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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  money pit - 1999 Cadillac Deville
  By jean-paul - December 21 - 11:26 pm

  northstar engine is garbage.

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  Fun to drive but... - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By Paul Shorts - December 18 - 10:40 am

  Jumped into this after 4 years of driving a Buick Century. Couldnt resist the feel and performance, and fun of the 6 speed manual. Had great luck with the cheap old Buick so I figured Id be safe purchasing another GM product. Purchased the car with 92,000 miles and it looked and drove like new. Had all dealer service records so I thought Id be safe. Whoops! Pros - The car handles amazing, and is extremely comfortable and fun to drive. Cons - At 105K a grommet on the gear shift went out. Could still get 1st - 6th gears fine, but couldnt put it in reverse. $300 part, but Cadillac was out of them, and nothing aftermarket was available. Had to drive for 2 months with no reverse while waiting for the part. Sortly after purchase I noticed I was having fairly high oil consumption. Never had a car do this so I contacted Cadillac. Told them I was burning 2.5 quarts per 5000 miles. I was told by a mechanic at a Cadillac dealer that "thats really low consumption for the 3.6 motor". Now with 170K miles on it, its using 1.5 - 2 quarts every 1000 miles. At 126K the motor broke a valve. Needed a full valve / upper motor job. $3500! At around 125K the traction control / ABS started acting up. Traction control engages when not needed, and occasionally the ABS engages when stopping, which can be a little scary. Transmission started leaking at about 125K. Too expensive to fix, so just keep adding oil to the MT when I change the oil. At 150K the brake lights quit working. Turns out its a problem with the wiring loom. Repair was ridiculous so I just re wired it myself direct from the relay to the brake lights. Right catalytic converter now needs to be replaced. Cant get an inexpensive aftermarket cat in California. Going to be dumping this "beauty" as a non-op when its time to get it smogged. Still cant believe that my cheap old Buick ran so well and never had a problem, and the sweet Caddy has literally been a piece of junk.

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  Reliable car. Head turner. - 2013 Cadillac Escalade
  By Matthew - December 15 - 8:11 pm

  Comfortable on long trip.

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  What is everyone complaining about? - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By Rick Croak - December 10 - 10:31 pm

  I bought my 2008 CTS direct injection new. Granted, I only have 55,000 miles but so far the car has only been to the dealer twice, under warranty. Once for a part in the rear suspension and once for the XM radio receiver. Other than that, the tires were replaced at 50,000 miles and I have changed the oil every 6-7000 miles, based on the computer, or once per year. Also, being a C6 Z06 Corvette owner, I know what performance is about. This CTS is a joy to drive and can really get up and go. The only gripe I have with it is an engine vibration ( I believe caused from engine strain from staying in gear too long) at 45 MPH. It could probably be adjusted out, but I can not see spending the money to have it fixed. The only other issue is that the trade in value is so low that I cannot make myself trade it because the car is so enjoyable to drive. Otherwise, I would probably have a new CTS.

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  Moms Caddy - 1995 Cadillac Brougham
  By Traci - December 10 - 5:05 pm

  My mom is thinking of selling her Cadillac. It was a one owner, my grandmother. Looks great, minor electrical issues, clean and has less than 75,000 miles on it. Shes getting low ball offers. This car is the reason people say "rides like a Cadillac" Its just too big for me.

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  Fun to drive - 2015 Cadillac ATS
  By Harold - December 9 - 12:13 am

  We leased the ATS because of its great looks but was pleasantly surprised by the excellent ride and handling. I would say the ATS actually drives better than a 3 series BMW. We do not regret leasing this fun to drive car. Only complaint is the rear seat is not designed for large adults and difficult to enter and exit but once you get in it is comfortable enough for moderate trips. Highly recommend.

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  Found a peach! - 2008 Cadillac DTS
  By Terry Herron - December 2 - 3:59 pm

  This 2008 DTS has ALL the bells and whistles! Even an electric roller shade in the back window. It rides like youre in your own living room! When you sit inside and start it up, you think youre in a space ship...lights all around! Its designed to work with OnStar, so we had to get an aftermarket bluetooth adapter. The navigation is CD (DVD?) driven, so future updates should not be a problem. I LOVE the dual heated and cooled front seats, and the rear seats also have heat!

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  ownership and it woes - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By linda lawson - December 1 - 10:40 pm

  bought my 2005 cts and drove it 3800 miles and it used 5 quarts of oil just about ruined the engine had I not decided to do an early service the engine would have been shot. I have been around cars and worked on them all my life and I have yet to understand this excessive oil consumption as being normal. I have owned several gm products and this is the first one I have had with this problem. would I buy another one no way. gm needs to man up and fix this problem and not charge the consumer who spent their hard earned money to buy a car they thought was going to be reliable. no wonder people are turning to Honda and other cars

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  Great car but - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By Steve - December 1 - 6:44 am

  I have had this car for about 18 months and bought it used. It has needed some repairs but for a 10 year old car what do you expect. Other than 12 mpg fuel economy, but being the performance model with a big V-8 and a 4000 pounds and mostly city driving I guess 12 mpg is not too bad I can not really find anything to complain about with this car. I have the performance model and for a 4000 pound car it has great get up and go. Plenty of room in this car and living in PA it was great in the snow with Michelin tires on it. This having been almost 60,000.00 dollars for this car new you would expect nice things from it. I recently looked at a new Toyota Avalon XLE premium and it still cant compare to this Cadillac. I was going to trade in the Cadillac for a brand new car but cant find one reason why I would want to give up this DTS.

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  2001 for $2000 - 2001 Cadillac Deville
  By Mike E. - November 25 - 1:45 am

  I just recently bought a 2001 Deville in the typical "old person" color of tan. I needed a cheap car to get to and from work. It has 160xxx miles on it and cost $2000 So far it has not impressed me but for such a low cost, what can I expect. I was leasing a 2015 Kia Optima and this beater Caddy actually rides better than the brand new car. I was told prior to purchasing it that it will need a torque solenoid thing but the mechanic assured me that it could be replaced a little later on. I too have experienced the horror of the power windows not working. Currently the driver side front is the only one working but again... $2000