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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  2008 DTS Luxury III - 2008 Cadillac DTS
  By 2008 DTS Luxury III - September 11 - 2:00 am

  I traded in my 2000 DHS for the 2008 DTS Luxury III Platinum model and regret it. My old DHS was a great car with a bad transmission. I had a few problems and tried to contact the "help" line. They refused to let me talk to a decision maker and were basically worthless. Cadillac apparently does not want to talk to customers. I am trying to go through the dealership and they will not give me the name of the GM Rep so I am not allowed to talk to her. This is unfortunate since I have 3 GM cars and when these are gone will likely not have another.

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  Paying for the name only - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By mary - September 9 - 2:00 am

  This car is a great ride. Thats it. I can not find anyone to fix whatever is wrong. Dealers laugh at the cost to fix it. It runs for a week and then quits. Over and over again. I feel like driving it through a dealer window, but bought it privately. I will stick to Toyota from past experience. I thought since the motor was made in Germany that it would be a good car. I was wrong! This car needs to have permanent retirement in a junk yard. I would feel guilty selling it to anyone as gullible as I was. I should have known better (what was I thinking not buying a Toyota?).

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  Initially, Quite Satisfied - 2010 Cadillac CTS
  By stelvy2005 - September 7 - 10:22 pm

  While I have had my vehicle for approximately a week, I am quite impressed with the sheer luxury and design of this American-made beauty. This is my first step into the American-made auto arena, and I must say I am impressed. Having always gone the foreign auto route and most recently coming from a 2007 BMW 328i, I was a bit skeptical about buying American. However, after persuasion from a friend who is a fellow Cadillac owner and the incentives offered on the 2010s, I decided to make the move. I must say at this point in time, I am completely satisfied with my new luxury sedan. The car turns plenty of heads, and I love my Black Raven exterior with Ebony interior. GM, you rock!

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  Love My Caddy - 2006 Cadillac STS
  By Jordan - September 3 - 8:22 pm

  I purchased this car certified used with 34,000 on it. So far I love the Caddy. I traded in my 2002 Lexus GS300 due to a series of electrical issues. I wanted to buy luxury and AMERICAN so I went with the STS V6. This car is a weekend driver for me as I have a company car. So far I have had it in for warranty service 3 times. The window switch in the back seat went out (roll down but not up), the ashtray trim piece broke, and the selector switch for the power mirrors broke. All under warranty. The technology in this car rivals my Dads E350 and will out perform the Mercedes all day. It is American and has some squeaks now and then but overall a dream to drive and turns heads. Love this car

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  Never thought Id hate a Cadillac - 2006 Cadillac SRX
  By Laura - September 1 - 8:25 pm

  I bought my 06 SRX 2 months ago, and within the first week it started having electrical issues radio presets lost memory, sunroof and windows wouldnt close, tilt reverse mirrors wouldnt work, and why it was stalling. The dealership handled the issue poorly, theyve had the car for almost 25 days in the last 2 months & still couldnt fix the problem. I took it to another dealership for a 2nd opinion, and it was fixed within an hour. I guess it was a known issue for the battery and computer modules to be tighten, so that all electrical lbs of power can support all the functions. After about 3 days, all the issues came back again.

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  Major Repair Experience - 1996 Cadillac Deville
  By Jim - August 29 - 3:38 pm

  I bought with about 58k miles. Very good ride and fuel mileage strong and plenty of power. Seemed the perfect car until 68k miles. Between 68k miles and 72k miles replaced transmission, air struts, and fuel injection pump. I rated down the reliability due to the mechanical failures, but now repaired, I am back to trusting its dependability. The problems were caught before breaking down on the road. Transmission metal and seal fragments were found on filter and oil change struts were flat and wearing rear tires severely and unevenly, and fuel injection was causing erratic and surging RPM, and a couple stalls.

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  Terrific car since new - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By Ryan - August 26 - 9:31 am

  I bought my 2005 CTS Luxury Sport in Oct, 2004 with 300 demo miles on it and have beaten the tar out of it. I currently have 97,000 miles on the car with minimal complaints and overall, would not go back to the 97 Audi A4 I traded in for it (Caddy blows its doors off). While the 3.6 is known for oil consumption, it was purposely built at the high end of tolerances to free up horsepower. Consumption remains just under 1 quart per 2000 miles, which is within specification. Aside from brakes and tires, I have had a water pump, rear differential seal, and a headlight module replaced (all under warranty). Overall, I love the car, and it remains rattle and wind noise free after 97k miles.

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  Still a great car - 2002 Cadillac Deville
  By Jerry K. - August 25 - 6:32 pm

  We bought our 02 Deville for my wife to replace her Chrysler 300M. It was bought used with 24K miles and we now have 94K on it. We have had all four bearings/hubs replaced, rear shocks, pass. window switch, one tie rod end and the pwr. strg. hose has a slight leak. Otherwise, it has been an excellent drive, smooth but have had the slight front end vibration above 60 MPH as commented by others. Four new Yokohama tires virtually eliminated it. Some of the dash switch lights have gone out but due to the permanent bulb design in the circuit boards, the bulbs simply cannot be replaced without a soldering iron. Engine/transmission are flawless. It uses a qt. of oil every 2000 miles.

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  The Good Outweighs the Bad - 2006 Cadillac STS
  By KSMYSTS - August 22 - 11:53 pm

  This is my 3rd Cadillac, and my second STS. The new design definitely tops my former Seville STS. It is a very fun car to drive, and has lots of power at any speed, without using Sport/Manual mode. Sure there are things I would change and things that arent fantastic (like any car), but the good makes those easy to overlook. The styling with traditional Cadillac cues is a win for me, and I love all the bells and whistles - after all, this is a Cadillac. I feel great driving it, a very responsive car - it is difficult to find performance and luxury in the same package, but this is an example of it.

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  Leaky leaky - 2002 Cadillac Deville
  By unhappycamper - August 19 - 3:58 pm

  This is a great riding car and a looker, too. BUT: last year at 73000 miles I had to get oil pan gaskets replaced - $1300. Last month at 83,000 miles, the northstar has a leaky head gasket. Thatll be another $1400 plus. Sad that such an expensive car develops problems so soon. Ive driven Buick lesabres passed 160,000 miles with no such problems. This is my LAST Caddy.