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:

• 

  I love my SRX - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By Ruth Donley - January 3 - 2:10 pm

  This is the fifth Cadillac Ive owned and the first SUV. I love the size and the easy handling of this SUV and will never buy a sedan again. It is so much fun and at age 67 I feel like a kid again when I drive it. I can honestly say its the best vehicle Ive ever owned not only from a practical and useful standpoint but it looks great. When I first bought it so many stopped and asked about it and said it looked great. I love my SRX.

• 

  Cadillac Got it Right with the CTS - 2006 Cadillac CTS
  By DB - January 2 - 4:16 am

  I recently took delivery of my 2006 Cadillac CTS and have been very very impressed with *ALL* aspects of the vehicle - quality and comfort of the interior - excellent driving characteristics including exceptional road feel and a solid sport sedan feel to the drive - and of course, the exterior styling - which is a head turner. The Bose sound system is an absolute pleasure to listen to and I loved the design of the volume control button on the steering wheel. Overall this is a a sophisticated, well mannered driving machine that is capable of competing with the German and Japanese luxury badges.

• 

  Rolling in Michigan - 2006 Cadillac Escalade
  By Morning - December 30 - 10:46 am

  The 2006 Cadillac Escalade is a great truck. It has even more features than my DeVille. It is fun to drive and has a beautiful design. I totally enjoy the XM radio and panicked when my trial period neared its end (and I was the one who said that I never listened to the radio while driving...yeah right). OnStar occasionally gets you lost although there is the capability to record the directions. The navigation system is a must. It easily guides you to your destination. The heated seats are great on a cold winters day. I could use a few more inches of leg room for driving though. This truck is surprisingly easy to park, especially with the visual and sound alarms to prevent bumping in the rear. This is a great vehicle. It gets the respect that it deserves.

• 

  Pleasantly Surprised - 2006 Cadillac CTS
  By barbara stoothoff - December 29 - 11:20 pm

  My previous car was a Jaguar. The Cadillac CTS matches or outperforms the Jaguar in ride, acceleration and handling. The Jag was already in for repair at this point. The Jag interior was a little more stylish though, the CTS is a little plastic even with the wood trim.

• 

  Worst Purchase I have Ever Made - 2002 Cadillac Seville
  By bas - December 29 - 6:41 pm

  I have had nothing but problems from the moment I drove my Cadillac Seville STS off the lot. My repair folder is over 3" thick - including continual vibration in steering at various speeds and reverbration in entire car and tie rods that were replaced numerous times. There is service bulletin out there - but dealers wont disclose this. I would NEVER recommend the Seville to anyone.

• 

  2004 Cadillac CTS - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By Al - December 29 - 6:00 pm

  I posted about my Cadillac CTS back in early 2005. I raved about this car. I loved it. Until October 2005 a seal broke in the trunk and it took all of the 3 inches of rain from the sky into my interior. Everything was totaled inside. Since then Caddy installed a new interior. Every week I get a new rattle along with panels falling off the interior. It sounds like a Yellow school bus when you drive it. I reached out to service reps and GM in Detroit. All on deaf ears. As long I pay GMAC nobody cares. I strongly recommend you choose wisely. For the first time in my life after 25 years of driving Cadillac, I have to try other waters (foreign). What a shame!

• 

  Cadillacs best yet - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By Robert Hofmann - December 29 - 12:23 am

  This is my 16th Cadillac and I love it. It handles well, rides well. Holds the road great. Quieter than I expected it to be. Plenty of power to over take most vehicles on the road.

• 

  Miss this car Already - 1999 Cadillac Deville
  By SL of ILLINOIS - December 27 - 9:58 pm

  I loved the design of the Cadillac DeVille since it came out. It is a large sedan and looks like a Cadillac, not some scaled down "whatever" style that theyve come out with since. It provides elegance and comfort for the 50+ crowd - we are the "market" not the kids who cant afford a Caddy anyway. You are losing your market and dont know why? This car caresses the owner and gives max flash for your cash. Isnt that the point? Just bring back fins and no-draft windows and well all be happy. So sorry you dont care anymore, but this one was a WINNER!

• 

  2006 XLR - 2006 Cadillac XLR
  By G G Johnston - December 27 - 4:53 pm

  This is the finest car I have ever owned. The styling and performance are equal to the Mercedes-Benz SL500 but about $25,000 dollars less. It should be recognized by more auto writers as a superb vehicle.

• 

  Another Satisfied Customer - 2017 Cadillac XT5
  By Ramesh M - December 26 - 6:05 pm

  I was not sure about this SUV initially. Did some research before buying. I never owned a Cadillac before and has always owned a Lexus. I was planning to buy a new Van/SUV for my wife as her Toyota Sienna has done 68000 miles on it. Even though the Sienna is a great van, I did not like the fact that AWD has the Run Flat Tires on them, which gives it a bumpy ride and is expensive replacing the tires as it cannot be repaired otherwise it was a great family vehicle for us. My son has been learning to drive and it was also did not look good for him as he was driving a family van. Since my Sienna was well maintained, I good a good appraisal for it, so we decided to buy new car. Initially we saw Pacifica, which my wife did not like - quality of the vehicle was in question. Then we took a test drive in Cadillac xt5, Very good ride, excellent quality overall. People talk about the Cue not being fast enough, I think the Cue is much better than the system in my 2014 MB ML350. I also noted that the xt5 does not have a CD player - which i dont mind as we never use CDs anymore, as we have learned to use USBs/SD cards. The vehicle has 2 USB port in the front console and 2 for the back seats, I would have expected Cadillac to have SD card reader installed - but not a big deal. The other issue is the cargo space, it could have been little bit bigger, the head clearance for back seat is 2 inches short when compared to Lexus RX - hope Cadillac brings an SUV with little bit more space for the back passengers and cargo. There is no other choice, either you go for xt5, or Escalade which is huge. Over all very happy. Have to wait and see how it holds up to its reputation.