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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  Nice Car, but the Exterior Design Needs Help - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By stevo - March 18 - 10:03 am

  I started owning Cadillacs in 2000 and loved the exterior design of the DTS models from 2000-2005. I bought a 2006 in anticipation that it would be better, however in my opinion it is worse. It has very shallow cup holders. I have spilled several cups of coffee since owning the car due to this issue. It also is a bit noisy during hard acceleration, but the cruising noise level is fine. It has some torque steer at highway speed when you floor it because it is front wheel drive, which I find annoying. The OnStar system is excellent and the fact that you can use your Verizon cell phone numbers with it is a nice feature.

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  Brand New 2006 SRX - 2006 Cadillac SRX
  By dctex99 - March 18 - 1:08 am

  I love everything about the SRX. I just bought a brand new leftover 2006 model at a great price. It handles well, gets a lot of looks, and I got a great price on it in early 07. I highly recommend it.

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  Fails to Meet Expecations - 2006 Cadillac STS
  By Former Caddy Man - March 17 - 11:33 pm

  This car has lots of promise, but fails to deliver. The quality of the car itself as well as the dealer service has been very poor in my experience. I have experienced a number of breakdowns requiring tows. It has had repeated problems and the dealer has not been able to resolve them. This should not occur with a car like this. The transmission is rough and uncertain at low speeds and the electronics either dont work as billed or dont work as designed.

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  Best Car Ive Ever Owned - 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood
  By David W Boscola - March 17 - 4:41 pm

  Besides being a very elegant looking car, the performance of the Fleetwood with the LT1 engine is amazing. At 70 MPH she still has a passing gear. Its fuel economy is over 20 MPG. Its ashame Cadillac discontinued this model. Once they did that they lost me as a customer. Its new models are ugly in comparison. I currently have 67 and a 70 Fleetwood.

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  From BMW to Cadillac - 2007 Cadillac STS
  By beamerman - March 16 - 4:13 pm

  I am 60 years old and a car nut. I have owned 5 BMW cars and a friend said to drive the STS. I have not owned or leased an American car for 40 years. I drove this car and fell in love with it. I received an abundance of rebates and leased this car for 36 months with only paying taxes for 420.00/month. GM sent me a 2000.00 off certificate as well. The car handles smoothly, I can feel the road. The V6 is plenty powerful and I didnt lease based on the $46,000 MSRP. The car is tight, beautifully equipped and rides like a dream. I have OnStar, my own voice activated phone etc. If GM could get people to drive this car they would buy it. Kudos to General Motors for getting their act together.

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  STS Brakes and Front End - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By gojo2 - March 15 - 5:13 pm

  Our 2005 Cadillac STS is not as reliable as the Lexus weve owned. Weve had problems with the brakes and the front end. The dealer and Cadillac are not as friendly to customers as they claim.

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  All American Cadillac - 1990 Cadillac Brougham
  By Garry - March 15 - 6:55 am

  I purchased it used and have enjoyed it from day one. Its very smooth and comfortable even at 17 years old. The only major repair that I had to make was the conversion of the A/C to R134. It is tough on gasoline, but my car payment is $0, so who cares. Its built like a tank, rides like silk and feels safe as a house. Say what you will, Id buy this boat over a Honda/Toyota twice over. This one is still "The Standard of the World".

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  Terrible Nightmare - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By Cadillac Catera - March 14 - 10:26 pm

  This was the worst car I have ever owned. I have had nothing but problems with it. I have had to replace every part imaginable on it. I came from a Toyota Camry and I am going to hand deliver this Catera back to the dealer. Do not buy this car, ever!

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  I Love My DTS - 2000 Cadillac Deville
  By LuvsmyDTS - March 12 - 9:16 am

  This car has a great ride, great performance, and very comfortable seating. I love the steering wheel controls for the radio, gotta have that. This car has two personalities, if you drive conservatively youll get really good gas mileage, I average about 20.5 miles per gallon this way (city & hwy combined). However, if you want to drive fast, it will do that too, without hesitation. It will go like a scalded dog, but the gas mileage will drop to about 16 mpg. Its highway mileage is superb, about 23 mpg.

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  Still Strong After 11 Years - 1996 Cadillac Deville
  By Ken - March 11 - 11:17 am

  I cannot believe how strong of a runner this car is. I purchased it from the original owner. Every option still works! It has a lot of power for the ride. I am very pleased with my purchase.