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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  + and - of the ATS - 2013 Cadillac ATS
  By bullzeye - March 8 - 1:20 am

  Fun car to drive, fast & great brakes. Clean ext design.Cue is nice but somewhat difficult & sometimes frustrating. They really forgot about leg room when designing back seats, Boo. Gas, Not really all that great 16.8mpg which is somewhat of a drag & that is driving calm, if u push it will be under 16 mpgs forsure I recommend 91 or even 93octane that ur best chance of having best MPG. My best has been 17.4 using 93 oct. Car tends to flutter when idle esp if 89 or lower octane gas. Overall like my car, yeah CUE update would be nice overall Good car.1st yr model always need tweeks Love my Bose speakers & the ride come on its a Caddy....and Pow is nice esp mid range no top end yet let u know.

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  THE RIGHT DIRECTION - 2013 Cadillac ATS
  By cjackson4 - March 5 - 9:36 am

  IÂ’ve never seen myself as a Cadillac owner, but I must say I love this car. When I first looked into buying a new car, I compared it to the BMW, Mercedes and Audi. I wanted to get the most for my buck. After calculating price of car, maintenance, and fuel cost I easily ruled out Mercedes and Audi. The BMW drove very nice but the inside look was not appealing enough. Also, with gas prices going up I donÂ’t think it is wise to buy a car that requires PREMIUM gas. All this made my decision very easy. In the ATS I purchased the 2.5 4-cylinder. I am averaging around 25 mpg and most of my commute is in the city. I LOVE THIS CAR and I am truly happy I made this decision.

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  J.R.s CTS - 2007 Cadillac CTS
  By gill123 - March 3 - 12:16 pm

  First Cadillac Ive ever owned, got it back in 2010 picked it over an Infiniti M35 due to dealer cost. Sport model with 18" wheels, limited chrome and spoiler definitely turns heads. For the most part it performs up to its looks which is pretty decent considering its weight and 255 HP. I like the Interior very much, love the plastic in the 2007, EZ to keep clean. Coming out of the a BMW 325i). I am good and uncomfortable handling very good braking powerful. Standard 18" sport tires which led to all-season replacement after 40000 miles (at my expense). Overall mileage of 19.2. Next vehicle? I am now looking at the ATS. My 99 BMW was a money pit.

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  Impressive little car! - 2013 Cadillac ATS
  By mnharris - February 26 - 12:42 am

  I have the full tilt 3.6 sedan. Had it nearly two months now and have no regrets! Car handles and drives amazing and still rides well. Cadillac did a good job overall!

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  1999 Cadillac DElegance - 1999 Cadillac Deville
  By robooo - February 21 - 5:32 pm

  Bought in 2011 with 92k miles, had to have new front struts put on by dealer. Now at 120k miles, I have had to put new radiator fans, new radiator as fans ruined the radiator, torque converter, TPS sensor, a blower motor which took a week to get a 5 bolt since most are 3 bolt and just recently a water pump. All are expensive to fix. Good running car, but like everyone says, they can be expensive to fix. If you buy one used, make sure you like the car and have some money set aside to fix them. Watch your selling price, weak resale value for a Cadillac. Heated seats dont work. Had to convert rear suspension

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  Absolute Delight - 2013 Cadillac SRX
  By ptownsteve - February 21 - 11:02 am

  Turned in our 2010 SRX at lease termination last month in exchange for a 2013 and am delighted with the new 2013 version. While I liked the 2010 it had several shortcomings including the engine and a lack of some features. The 2013 has addressed all these concerns and more. The engine is superb, smooth and powerful and there are lots of additional features which I love including a heated steering wheel, and many more. And, the new CUE system is awesome. There is absolutely no shortcoming I can find, only complete satisfaction. Highly recommended.

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  Cadillac DTS 2006 - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By sdi206 - February 16 - 8:17 pm

  I put 126k miles on 2006 DTS and engine failed with cracked engine block. I got breaks done once a year because break pads just wore out. I had to replace tires every 10k miles. Stability track warning light always came on. Continuous problems with arm bars and tire rods. Gas guzzler. Arm rest broke. Overall just a cheaply made care...Not impressed. Glad I bought a Lexus this time. Service at Caddy is bad and fails to compare to Lexus. Never again.

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  1St Caddy - 2007 Cadillac DTS
  By singboi - February 14 - 10:52 am

  I just purchased a 1 owner 07 Cadillac DTS Performance for $17,995 with 68,000 miles. I love everthing about the car I did a year of research on the Cadillac DTS before I purchased one and the Performance is the best of them all. I got everything I wanted in the car.

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  Nice ride - 2012 Cadillac CTS
  By rallye350 - February 9 - 2:42 pm

  Ive had mine for about a year now. It is AWD Performance package and has the FE3 suspension and 19 inch wheels. While the handling is great with this package, the tires are a bit noisy. The 3.6 is well worth the price premium. The engine really pulls strong in upper ranges. Love the audio system that came with this package. Slightly disappointed with gas mileage, averaging about 19.5 in mixed driving. All highway trip managed to get about 25. CTS still seems pretty popular with older crowds, so be prepared for comments if you are younger and driving one of these.

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  GM definitely stands for Government Motors - 2007 Cadillac DTS
  By grant21 - February 8 - 6:58 pm

  Wow, I am well into my 40s and have easily owned as many cars in my life but it doesnt get any worse of a car than this. I have owned my one owner 2007 DTS for about 16 months now and have had it in the shop for many repairs (exactly 33 times) 3 brake jobs, 2 water pumps, heated/cooled seats motor replacements, sunroof leaks, low oil pressure sensor, etc..etc.. the list goes on. I will never own another GM vehicle of any sort after owning this and having a better look at everything on this car and a real eye opener to GM autos in general. Two Really Big Thumbs Down...( & thats only because i cant post profanity on this site).