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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  Just Test drove this car - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By Tom - November 4 - 12:37 pm

  I own a 2003 DTS, which was in for service. I love the car and have no problems. My 2003 is cetified so the dealership gave me a new DTS to drive while they were working on it. This is a very nice car! At first I did not like the look, or feel but as I drove it I noticed how quickly it repsonded to my touch, it handles great and is very fast. I went to pass on the highway and was doing 75, within seconds I was hitting 95! This is a fast big sedan! When I got my 2003 back, my first thought was how much can I get on a trade?

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  Best Car this 63 Year Old Man has Owned - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By Bob - November 3 - 6:11 pm

  I had a 1985 DeVille that was an engineering disaster. I never thought I would own another GM car let alone a Cadillac. However after test driving the CTS plus the great deal, I took a chance. I was thinking about a top end Camry or Ford 500. My CTS was in the same price range but in another class when it comes to performance. The mileage was the biggest surprise. I get between 28 mpg to 31 mpg on the road. Where we live we have a lot of twisty two lanes road that we have to use, a real pain except when I use the CTS. So far I really love this car.

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  Truly a "10" - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By Bob Cornelssen - November 1 - 10:16 pm

  Picked up 08 CTS last day of August for my wife, wanted her to have the first one! This vehicle is outstanding. Tight, quiet, responsive with beautiful fit and finish. Ride is "just right", not too harsh and not too soft. Handling is superb. Feel sorry for those who paid thousands more for BMWs and Mercedes and got less car for the money.

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  A great option! - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By Ryan Stark - November 1 - 6:23 am

  Ive owned this car for 7 years now and its been a joy! Comfortable, fun, and perfectly practical! The controls and infotainment system work great and the heated seats are amazing in the cold Minnesota climate I live in. The AWD works very well and I never felt out of control even in the worst conditions.

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  Good Ride - 2006 Cadillac Escalade
  By Tom - October 31 - 9:04 pm

  The Escalade is a great SUV. I am surprised that it does not come with rain sensitive windshield wipers however. Some SUVs that cost $20,000 less at least have that option. One of the big pluses with this vehicle is the dealer network. My dealer was great - it only took an hour and a half from the time I set foot in the door until the paperwork was all done and I was on my way. If youre looking for a large, luxury SUV that other drivers on the road respect due to its size, this ones a winner.

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  Best in its class - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By CadillacMan - October 29 - 12:01 pm

  Before I got my CTS this year I was driving a 2003 Cadillac Catera, which the CTS replaced. The Catera was a poor attempt to compete with the other luxury automakers who had made entry level automobiles. The CTS though is a vast improvement that not only looks better, but drives better, and comes with much more standard equipment and even better options. This has been one of the best cars that Cadillac has made so far. I would guess that the CTS is probably one of Cadillacs most successful vehicles since the STS, which also took the same form as the CTS when they were remaking the Sevilles. It is just a little larger but for the most part it is the same car. The CTS is also nicely priced.

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  Very pleased - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By Mine! - October 28 - 2:51 pm

  This is my first Cadillac - I was considering my first non-American purchase since buying a used Honda from a family member several years ago. My father has had several and purchased an STS in the past couple of months in black - which was the color I thought I wanted. When I put my feature list together, the dealer could DX the car in silver, white or red. I love the red! People make a point to tell me they like the car.

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  Poor delivery experience - 2006 Cadillac CTS
  By Bill W. - October 27 - 4:54 pm

  The Wisonsin factory failed to complete their new car checklist, before delivering the car to the dealer. After the defects were fixed, the car handles / brakes / performs well, although the interior could use a little spiffing up, and the manual up/down shift control, integrated as part of the automatic transmission, was missing -- a standard feature on competitors similarly-priced models. The following defects were all covered by the factory warranty, but still meant that I had to spend a lot of my free time during a couple of work weeks going back and forth a total of 3 times: Trip 1: Defective left front strut Trip 2: Right front power window stuck Trip 3: Engine computer.

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  Modern Day Classic Car! - 1995 Cadillac Seville
  By OKC STS - October 27 - 1:14 am

  After only 6 weeks Im not able to rate reliability, but based on performance, ride, style, and comfort this car is hard to beat for the money. I would say a clean, well-maintained, and low mileage Cadillac Seville STS is a "Best Buy." It has a 300 hp engine, averages 19.5 mpg in city with 25+ on highway, goes 0-60mph in 6.4-7.0 sec, has heated seats, power sunroof, and leather for $4,788! Unbelievable! This is one of the better handling front wheel drive cars Ive driven. For 300 hp, the torque steer isnt that bad.

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  Dissapointed - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By Jim Prunty - October 26 - 12:43 am

  The 2005 Cadillac SRX is a very nice truck if you own a gas station. With todays technolgy, 12 MPG city and 18 highway is unthinkable for this vehicle. A Tahoe gets better mileage! The sunroof is a very nice fearure, but the 3rd row seats are a joke.