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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  What a thrill! - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By Jim Stewart - July 22 - 2:09 pm

  The power is exhilarating! The road maneverabilty is great. It corners very well and it turns around "on a dime". I highly recommend the CTS to everyone.

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  Interior - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By Grant T - July 22 - 10:00 am

  Poor interior apearance, turn signal lever rough finish. Wood grain kit added really improved the interior apearance. Head rest on second row seats impair rear view on the interior mirror. For the price of this SUV, Cadilac could have done better on the interior.

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  most impressive - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By kessler - July 22 - 10:00 am

  Love the car. Impressive, ahead of its time. I get compliments averywhere I go, from people of all ages, Im 43 years old, and feel 25yrs old while Im driving this supper driving experience. I only wish I could get an automatic V8.

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  Best one I ever owned - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By Larry C - July 21 - 4:49 pm

  By far the best I ever owned. We traded a Highlander on this SRX, worlds of difference. Fun to drive, probably the safest SUV on the market. I can see why its SUV of the year two years running. We opted for the storage as opposed to the third row seating as we are empty nesters. The V-6 is quick and smooth, the only improvement could be a automatic rear door. The ultraview is great. Best SUV we ever owned. Employee pricing makes it even better! Great car, great deal, makes driving fun again!

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  Outstanding vehicle - 2005 Cadillac Escalade
  By Jack Moore - July 20 - 6:16 pm

  I have been driving cars starting with models built in the teens, Model Ts, Model As, Plymonths 35s, Mercury 39, Chevy 50, Ford 56, and a number of other models. I purchased a Cadillac STS in 1999 and another in 2001. I purchased my present Escalade in 2004. It has been the best car that I have owned. I have never had a thing wrong with it and it drives super well. It handles easily and gives me supper strength and speed when I need it. It has gotten me out of tight plases with ease and comfort. Of course the pickup is incredible and there when I need it. The interior is attractive and quiet the air is great and a also quiet. I have owened autos for 70 years, this is the best!

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  2006 Cadillac XLR - 2006 Cadillac XLR
  By John - July 20 - 1:41 pm

  My Cadillac XLR has no truck room. I parked the car in Soho, NYC to see peoples reaction on a Sunday afternoon. 30% of people stopped to look at the car and some took out their phone camera. It drives like a GM car, it does not have stiff handling. At high speed I want the stiffness.

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  Awesome - 2006 Cadillac CTS
  By Bruce - July 20 - 12:10 am

  My wife and I picked up our new 2006 CTS today and it is awesome looking, rides great, handles great, has great power, and is very comfortable. Its great sound system and it makes you feel good driving it. And it does all this on regular gas.

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  Just Bought It! - 1999 Cadillac Seville
  By Tiffany - July 19 - 3:29 pm

  I have only owned this vehicle for about a month now, but I can already say that I enjoy it very much. It has a smooth ride and is very comfortable. What I like the most about this particular Cadillac is its simplicity to operate the fancy features.

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  Warranty Not Good - 2005 Cadillac Escalade
  By MadatCad - July 19 - 2:59 pm

  Lots of problems: Every startup the engine ticks, it has gotten better in the hot weather, but the problem is still there-did not experience says dealer. Lost all audio from rear warning system, OnStar, phone, cd, radio etc-intermittent at first then completely. After 4 attempts to fix, dealer and GM customer service says too bad something was spilled onto amplifier--(a 1/2 ounce of coffee did drip out of a cupholder as it was being removed in the dealers driveway for an appointment to fix this problem at that time 3 months old) they want $1,500 to fix the Bose amp. Power Steering squeels like a loose belt when turning. I was told it is a pressure relief valve..it is being fixed now, well see. I experience a loud transmission noise at about 1,700 rpm.

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  Cadillac evaluation - 1996 Cadillac Deville
  By conley marcum - July 19 - 12:25 am

  We have had a great experience overall with this car. It rides great, excellent road car, comfortable, very clean, only one very slight scratch. We have moved to city and wife is not comfortable driving it in close quarters. Currently is in need of an alternator. This is the only real trouble we have had with it. We recently replaced brakes and roters.