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:

• 

  Best car I ever owned! - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By GolfKahuna - February 23 - 7:34 pm

  Bought my CTS used with 46000 miles. It is my daily driver so I am racking up the miles on it. I have the 3.6L V6 and the performance is out of this world! Traction in the snow has been great with the Goodyear Triple Treads. My plan is to put 1 million miles on this thing!

• 

  That Caddy - 1996 Cadillac Eldorado
  By inkpimp1981 - February 22 - 8:14 pm

  For all the Cadillac fans out the who really appreciate their luxury car, you need to test drive one of these suckers. They move like no other, and sped pass a BMW 74Li. Thats a Lac!!!

• 

  Great Sports Sedan - 2010 Cadillac CTS
  By inlets - February 21 - 8:59 am

  I tested a bunch of high end/high tech sports sedans and the CTS just has so much more bang for the buck, than the BMW or Lexus. I got a brand new CTS Premium for $7k of MSRP, and $2k more for my trade than it was worth. Performance is outstanding, tight and very agile. Front seat are very comfy and good support. The back is a little snug. 5.1 Bose sound system is sthe best great sound and lots of power for classic rock. Nav worked flawless touch screen or voice command, even Onstar downloads to your destination when you on the fly. Fit and finish is flawless. Rock solid ride.

• 

  the true american luxury automobile - 1999 Cadillac Deville
  By AI - February 20 - 3:26 pm

  i recently purchased this 1999 deville concours with 73000 mi on it so far it is a blast to drive and very comfortable and quiet,i have driven mbs,lexus,infinity and bmers this car is equal to and even surpasses them as far as build, fit and finish and ride and performance this is the true american luxury automobile. i am sold and a convert from foriegn to american congrats cadillac.

• 

  I Love it-) - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By Hope Hill - February 18 - 10:42 am

  I traded my 2004 SRX for the 2010 SRX. My! What a difference! They improved everything. It doesnt even look like the same car. I love the in your face grill. It says look at me! My SRX is black with black interior. Its so sleek. Cant wait to take it on vacation!

• 

  Great Car - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By JD - February 16 - 5:00 pm

  This is my first STS had a Toyota Avalon and really there is no comparison.This is so much more car in every respect, it is definitely not boring which is about the best thing I can say about the Avalon. I have the Northstar V8 it is fast. Love the interior except for the glove box.Nav works well and the AWD is great in snow and ice. I use the voice features to do almost everthing for me. I do not like the 2 different size tires. The fact that it is hard on tires is about my only complaint. Like all the bells and whistles more than you know you have.

• 

  Love my SRX - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By KEC 11 - February 10 - 12:56 pm

  Its great! No problems so far after 2 months. Especially like the platinum ice white color.

• 

  Smooth Crossover - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By Andrew - February 9 - 5:21 pm

  I have owed my SRX now for two weeks, and I am very impressed. I feel its the best priced luxury crossover avail. I looked at the Q5 and MKX, and the SRX beat them on price by thousands with the options in the Luxury package. $37.7K MSRP with a bose system, moonroof, bluetooth, XM, push button ignition, power liftgate, remote start, and very well designed interior. After incentives I paid less than $35K, when a similarly equipped Q5 would have ran well over $45K required prem gas to get 12% worse highway MPG. The MKX would have been at least a $3.5K higher and the push button ignition is not an option not to mention the feel of the interior of the Cadillac vs the MKX. No comparison.

• 

  Luxury SUV - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By V Owner - February 7 - 3:26 pm

  Purchased this car despite auto magazine reviews. Test drove many luxury suvs. Best most comfortable interior I have ever owned. Power is more than adequate especially with sport mode. Outstanding long range tourer, very comfortable, very luxurious. Not a performance car but has adequate acceleration. For performance sedan purchase performance car like a CTSV or 5 series. If you want a luxury SUV, with good AWD,good SUV handling, with decent hauling potential and comfort for 4 this is a real value.

• 

  Caddy Deville - 2001 Cadillac Deville
  By Christian - February 7 - 2:31 pm

  I purchased a 2001 Cadillac Deville (Base Sedan) in 2004 with 9,000 miles on it. It was purchased from a prominent local dealer, and it looked new, smelled new, and drove new the day I drove it off the lot for a total price of $25,000 including the 5 year 75,000 mile extended warranty. The car drove like a dream for the first 3 years, and was overall “problem free” as for the 4th year on, it has been extremely time consuming costly in order to keep it running sufficiently and looking good. The extended warranty on the vehicle recently ended in July. The company was exceptional. From the year 2004 to 2009 the warranty spent over $10,000 in repairs for this car