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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  CTS Hits the Mark! - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By Tom Hayes - September 29 - 10:00 am

  Just got our CTS and its everything wed heard about. What an experience! The handling, ride and performance are better than Id hoped for. This car will definitely bring down the "average age of a Cadillac owner!"

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  Catera - 1999 Cadillac Catera
  By R Knox - September 27 - 2:00 am

  I have enjoyed every minute of driving this car - it is pure road joy and great in traffic also

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  Escalade - 2003 Cadillac Escalade
  By MikePoo - September 27 - 2:00 am

  This is the most incredible vehicle Ive ever driven bar none.

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  great first car - 1990 Cadillac Eldorado
  By Robert Prange - September 26 - 2:00 am

  My dad gave me his caddy and I was thinking oh great and old slow car. I replaced the main brain and can now get my old slow caddy up to 120 in about 25 secs or so. Thats pretty good for an old mans car. Really though Ill never get rid of my car.

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  What a car - 1996 Cadillac Eldorado
  By boomer992001 - September 26 - 2:00 am

  Performance, style and elegance.......this car has it all

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  97 STS - 1997 Cadillac Seville
  By Jim P - September 26 - 2:00 am

  Great ride, very comfortable, fast. Poor quality, repairs very expensive

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  one nice car - 1994 Cadillac Eldorado
  By KRC - September 25 - 2:00 am

  This car has Great Design and Comfort the instruments readings are driver friendly as well as the controls. In other vehicles I have had, I have had trouble seeing all Instrument read outs In this Eldorado ALL contols are no problem at all to see. The motor has no vibrations, there is no wind noise.The ride is great,the only smother ride if possible would be in a jet plane. Gas mileage last week I made 24.7 MPG in Urban driving. GM did one GREAT JOB when they Build this car This Car is not your DADDY"S Cadillac Have a clean road ahead when you give it gas for this 32 valve V8 335 HP North Star engine is going to leave them all in the Dust.

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  Excellent auto - 2000 Cadillac Deville
  By Stan Krolikoski - September 24 - 2:00 am

  I have had my 2000 DHS for 2 years and 24,000 miles. The few problems I had were fixed quickly. The car rides beautifully both in the Bay area traffic jams, through the twisting canyons at 50 mph and on the highways at 70 MPH. The interior comfort is fine, and the ability to sit 6 in a pinch (hope the person in the middle front is a kid!) is a plus. Those that feel that they need to buy a BMW or Mercedes to get a good ride and luxury should look at the Deville. Its a bargain for what you get.

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  TOP NOTCH - 1991 Cadillac Deville
  By WPB - September 23 - 2:00 am

  I have owned a lot of cars and still do, but this is the best car I have ever owned. We bought it used in 93 with 20,000 miles on it and just turned over 400,000 miles with the same engine & transmission. We take good care of it and it still looks great. We do not have to add a drop of oil to the engine between oil changes. The power & performance is very good and I know that my wife & kids are safer in a larger, heavier car. We did have to do a some work on the A/C at about 100k miles. Back struts about 250k miles. Alternator & water pump at about 300k miles. Just a couple other small things besides normal. The question? How far will it go?

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  Feel Young Again Drive a Cadillac XTS - 2016 Cadillac XTS
  By Regina Corvin - September 20 - 3:23 am

  Love my car. I am enjoying the ride, the music, talking on the phone, the seat adjustments are perfect, the backup camera is best thing ever, easy to park, the radio super, car locks excellent, Only negative seats to narrow and not plush enough.