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 am disappointed in my SRX - 2014 Cadillac SRX
  By roy79 - December 17 - 9:35 am

  Your view to the rear is very poor. The back up camera is a necessity. The front seats are uncomfortable. My in town gas milage is below 15 mpg. The on board computer system is very fancy with a lot of Wow factor but it is very difficult to learn and is slow to respond. It is very difficult to make any adjustment while driving

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  Never again - 2007 Cadillac Escalade
  By natawika - November 8 - 3:24 pm

  I have had nothing but problems with my 2007 Cadillac Escalade. I literally have this vehicle in the shop just about every other month. New battery, serpentine belt, both wheel bearings, struts, wheel bearing sensors, DVD player quit, ball joints, service rear camera. What next? Plus, everything I have fixed was expensive. Seats are starting to fall apart. I would expect this from a vehicle that was beat on, but my esclade is mainly used for family trips. I cant wait to get rid of it!

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  Car of the year? - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By jimboc240 - September 8 - 7:53 pm

  I owned the CTS4 with every option since new. (as well as many many other vehicles) I was generally happy with it, especially how it ran in the snow. You cant beat AWD. For a V6, it can move pretty well. The navigation and Bose sound system is probably its best point. It seemed to do everything well, but nothing stands out. I love our country, but the Germans really are on top in the quality department. On the surface, the interior looks nice, but the leather is thin, and everything else is just cheap plastic. The drivers seat broke. They wanted 1200 to fix it. It came with "heated windshield washers" but they disengaged it due to failure after 1 year. With no fix possible.

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  2006 Cadillac SRX Dont waste your money - 2006 Cadillac SRX
  By shellyj - August 12 - 9:55 am

  I bought this car because it was more of a luxury car dont waste your money. Bought car 9/09 list of problems sense then. Lights burn out to often, have to get car Aligned every 5000 miles, been thru 4 sets of tires, with proper rotation every 5000 miles, Bushing on front wore out, Front brakes wore out 3 times, cadlic converter went out, A/C went bad, Water pump bad, replaced struts, Replaced spark plugs, motor mount broke, and to top it off 4 times, my car will spit and sputter going down road, check engine shows miss fire. Mechanic shows nothing wrong. Have spent $1500.00 becuase mechanics keep guessing at problem. No one can figure it out.

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  Trembling at Idle flaw - 2013 Cadillac ATS
  By dior97 - July 28 - 9:02 pm

  I have 2013 Cadillac with 800 miles. It trembles in idle during a red light for example .My dealer tried to fix with a software bulletin however it still has a minor trembling problem that is annoying and makes me wonder do i have a Cadillac or some cheap clunker. I cant believe that Cadillac is not aware or able to fix this flaw with the rough idle .This Cadillac Ats will not compete with Bmw , Audi with this problem. I think vehicle has awesome styling and does have a quiet ride but the trembling on idle give the whole car a bitter taste.

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  XTS Review - 2013 Cadillac XTS
  By frothacker - July 10 - 1:56 pm

  This is the most uncomfortable full size Cadillac I have ever owned. The ride is stiff and hard and the seats are not comfortable. I owned four large Cadillacs previously which I really enjoyed. This new XTS is terrible. I will ever buy another Cadillac. Ergonomics need much improvement. The CUE system is cumbersome and you must take your eyes off the road too frequently.

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  wont start - 2013 Cadillac XTS
  By cappy12 - May 30 - 5:18 am

  after sitting for 4-6 days the battery goes completely dead. dealer says nothing wrong . after returning from a 7 day vacation the battery goes completely dead. I have no faith in this car and am afraid to park for a few days . the dealer charges the battery, I could do that. gm is still the leader in unreliability ,dont buy this car until they come up with a fix for the cue. I believe this is a lemon

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  Northstar engine bad design - 1999 Cadillac Seville
  By johnr24 - April 7 - 9:53 am

  The Northstar engine until about 2002 had lugbolts that were too short. So it blows a headgasket climbing hills. $3500 to repair with new longer bolts. No old high mileage Northstars ,only dead ones. Engine not considered rebuildable. A Cadillac engine design mistake (30 yr Cad owner)

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  I miss my Pontiac Grand Prix, which as a better built car. - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By originalsoul31 - March 13 - 10:43 am

  For 10 years, my dream car was the CTS. My Pontiac Grand Prix GT suffered a blown head gasket. Sold it for $600 and used the money as a down payment for the 03 CTS. Test drove it, loved it. The same day I left the car lot, problems arose. The oil pressure light came on, but that turned out to be a wet sensor. The next week, the check engine light comes on, its a bad gas cap, fixed that after a few weeks of troubleshooting. Last week it shuts down on the freeway suddenly. Two months in and I still cant trust this car. Hopefully once I can get it right, Ill love it. But right now, its making my 99 Grand Prix and 84 Toyota Tercel seem like better built cars.

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  ATS MAJOR PROBLEMS READ THIS ! - 2013 Cadillac ATS
  By kd1007 - February 8 - 11:45 am

  If unresponsiveness in Cadillacs CUE infotainment system has been a personal point of frustration, relief is on the way: an update to smooth things over is being worked on. CUE Design Manager Jeff Massimilla told Wired Magazine that the firms received feedback regarding responsiveness, and theyre working on "a modification that will be released sometime later this year." DONT BUY OR LEASE TILL ITS FIXED ! With the upgrade, the infotainment system will be more responsive and the touchscreen and capacitive buttons will provide haptic feedback more quickly. The Cadillac XTS and ATS are set to score the update, but theres still no exact date penciled in for the patchs arrival. DONT BUY OR LEASE TILL ITS FIXED ! Though vehicles could suck down the update with a built-in data connection, the software will need to be installed by a Cadillac dealership instead. Not a fan of having lost knobs and dials to a touchscreen in the first place? According to Cadillac VP of Marketing Don Butler, well see the likes of such analog controls complement the screen interface in the future. WHICH MEANS SOOOO MANY CUSTOMERS ARE COMPLAINING THEY ARE GOING TO PUT KNOBS FOR HEATING/AC AND RADIO BACK IN THE CAR IF THEY DONT NO BUYERS AND LOTS OF UNHAPPY NEW CUSTOMERS LIKE ME CANT WAIT FOR THEM TO FIX POOR RADIO RECEPTION BAD ANTENNA SYSTEM AND COME CLEAN ON THE TERRIBLE MPG PROBLEM ON TURBO ATS K.D.