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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  BUYER BEWARE - 2008 Cadillac Escalade
  By Concourse - November 1 - 12:23 am

  Transmission went bad with 2000 miles on it.After 5 attempts to have it fixed they finally found the problem. It is an engineering flaw that GM said do not repair,there is no repair and it is on all 07 & 08 models. Im crushed I paid $68k and no fix for Cadillacs engineering flaw, I asked them how much on trade they said $48k so a $20k loss on a problem that GM knows about and will not repair and will not warn potential buyers, how low can you go? Learn thru my mistake on trusting Cadiilac, and ask about this engineering flaw, the service dept. knows about it they have documents in their file that they can show you but you cant make a copy of it.

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  Cant go wrong - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By Jimmy C - October 29 - 10:20 pm

  This car has it all, styling, comfort, and power. I never thought I would buy a Cadillac, but after I test drove it, there was no reason not to. It beat the BMW 530i and the Mercedes E320 in the 0-60, 1/4 mile and slalom. Extremely comfortable seats. Best car Ive had.

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  Fantastic Luxury SUV - 2008 Cadillac Escalade
  By Bob in FL - October 29 - 5:06 pm

  This a beautiful driving machine, and it performs. This vehicle is everything a luxury SUV should be, and more. We love it!

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  Great Vehicle - 2004 Cadillac Escalade
  By John - October 29 - 1:41 am

  I have had mine for a month now, gone on very long trips and love it, have tvs in all the headrests and some 22s on it. My favorite vehicle Ive owned yet.

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  I just love to look at it! - 2007 Cadillac SRX
  By JJJ - October 28 - 2:26 pm

  I love this car with a few minor exceptions. With the sport package, the 20 inch wheels, and all black outside, there are not very many better looking SUVs on the road. With the V8, its just plain fast. But, I am only getting 13.5 MPG, less than in the Escalade I traded in. And, the Escalade took regular gas. Seats could be a bit more comfortable but not bad.

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  Cadillac is the American Mercedes! - 2004 Cadillac Deville
  By Jeff Stamper - October 25 - 12:59 am

  My USED 2004 Cadillac DeVille cost $4,500 with 78,000 miles and still looks Brand New. Mint condition! I have all the Records and this car cost $49,000 to the Original buyer and well to me its still "Like New" so there you have it....I never buy brand new car because of this reason. The resale value is not good but buy used and save tons of money. In my opinion its not a $49,000 car but thats what it costs and thats not what I paid....no wheres near LOL...$4,500 and BEAUTIFUL !

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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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  Cadillac - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By dennisfaust - October 23 - 3:02 pm

  Great solid car. Good value. Rides like a Cadillac. Plenty of power. Economy is competitive to much smaller cars, and regular gas is a plus. Well designed interior. Everything fits and is comfortable. Quiet ride.

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  Id buy it again - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By Duke Borkoski - October 23 - 11:50 am

  This is my 4th Caddy and it has more omph that any of the previous 3. Great color -Ice Blue. Got better mileage with the 03 but this still gets 25-27 mpg on the road. Love the extra toys - heated steering wheel, OnStar, etc.

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  Love my Caddy - 1999 Cadillac Seville
  By jlauria751 - October 22 - 11:36 pm

  I bought my STS in 2004 with 51,000 miles on it. I paid 13,000 which is a bargain. No other luxury car that came out in 1999 can even come close 2 matching the features for the price. Its not been without its problems. I replaced the brakes and rotors, and a power steering hose. My left side mirror is loose and the right passenger door molding fell off. There was a little bit of vibration between 70 to 80 mph but a good set of Michelin tires fixed that. There are a lot less problems than I would expect out of a 8 year old car. The car has never broken down on me. It only did not start once but the battery was completely dead.