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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  I Feel Lucky - 1999 Cadillac Deville
  By junebreeze - July 10 - 5:13 pm

  I bought this car because it had low milege and I was able to buy it very cheap because it was already 11 years old. I am sooo glad I found it. It rides like a new one. I have had it 2 years and I know it only has 60,000 miles on it but I can not say one thing negative about it. The power is wonderful, the traction is tops. The gas milege isnt even bad for its model and size. The paint job is a beaut. It gleams! Thank you Cadillac!

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  So far ... So Good - 1991 Cadillac Allante
  By rszymanski - July 2 - 11:37 pm

  I picked up a red ’91 Allante 1 month ago. Beautiful vehicle! Tranny slips but I knew that going in. Simply going thru the gears manually solves this issue. The exterior is stunning without being gaudy and the car still turns heads at stop signs/lights and parking lots. Driving it sparingly over the last few weeks, I find the car accelerates much better than expected but subsequently delivers less MPG than I had anticipated. I am loving this Allante!

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  Good Buy, Good Car - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By alex153 - June 7 - 12:55 pm

  I have had the experience of driving literally hundreds of cars, and I decided to buy this one as my daily driver (awd, every option ticked). I have had minimal reliability problems and the dealer was always excellent at getting it resolved on Cadillacs bill My advice to anyone reading these reviews is that if someone is complaining about the reliability of their CTS they bought used with over 30,000+ miles (Thats a lot to me to be calling "new"!), you take that risk when buying anything used as the previous owner could have rode it hard and put it away wet with no maintenance. Ive seen every brand have its problems (last BMW was a nightmare).. The pros have given it good reviews..

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  SRX w/20 Sport Package - runs great, looks great - 2008 Cadillac SRX
  By dsowa - June 2 - 12:12 am

  I bought a used black 2008 V6 SRX with 28K miles this year. I added the 20-inch sport wheels and it looks fantastic from any angle. Must have been pampered by the former owner as its nearly flawless after over four years. I wish I had the Ultraview sunroof, but its one less thing to break in the long run. Potential buyers beware of water leaks around the back hatch that leave water in the tire jack storage well. Its an expensive fix (700+$), and thats if you catch it early and theres no other damage. Other than that one problem, I love this car.

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  A Bit of a Bummer - 2011 Cadillac SRX
  By jmelquist - May 31 - 6:44 pm

  Owned or leased over 10 Cadillacs prior to my SRX AWD - always with a great experience ... unfortunately, this vehicle has been a disappointment. I liked the exterior looks - mpg ok however, should have checked the vehicles performance and technology out better - both a disappointment - not the standard I have come to expect from Cadillac. Found the vehicle to be noticeably underpowered - transmission shifts in a odd way at times - very irritating technology (e.g. front crash warning beeps in the garage when backing out in reverse, the front seat when you turn off the vehicle moves back automatically so far you would not want someone in the rear seat, etc).

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  The Best - 2007 Cadillac Escalade
  By highflier1 - May 28 - 5:10 pm

  This is my favorite vehicle by far. I have the ESV with all options. I love the size, the ride height, the roominess. I am 64" and this vehicle gives me the headroom, legroom, hiproom, shoulder room I like. I like riding high up and the visibility is superb. I can take 6 people in comfort and still have room for luggage etc. The Lexus, Mercedes, Infinitis, etc of the world cant compare for room. Also the Escalade has a panache, cache, a presense all its own. It is distinctive and not like the clone SUVs you see everywhere. As well, it is truck based, solid as a rock, heavy, sturdy, and reliable. Safety has a lot to do with physics, when bigger hits smaller, who wins?

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  BMW to Cadillac - 2011 Cadillac CTS
  By davo7 - May 25 - 1:59 pm

  Im a fairly young car enthusiast! In my past I have owned many Luxury vehicles, such as Saab, Lincoln, BMW, and other Cadillacs. This CTS is one of my favorite cars. I had a 3 series BMW AWD and loved the car, but after the warranty expired, it was time for it to go! So I bought the CTS preowned with 20,000 miles and the only complaint is the 3.0 engine. Its a great engine, but it lacks torque for those red light accelerations. Interior is superb, exterior is beautiful! If I was to buy this car over, I would look for the same car with the 3.6! But other than that I love my Cadillac!

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  2008 CTS Junk Buyer Beware - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By techtwou - May 21 - 4:00 pm

  This car is Junk, I purchased one with 38K miles on it, drove nice for about 3 weeks, and then it started pinging/knocking, the vehicle has been at the dealer now for 6 weeks they cant figure out whats causing the problem, called GM Customer Service they had a Field Engineer go to the dealer and he stated it was fixed, Not so its still Pinging, Now with additional problems, that they caused (Main Motors Anoka, MN) Now GM customer service is giving me the side step along with the Dealer, people save your money Please dont buy this car in any Year. I am not a disgruntle buyer I have owned 4 Cadillacs before but I will never buy another one ever.

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  Government Motors Crossover Failure - 2011 Cadillac SRX
  By chesterpres - May 14 - 2:32 pm

  I have had my 2011 SRX for over one year and to say that it is a disappointment is an understatement. It is far too heavy for its small 260 hp engine. It is cumbersome to drive. I went from an Acura MDX to the SRX and every day, I miss my MDX which had much more room, but was much more agile than the SRX. I have already had transmission problems. The cargo space is miniscule. The only positive I have to say about the SRX is the electronic features it has. The navigation system is very good and the stereo is top of the line. Everything else is a disaster. I hate this car and cant wait to get rid of it.

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  great car but.... - 2003 Cadillac Deville
  By kate58 - May 13 - 3:35 pm

  I bought this car with 89000 miles on it. two weeks after it was bought the problems started. One day while driving, the battery light came and the car shut off. I replaced the battery (what the dealership told me was the ONLY problem). after the new battery it ran fine for about a month then it started again. The dealer told me nothing was wrong with it. Every time i turn on the a/c or heat the car will shut off, even when randomly driving it shuts off. The service tire monitor light came on, fixed that only for it to come back on shortly after. Love the car despite these issues but just wish the dealer would have helped more.