5:36 am

  This is my fourth EXT and by far the best. It rides like a luxury car not a truck. After 20,000 miles it still rides like I just purchased it. Plaudits to Cadillac on this one.

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  Rolling the dice on the 08 Slade - 2008 Cadillac Escalade
  By Halls1030 - December 22 - 1:01 am

  Decided on the 08 AWD Escalade after test driving the 08: MDX, GL320 & 450, Q7, Range Rover Sport, X5, & Sequoia Platinum. We decided to roll the dice on GM after getting an unbelieveable deal on a lease. Now anyone doing homework on the Escalade knows this SUV has pros/cons. Reliability issues, possible wind noise, gas mileage...and while we liked the GL 320 & 450 the pricing was too good to pass up on the Caddy. Wife loves it. Tons of room inside, great rear-entertainment (unfortunately it blocks rear view mirror. No problems to date though. We love the curb appeal as well. I will say anyone shopping an large SUV must check out the 08 Seqouia Platinum. Understated & loaded!

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  Lemon - 2007 Cadillac SRX
  By sb1122 - December 21 - 3:46 pm

  December 30th will be 1 year since we leased this car. Since then we have replaced 1 battery, 6 tires, (all locations), 2 front wheels, a timing chain, a steering rack and a CV joint. While the servicing dealer has been great the fact remains that we still have a "vibration", or "rumble" at various speeds. Since filing lemon law papers and bringing back car for "last chance" repair, we are now informed that this is "typical/usual" to this car. They didnt say that the first 4 times car was in & they replaced wheels and tires. Otherwise we love the car!

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  I love it - 2007 Cadillac XLR
  By Bernie - December 21 - 1:42 am

  I spent a long time deciding whether I wanted to spend the money for this car. Strange as it may seem, I also considered the Saturn Sky which is a terrific looking car. Ive owned a convertible before and knew that if I ever owned one again it would have to have a power hard top with a glass rear window. The XLR looks great and is fun to drive. Gas mileage on the highway has been far better than expected too!

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  Water In Rear Passenger Area - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By Jos. J. Sullivan Sr. - December 19 - 10:00 am

  I Took Posession Of My Vehicle In April.I Had It For 2 Months When I Noticed The Right Rear Passenger Foot Well Was Soaking Wet.I Took It Back To DeSimone Caddy And They Had The Car For A Week And A Half Trying To Figure Out Where The Water Is Coming From.I e- mailed Cadillac Last Week And I Am Still Waiting For A Response From Them.

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  A "Truck" underneath the Glamour - 2004 Cadillac Escalade
  By latrae75 - December 15 - 7:07 pm

  I purchased my 2004 Escalade with the 6.0 liter in February. It was certified and came with the extended factory bumper to bumper 6yr/100k warranty. I hear about people complaining about its fuel economy, but you must realize that behind all the chrome and flash that this is still a 5700 lb truck with a 6 liter V8. I use to get about 17 mpg on the highway, but I have installed a K&N filter($50) and a custom Flowmaster exhaust system($450), and now I get between 20-21 mpg with premium(93 octane) gas on the highway cruising at 70 mph, with 22" wheels. If fuel consumption is a worry for you, then simply dont buy an suv. But this truck is absolutely awesome, especially on long 200+ mile trips.

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  Love those Caddys - 2008 Cadillac DTS
  By Joel Albert - December 14 - 11:38 am

  Bought my 4th Cadillac. 94 Deville had 175,000 miles 99 Deville had 130,000 05 DHS had 110,000..just got 08 DTS...these are true road warriors that have given this road warrior almost 1/2 million comfortable safe miles...had a Lincoln in between the 99 and 05 Caddy...not even close to Caddy ride. When I got my first one I was only 44..below average demographic..love the comfort acceleration and handling..not interested in overrated and overpriced German or Japanese..Caddy packages all options neatly..takes me 20 minutes to buy my car..always get the White Diamond..keep building these.

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  Well there you go ! - 2008 Cadillac SRX
  By Nigel - December 10 - 4:45 pm

  I thought Id do it ... delve into the American car market .. and I have to say ... what a mistake I made. You pay for what you get and this vehicle I suppose sums that up. Nice on the outside and inside I suppose but the drive and the handling .. appalling. Why is it American cars only drive well on a straight flat roads? Here in Europe we have no such thing and cant you tell with this car. Had an X5 and a Range Rover Sport before .. and now I know why. Nevermind .. it does look nice on the drive .. but thats about it. When will Americans ever build .. a decent car? I love to think they will one day. Well I have to go for a wallow down to the local supermarket now.

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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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  escalade - 2004 Cadillac Escalade EXT
  By cabab - December 10 - 10:00 am

  awesome, just plain old awesome not more more to say than that.