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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  Lots of Great Car for the Price - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By Larry H - September 5 - 7:30 pm

  I am very pleased with this big sedan. It is smaller than the Lincoln Town Car. Recently redesigned with a great looking exterior, the DTS caught my eye when it first came out. I even traded my Jaguar XJR to get one. The Caddy has better acceleration, is quieter, and is a good car for clients - comfortable, smooth, easy to enter and exit.

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  Glad To Be Back In A Caddy - 2006 Cadillac CTS
  By Vic - September 5 - 1:07 am

  Cadillac has finally come out with a destintive looking car. I love the design. Inside and out this is a head turner. I get excellent gas milage on the wide open roads of Nevada. I was so impressed with this car that I traded in a 2006 Nissan Altima and took some loss on it.

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  03 Escalade - 2003 Cadillac Escalade
  By R & D - September 2 - 5:48 pm

  After my first week of owership I became very disappointed for about the next three months because it turned out that we wound up with an Escalade that had a lemon differential. Once the service department figured out what was wrong with the car and totally replaced the differential with a brand new one, my truck started spending more time with us instead of in the shop. Although it was fun driving all the different "new lenders" they gave us to drive while the car was in the shop.

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  Great Car - 2004 Cadillac SRX
  By PhilP - September 2 - 2:00 am

  Great Vehicle! No regrets at 3,000 miles

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  cts - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By sillievo - September 2 - 2:00 am

  Definitely a overall fun car with the needed space for some people. I was going for the 350z but ended up buying the cts. It is obviously not as fun as the Z but for the space and comfort it offers, its a good trade off.

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  One of the Best - 2007 Cadillac STS
  By Rodney Knight - September 1 - 3:16 am

  The 2007 Cadillac STS is a wonderful car. I see lots of reviews. Until retirement I was a damage appraiser. I know whats underneath and this car is just head and shoulders above the imports.

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  2003 CTS Tire Noise - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By Paul - August 31 - 5:41 pm

  Ive had problems with abnormal tire wear and very annoying tire noise. The dealership says theres not a problem. I replaced the original Goodyear tires with new Goodyears because the dealeship said tire noise & abnormal tire wear was due to my not rotating tires every 6,000 miles. The new tires have less than 6,000 miles on them and are already noisy. I think theres an alignment problem that GM needs to address.

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  They really took me - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By kelsey - August 31 - 10:00 am

  My CTS is a joke. I expected much more from a Cadillac. 3 days after taking delivery the sunroff decided not to work. Then I found there was no power to the accessory plugs. Then a piece of body molding came loose. then the dome light cover fell off every time I opened the roof at freeway speeds, Then the clock decided to lose time, the presets would decide to change when they wanted-which isnt much fun at 70 mph. Now, every once in awhile the engine doesnt want to idle worth a damn when warming up. I really wish Ild have pruchased the Infinity. General motors really let the qua;ity control slip on this one.

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  Great 07 Vehicle - 2007 Cadillac DTS
  By Makon - August 30 - 8:30 pm

  I have driven many Cadillacs in this series over the years like the Concour, Performance DTS, etc. I especially like the upgraded styling, performance, and new xeon lighting.

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  EDQ SRX - 2004 Cadillac SRX
  By EDQ - August 28 - 10:00 am

  This car is my first luxury car purchase. I absolutely love it. The car is extremely fun to drive. It is extremely stylish, turning heads everywhere that I go. i have absolutely no regrets with this purchase!