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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  What a Car! - 1994 Cadillac Eldorado
  By "Caddy" - September 11 - 10:37 am

  What a car, great performance, comfort, and I average 22mpg. This is one of my all-time favorite cars. I have had almost no mechanical problems and now with 180,000 miles it still runs like new. I love the body style on my ETC and have no complaints about this automobile.

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  Great rider - 1995 Cadillac Deville
  By Very little problems - September 10 - 8:46 pm

  I bought this car almost 10 years ago used and I am very happy with the service life of this model car. This car is solid throughout. It looked great back then and it still does today. The finish on the car is still lustrous. The interior is also holding up. No crumbling of any kind like the Cadillacs of the past just normal wear and tear.

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  A Smashing Looker - 2008 Cadillac SRX
  By Linda Winfield - September 10 - 5:24 pm

  I cant get enough of driving this car. The ride is excellent. And I love to see heads turn when they approach the vehicle. GM has done their homework.

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  2nd STS for me, and I love my 07!! - 2007 Cadillac STS
  By tj65 - September 7 - 9:37 pm

  This is my 2nd STS. I expected a lot of my new 07 STS and have been very pleased so far! Cars I considered before buying my STS - all very nice but either too small or offered less value: 1. Acura TL and RL 2. Lexus GS and IS 3. Infinity M35 4. Subaru Tribeca 5. Audi A6 6. Mercedes E Class 7. BMW 5 Series 8. Volvo S70 The 07 STS handles like a sports car with luxury feel exacly what I was looking for! Its quick for a V6 - I test drove the V6 and V8, and there was not a huge difference to justify the incremental cost. I looked at a bunch of cars, and the STS, in my opinion, gave me by far the best bang for the buck (see favorite features below) Very pleased so far!

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  Good car - 2001 Cadillac Seville
  By Judith - September 7 - 8:32 pm

  This car has a classic look and a great ride. Plenty of room for passengers, and comfortable seats too. My STS is great on slippery roads and in snow. There is virtually no air noise. I now have over 95,000 miles on my car, and I am having a hard time thinking about getting rid of it. Its getting older and the value is going down, but I still love it.

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  Cutting Edge SUV - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By wildcat - September 6 - 1:45 pm

  Fine all purpose SUV type car. Good on the road and in town. Best styled of all SUVs. So many of the others look alike - the SRX is the only SUV people comment favorably the design. Have taken it around Montana in the summer and Texas in the winter.

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  Visibility - 2007 Cadillac SRX
  By B&J - September 3 - 7:58 pm

  Run over curbs and your only clue will be the sound and the bump. The high beltline and the huge poorly placed and conceived sideview mirrors make manuvering an athletic stretching event. It has great handling on the road but my wife and I much prefered her S-10 Blazers for everyday driving and drive thru windows. We have had great service for the very few issues weve had.

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  98 Cadillac performance and comfort - 1998 Cadillac Deville
  By RALPH MANGUM - September 3 - 6:58 pm

  We use the car for long road trips, we enjoy the comfort, and space for luggage. Gas mileage is superb when you drive at or near the speed limit. We have had very little repairs to make to this car. An alternator once but nothing else except one set of tires and normal service., every 3k miles.

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  Car of my dreams - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By LaKrizzia - September 2 - 10:00 am

  I Love This Car I Feel like a kid in a candy store

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  3rd Time Escalade Owner - 2016 Cadillac Escalade
  By April - September 1 - 12:38 pm

  This is our third Escalade to own. I couldnt be more disappointed in the quality of the car this time. They really cut corners in the interior and it shows from parts coming unglued to the interior leather peeling. On the outside of the car the Crome trim on the door popped off and all four doors trim work between the doors had to be replaced. My car had less than 8k miles and they replaced the transmission. For a vehicle costing almost 100k very disappointed Cadillac. This will be our last.