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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  Escalade Problems - 1999 Cadillac Escalade
  By MsAssrtiv - July 12 - 2:00 am

  Two months after purchasing, a clunking noise started in the front end. After tearing the drivetrain apart twice, and replacing both U joints, both dealerships have given up. Dashboard was not assembled correctly resulting in large gap towards passenger side. Rear window rattles incessantly despite being repaired twice. If this is indicative of Cadillac quality, next time, Ill buy the new Suburban and live with those GM problems for $10K less!

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  Nice to look at, thats all. - 1997 Cadillac Eldorado
  By TMC - July 7 - 2:00 am

  I own an Eldorado touring coupe, and trust me the looks are the only good traits. Since I bought this car the AC has went out three times and living in Florida AC is a must. Service Engine Soon Light goes on and off wheneever it wants, so do the digital sensors. The water hose belt gets tangled at least once a month and causes car to overheat even aftertaking it to the dealership to replace the belt and pulleys. I am disappointed in Cadillac for this one.

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  Very disappointed - 1997 Cadillac Seville
  By Sunny daze - May 13 - 2:00 am

  Always viewed Cadillac as a great car, but this experience has convinced me I will never buy GM again. The struts failed before 70,000 and they are unbelievably expensive to replace much more so than other "luxury" cars. The electrical system has caused numerous problems, the gasoline gauge cannot be trusted. Had I realized it was built so poorly, I certainly would have purchased an extended warranty. I cant even trade it in without loosing thousands of dollars.

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  Eldorad OH NO! - 1997 Cadillac Eldorado
  By therob - April 30 - 2:00 am

  Bought it used.Seemed like a solid dependable car,but the radiator started leaking(cheap plastic).Then the check engine light came on.While waiting for the diagonsis the mechanics guessed that it might be a big problem with some oil valve something.It wasnt, just a clogged EGR tube which they said was typical.It uses oil, gets less than anticipated mpg,A/C cools less than a Caddy should,and warning lights go off and on without rhyme or reason.The A/C conked out in midwinter and I may not bother with fixing.The turn signal lever needed to be fixed,too.I am not satisfied and wish I had heard about these problems before deciding on a Caddy.

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  Look Elsewhere For A Used Car - 1998 Cadillac Seville
  By Buzz Lightyear - April 29 - 2:00 am

  I put a lot of money into this car. When it worked, it worked well. It just didnt work well for very long or very often. Finally, 3 weeks after putting another $500 into maintenance (and telling dealer about idle problems and handling problems) the cars "Check Suspension System" warning came on and driving the car became like riding a bucking bull.

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  2001 Cadillac Seville STS Review - 2001 Cadillac Seville
  By Hudson Jeff - April 28 - 2:00 am

  Acceleration seems slow and the car feels too heavy. The front wheel drive with 300 horsepower causes the traction control to come on constantly in slick conditions. I replaced the factory Goodyears with Michelins and it improved. Lots of little problems need fixing, thank goodness it’s under warranty. The interior is nice and comfortable and the sound system is good. Lots of standard features. Definitely not a driver’s car. Huge first year depreciation hit. Consider a purchase it performance is secondary to comfort. Even smarter is buying one a year or two old and avoid the depreciation hit.

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  Transmission -Throttle - 2008 Cadillac Escalade EXT
  By snowball3 - April 15 - 9:04 am

  Have a 2008, bought new 26 months ago, worst investment, Ive bought 4 Avalanche 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007 all I have enjoyed, but this Cad is the pitts. It not bad during winter but I live in Texas and you know it get hot. When A/C is on this truck will not shift right (been in to dealership repeatly, even the Owner of Dealership took it for a week and GM refuses to to fix it, told me to live with it or they would trade me out with imtimidation as trade difference.(I have bought several CADS. FROM THIS DEALERSHIP) GM knows they have a problem with the shifting and throttle body. you press petal to floor and get it to jump into first gear-then you are getting on brakes and transmission locks up

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  Crapillac Crapera - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By amy29 - April 4 - 2:00 am

  Over the past 2.3 years, I have had this car in the shop over 10 times. I also have had problems with the water pump, leaky oil cooler, leaky gasket (which caused $1200 worth of damage), tires replaced twice, new front brakes, extensive wear on the seats, 3 new headlights, and a computer failure.

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  dont buy this cadi - 1999 Cadillac Catera
  By Cadi doesnt zig - April 1 - 2:00 am

  The first 36k were fine, after that nothing but problems. We have replaced the AC/Heat digital consol, timing belt, two head gasgets and the cigarette lighter in the past 6 months! The check engine light just came on two days after being serviced. The parts alone are outragously over-priced! It is hard to get to the problems that do exist because of the plastic coverings over everything under the hood. This car has been taken care of and serviced regularly.

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  Poor quality! - 1997 Cadillac Seville
  By jfletc - March 31 - 2:00 am

  Its astonishing that a $45,000.00 automobile could be built so poorly. Ive had a pulsating brake problem that cant be fixed, at least not permanantly. The air conditioner compressor failed at 62,000. At 69,000 the engine comsume a quart of oil every 700 miles. I absolutely will never buy another GM automobile.