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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  Follow up to my September 2014 review - 2013 Cadillac XTS
  By gjohn1964 - May 22 - 2:47 pm

  Please see my email below. While I will never argue this is not a beautiful car, I must give it poor marks for reliability. For the third time, the rear suspension has collapsed. While my local service department is helpful and sympathetic, this is a defective car. Im hoping Cadillac does the right thing and relieves me of the remaining months on my lease and takes the 2013 XTS Luxury edition back. Cadillac, please do the right thing.

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  Going back to Lexus... - 2014 Cadillac ATS
  By kanger3 - May 4 - 9:25 am

  The sharp exterior styling brought me to this car, and the great salesman got me to drive off with it. Ive had this car for 12months (16K miles) now and have run into one issue after another...A blowout from the run-flat tires was the first issue. I paid $400 for a new tire because they said it was road-hazard. Then the USB ports stopped charging. Then the car threw up a check engine light (code P0023) dealer replaced a fuel solenoid. One month later, threw up another check engine (code P0021) dealer replaced fuel solenoid in Bank B. Its been a week, and now the car is idling rough and lacking power. No engine codes...YET.

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  Very Disappointing - 2010 Cadillac DTS
  By 1george - April 29 - 10:14 pm

  I always dreamed of owning a Cadillac. Now, I own a DTS and my dream is broken. I drive for Uber and looked at Lincoln Mkx,Town Car,Chrysler 300 and the DTS I selected the DTS based on back seat size and FWD.The car is comfortable and the FWD works well. However, this car rides like crap.The front end bottoms out over the slightest bump in the road. I took it to the dealer to ask about this and they told me that a lot of DTS owners complain about this problem and they told me there was nothing I can do to improve the ride. This is the worst driving car Ive ever owned.

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  Its my own fault - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By David H Myers - February 18 - 2:12 pm

  After my wife totalled my Chrysler 300, she bought a 2001 Catera from our mechanic. The sold it to us for $600 + $2,400 in repairs. It seemed OK at first. I suppose I shoudnt have let her buy such an old car. The water pump went, then the fuel pump, then the key lock. As stated by others, the sunroof has a mind of its own. I am spending, on average, about $600 / month to keep this thing on the road. It still needs from front end work. They dont make the part for the electronic anti-theft key anymore mechanic had to order the part from MO. I have put my wife to task to do something about this thing. We have to get rid of it.

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  Not worth it! - 1995 Cadillac Deville
  By orangeavenf - January 17 - 10:12 am

  This 95 was a pretty lady that turned on me! This car is horrible. I bought car with 95,000 miles, drove it for about 2,000 miles, and ever since its spent more time in the shop than on the road. The reliability is on par with a 1970s snowmobile. I spent $600 replacing transmission solenoids, $300 on a starter, fixed a broken engine mount, a rusted metal coolant line, and now my mechanic cant get the Service Ride Control message to go away, leaving me stuck with a car thats worth $1,000 or putting another $1,000 into modifying the air suspension. Its just a bad choice thats led to a terrible experience. I wouldnt do it again!

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  Not sure what Cadillac is anymore... - 2002 Cadillac Deville
  By potsynolls - September 14 - 11:34 am

  I think that the devilles are good sized cars that eliminating any cramped feelings that most other cars can have. This is a definite upgrade from chevy division products, and I am sad to see the company changing its product line up into unfamiliar territory. Being a 2002 deville I have made and paid for some repairs which isnt fun, but eventually any 10+ year old car is going to need some work done to it. I am still a little confused to what Cadillac thinks that they are competing with at the same price points of everyone else. I think that the build quality of cadillacs should be the standard for all GM products instead of them continuously pumping out tin can crap to consumers.

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  Buyer Beware, 2015 Escalade - 2015 Cadillac Escalade
  By robin_loxley - August 12 - 5:41 pm

  I dont believe the mainstream reviewers have ever driven this vehicle. I have. We have gone from excited anticipation to disillusionment. Not what we were expecting for $93,000. I ordered this 2015 Escalade ESV Premium with every option, sight unseen, based on the great reviews & excellent presentation on Cadillacs website. That was a mistake. I own a 2008 CTS which I absolutely love to drive, a few faults, but basically a great machine, never had a problem. So when I read that the new SUV was to be partially based on the CTS, along with great reviews, I was on the hook. Keeping it brief, whats good: styling, performance, handling, ride (especially Sport), finish, sound system, GPS,

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  Come on GM - 2014 Cadillac ATS
  By ctshadaflood - August 10 - 9:51 am

  I had Cadillacs my whole life. I had a skid with Infinti from 2011 to 13. Probably my best 3 years of driving, I went back to Cadi because i believed they were making a better car and the deal was also inviting. But the continuing problems surface every month. The quality is sub par to those imports. Craftmanshift is very poor. The look of the ATS performance is outstanding as the handling. I made a mistake of getting the 2.0. It has no punch from the gate. Aside all the fun this CAR has to offer. Its in the shop once a month for something. I lost the power steering once, not a good experiance. I even lost the dashboard lights,gauges.Going in now 4 mildew smell in AC, its killing me.

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  2009 nightmare - 2009 Cadillac CTS
  By jdpax16 - July 11 - 1:12 pm

  I have had this car about 2 years. While under warranty it was awesome. Now at 52,000 miles it has needed timing chains, and now a whole new tranny and transfer case. One owner,52k miles. This is ridiculous. I had a 1992 merc grand marquis with 176k miles that had original tranny and drivetrain. I have lost all faith in GM and their craftsmanship, quality, and customer service. Steer clear of these cars. Has now been in shop for two weeks with no end in sight. I have always been a automotive enthusiast with a deep passion for American muscle and performance but this experience has really tested my faith and trust in American auto makers

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  Long-term Evaluation - 2007 Cadillac SRX
  By calang1 - December 30 - 6:35 am

  Weve owned this 2007 SRX AWD V-6 about 4-years. It now has 90K miles. The car has been very reliable, and weve only ever paid for routine maintenance. There are a few problems you should be aware of. (1) The engine consumes several qts. of oil between changes. (2) The build integrity is fair-poor, as evidenced by numerous squeaks and rattles. (3) The passenger foot-well is extremely narrow, and uncomfortable. (4) Fuel mileage is much lower than advertised. We experience 15/20.