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 Love My 92 Eldo - 1992 Cadillac Eldorado
  By Caset - April 10 - 2:47 pm

  Ive driven over 30,000 west coast miles. Really enjoy driving this car. It makes me smile and often laugh every time I walk up to it. Such a great streamlined look! I agree its the only car that looks like its moving when its sitting still. So sexy and elegant. Replaced drivers window motor and recently have been tracking an electrical weirdness. Replaced the starter/battery but still sometimes clicks instead of starting. Havent been able to figure it out. Speakers were going on and off then smelled electrical so dont use it. The a/c goes on and off sometimes when I go over bumps so theres some wiring with bad connects. I still love it and am keeping it for now.

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  Big Mistake - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By Not What I Expected - April 7 - 9:30 pm

  I cannot believe that GM would build a Cadillac without a sensor to let you know that the oil is low. The other reviews sound like me. Had I know that the SRX V6 uses so much oil and there is not a light that tells you there is no oil in the car I definitely would not have bought it. Driving from LA to Sacramento the car starts jerking but no warning light comes on so I think I just filled up with bad gas and continue to drive another 100 miles. Well it was not the gas it was no oil in the engine. I owned the car 4 months and was scheduled for an oil change two days later. I cannot believe GM does not fix this problem. The warranty does not cover engine damage due to no oil in the car.

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  CTS Sport - 2007 Cadillac CTS
  By Supermatic - March 31 - 3:17 pm

  This car has been remarkably trouble- free over the past 34 months. Performance is quite good and ride is firm but compliant. Front seats, however, in no way compare to the Mercedes-based ones in my previous Chrysler Crossfire. Replaced the front brake pads, etc. at 26,000 due to mainly mixed suburban driving. Biggest warranty repairs have been the replacement of a piece of interior trim in the rear seat area and replacement of the entire radio/CD player/information center due to a fault in the CD portion. In both cases loaner vehicles were provided and work was done on-time with no hassles.

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  First Cadillac - Maybe Last - 2010 Cadillac CTS
  By HoustonMR - March 28 - 4:22 pm

  Traded in a Cadillac DTS but drove a Lexus RX prior. While this is a great looking (and driving) car, my fear of fit and finish of American made cars has come largely true. This car has great pick-up and has some great amenities but it lacks the quality and additional options that foreign car makers like Lexus and Mercedes offer. My biggest complaint is a constant whistle from the sunroof that the dealer cannot get rid of. For a car that runs up to $50K this type of defect should NOT occur. Never had issues with Toyota, Nissan or Lexus vehicles before this purchase.

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  Great dearlership unhappy with the car. - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By mjvis - March 26 - 8:17 pm

  At 600 miles a warning sign came out to have the rear end checked. after taking it to the dealer 6 days later I called to see if the part came in. No, 5 days later the parts still not in. finally they fixed it. 4 months later the car is dead when I get in it. Call Cadillac road side asst. they tow the car to dealer. I mention that the car hums when the car is turned off and youre in it. 2nd that the rear end is making a noise after backing up and slowing turn the wheels - surround sound does not work. they rent a car. I will have this rental 7 days very unhappy with the issues on the rear differential. the car is less then 5 months old. I LOVE the dealership. Never buy Again.

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  Beat out the Foreign Sedans! - 2007 Cadillac CTS
  By Slater Jones - March 25 - 9:02 am

  I test drove the G37, BMW 3 series and the Audi A4 and this car beat them hands down. I was blown away that this car beat such noteworthy competitors. The power/punch of the car, the throaty sound of the engine, the opulence of the interior (outside of the stereo/technology) and the edgy look of the car was just terrific. Additionally, I see so many A4s and 3 series BMWs on the road, I know for good reason, but they seem very trendy to me. Downsides are the cheaper feel to the interior controls and stereo, as well as public perception around "American Made" vehicles vs the vaunted European and Japanese competition.

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  Average - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By Slee - March 23 - 7:43 am

  I bought the STS because it fit our wants when shopping used cars: luxury, comfort, cheap. Poor resale value has worked just fine for us since we can buy a little more car for the money on the used market. Overall, I like the styling of the STS inside and out. Many prefer the CTS in both respects, but I prefer the toned-down design of the STS. I am not normally an extended warranty fan, but anybody considering the STS would be wise to find one under factory warranty, or in the case of a 2005 or 2006, a factory CPO warranty. Many little problems crop up. Take reviews here with a grain of salt. The high-end stereo is NOT all that and is easily trumped by a decent aftermarket ones.

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  Frustrating Problems - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By c_rey4 - March 21 - 8:05 am

  I purchased this car used with 38k miles and a clean CARFAX report. I was very happy with the vehicle until I hit the 58k mile mark. My check engine light came on at this point and I discovered my thermostat quit working. After doing some research online, I found this is an overwhelmingly common issue. Before I got the car in to be repaired, the engine started making a terrible "wobble" noise. All of the bearings went bad on the front of the engine. I decided to replace the thermostat, tensioner pulley, and water pump myself. 5k miles later and my thermostat is bad again. My AC compressor seized at 70k miles as I was driving on the highway. $2k in repairs this year alone and I did the work...

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  CTS Oil consumption issues! - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By Building4Bri - March 20 - 6:23 pm

  Buyers beware - please do your home work when purchasing a CTS Cadillac. Especially between 04 - 06. I own a 2005CTS - 3.8 They have oil consumption issues. As a ( ton ) of other Cadillac owners are finding out the hard way, this is a very serious issue. My Cadillac runs and looks great. God has blessed us with ours still running but I have to add a quart of oil every 2 weeks. After I bought it I realized why the previous owners traded it in. The dealer ship obviously did not advise us of this issue. We took it in multiple times before I had to find out on this web site that many, many others have had the same issues and theirs wasnt a quick fix. I simply have to just check the oil every wk.

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  Great SUV with a few quirks! - 2008 Cadillac Escalade
  By z costello - March 19 - 10:28 pm

  I really do like my Escalade. However I am thankful it is still under warranty. I have had it in for several small but annoying reasons. Not sure why but the armrests become loose all the time. I had to get the center caps fixed do to squeaking issue. The radio/cd player will shut off every now and again for no apparent reason and the door latch became disconnected so you couldnt open the rear door from the inside. No, the child lock feature was not engaged. All problems were fixed but I only had 8000 miles on it when all this happened. The armrest issue seems to be the only problem that seems to not get handled. Other than that its a great looking truck with tons of power. Would buy again