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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  I bought American with NO regrets !! - 2004 Cadillac Escalade
  By Musicwine - May 22 - 2:00 am

  An American SUV that blows away all the competition. The engine is smooth and powerful. Looks are incomparable and amenities are abundant. Great company, great service and great SUV. I am picky and still highly recommend this wonderful vehicle. Pricey but well worth the cost of admission !! I am so happy with Cadillac that I am turning in my Mercedes S430 for another Cadillac

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  Oh Yea - 2004 Cadillac Escalade
  By Mikla - May 22 - 2:00 am

  The 2004 Escalade is a pleasure to look at and drive. It offers comfort, ease of controls, safety, more than adequate hauling capacity both interior and exterior. It provides a commanding view of the roadway for the driver and is easily controlled given its size. The fuel consumption is around 12 mpg city, but what do you expect for a large SUV. The luxury and comfort and handling abilty are worth the cost.

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  07 Escalade - 2007 Cadillac Escalade
  By Brandon James - May 21 - 4:27 pm

  Had it for about 1 1/2 months. Drive it as often as I can. Always look forwad to getting into it. The ride is smooth, quite and comfortable.

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  SRX Smokes - 2004 Cadillac SRX
  By DavisFamily - May 21 - 10:46 am

  Great car to drive. Drive both the V8 and V6...big diff. with the 8 in performance, little diff. in fuel economy. Tight suspension, similar feel to the Acura we traded. I would highly recommend.

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  A Huge Step Up - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By A HUGE step up - May 21 - 4:43 am

  I have owned quite a few cars over the past 20 years all in the luxury market. I do alot of driving a year with pharm. sales. I would say in my experience this is one of the best cars Ive driven for the money. Great performance and handling, easy to use features, feels luxury unlike in my opinon the previous CTS. An awesome ride.

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  Denali is a better buy - 2007 Cadillac Escalade
  By Tony - May 20 - 4:06 pm

  I love the interior and exterior. The transmission is jumpy/bangs at "traffic/lower speeds" (stop/go @ 10mph and less. Ive averaged about 11.5 mpg and have about 5500 miles on the vehicle so far. The wind noise on the drivers side is very pronounced. I dont buy the excuse that its the mirrors as its not 1/2 as loud on the passengers side. Overall I wish I had stuck with a new Denali XL or gone with the Benz GL.

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  Eldorado Owner - 1994 Cadillac Eldorado
  By Joezaier565 - May 19 - 10:16 pm

  Very pleased with the performance and power of this vehicle! My first Cadillac, originally wanted or was most interested in obtaining a Seville, but opportunity to purchase my Eldorado instead and upon seeing it wanted to own and havent been dissapointed with it yet, with the occassional exception of problem with dash lighting.

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  What a blast - 2000 Cadillac Eldorado
  By pketch - May 19 - 11:22 am

  Bought used off lease. ETC Crims Pearl.How did I get so lucky? Drives like you would expect. First year aluminum roller rocker followers. The use of premium fuel is not required. A real plus with fuel getting ready to $4. Gas milage is great for the size and power. Under estimated by EPA. 22+ around town 28+ on the road. Transmission has to be one of the best. The shift is almost unnoticible. But best off all they tell you at GM to drive it like you stole it. The G force when you punch it will set you back in your set. The styling, being that GM tried to emulate the 67 (first year) I say they nailed it. Those classic lines are all over it. In short love the car, love to drive it

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  XTS Lost in translation - 2016 Cadillac XTS
  By Go pro Million Miler - May 18 - 6:11 am

  So, rented this Caddy over thanksgiving weekend (no other cars available on elite aisle). Car rental treated like it was a Bentley, its not. Ok, good looks, nice interior. It ends there. This unit had 416 miles upon pickup, I put 2000 additional miles on it. Fuel mpg 23 or better, engine performance, not. The engine was disconnected as was transmission,when forced to work it would, multiple times non responsive at worst times, stutter, no response dangerous. CUE IS A NIGHTMARE! All technology in this car is a nightmare. even power seats are stupid, memory settings require you to hold the button until preferences are restored. Example, you have a seat exit programed, it runs, now you want the seat and etall back to your programmed settings, hold the #1 button for 30 seconds. HORRID. Interior nice finishes, no storage, no outlets, stupid powered dash panel to hide a 90s flip phone with an inaccessible USB jack. WOW. Im gonna stop here this car sucks.

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  Nice Ride - 1995 Cadillac Eldorado
  By cwayne1 - May 16 - 1:38 pm

  I own the 1995 model and it has been running great. Because of old age, however, I had to replace radiator due to cracking on the plastic pieces. As this car gets older, I am sure I will have to replace some other plastic dry rotted parts. But other than the shocks and struts, road sensing suspension going bad, it has been a great car. Even if it gets 18 to 19 MPG. If you do replace parts, and you are going to keep the car till its eventual total failure, just make sure you buy quality automotive parts--dont go cheap.