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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  Wish I could buy a new one - 1990 Cadillac Deville
  By Laddie Williams - July 14 - 5:18 pm

  This is my wifes car. She loves her 90, the way it looks, handles, parks, and rides. When the cruise control quit I thought she would simply die. Otherwise, it has been trouble free. It now had 123,000 miles with no major repairs other than brakes and struts. s

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  Dont buy for looks, Has big problems - 2008 Cadillac Escalade
  By jason - July 14 - 4:52 pm

  Mechanically this car is junk. It is a new engine transmission combo for GM and they definitely didnt nail this one. Maybe in a few years they can make it better. I have had both engine and transmission problems with it and it only has about 12000 miles. JD Powers has rated it a 2 star for mechanical quality and that is very generous of them. All the good reviews are just for 1st drives and the looks after you have it a little while you will see the poor quality of this vehicle! And this is coming from a GM man that has always liked and bought GM!

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  A great car - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By Bray - July 13 - 10:12 pm

  This car has been a great car, except for the replacing of the struts, $800, and then the brake light on the trunk $300. I would reccomend this car to anyone. For being a V6 it gets good gas mileage, and for an 03 it still looks the new style.

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  Beautiful lemon - 1991 Cadillac Allante
  By cbboyle - July 12 - 11:02 pm

  Id always loved the look of this car, and finally got a very well preserved one. That was the beginning of my trouble. It was a money pit, and I finally got rid of it at a horrible loss, after endless major repair bills. The mechanics were never able to get the suspension right, to my thinking, and too much time was spent in the shop (and far too much money). The ride was too harsh (ever after replacing all four computer controlled shocks w/ OEM parts at terrific expense). This pretty much scared me off Cadillac for life. My Vette rode better, and got better mileage.

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  Car is great - 2007 Cadillac STS
  By brian - July 10 - 1:49 pm

  Car is an automotive winner. She blows the doors off the Mercedes Benz E class, the Infinity M35, or the 535 series BMW. in both performance and and good looks. Full featured for far less.

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  Stud Truck - 2004 Cadillac Escalade EXT
  By Caddyboy - July 10 - 10:00 am

  This is a head turner. I have a blast driving it. I added some performance from a customizer and this thing does 12:66 at 104mph in the quarter now

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  Good Car! - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By DB - July 8 - 10:42 pm

  Very nice looking car. Very road worthly. Fun to drive. Two years old and no problems.

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  My 3.6L CTS Experience - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By breaga01 - July 3 - 12:20 pm

  Very quick responsive fun car to drive. All that fun is hard on the tires as I found out when I had to replace them at 25K. A great looking car unique to Cadillac, Its easy not to confuse it with other cars because of its styling.

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  2007 Escalade AWD - 2007 Cadillac Escalade
  By PS - July 2 - 10:11 am

  This is my 4th Escalade. Overall good experience. Love driving this vehicle. However, 2007 model is the least comfortable to drive. Interior is lovely, but smaller that previous years.

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  Loads of Fun! - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By rhaydon - July 1 - 4:41 pm

  This is my first Cadillac, although my parents have had several over the years so I am familiar with them. I am 37 yrs old and absolutely love this car! I have the 3.6L V6 and it gets about 26 mpg highway and 19 mpg city. I average about 24 mpg and I step into the pedal quite often. It did have to go back to the dealer at about 3000 miles when the car started pulling to the left for no apparent reason. It took 2 trips to the dealer, but they figured out it was a failed steering gear and replaced it under warranty. Overall, this car is superb!