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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  Not your typical Caddiac - 2005 Cadillac XLR
  By JBelll - February 19 - 6:45 pm

  I love the Cadillac XLR. I have been a Cadillac gal for fifteen years and my husband is a Corvette fan. If he were alive we would have two in the garage. It has the peppy fun ride of a Corvette, but the comfort of a Cadillac.

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  New Cadillac Fan! - 2005 Cadillac Deville
  By Motley Crue Freak - February 19 - 12:13 am

  Wow the 2005 Cadillac DeVille is simply beautiful and so powerful. After driving Lincolns that broke down all the time, I decided to look at Cadillac because everyone kept telling me they were awesome. And Its true I test drove a Cadillac a few hours ago and wow, compared to Cadillac, Lincoln is a joke. The DeVille has a smoother ride, better materials, and is well worth purchasing. Now Im in love with Cadillac. No wonder so many people buy them, because they are nice cars and are very reliable. I will never drive anything else, no other car compares to it.

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  BMW Killer - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By jeff - February 18 - 2:26 pm

  When I was in the market for a new car, I was looking extensiviley for the best midsize luxury sedan, and did not care one bit about brand or price if I felt that the car was a good value. I ended up purchasing a 2004 Cadillac CTS. The best car to me means, in the highest 5% class of all cars made for safety, comfort, drivablity, performance, reliabilty, operating cost, and total value. Spending months investigating automotive publications and internet reviews, comparing detailed specification data, and driving many of the cars that met my stringent requirements, only two cars remained out of all the competitors. They were the BMW 5-series and the CTS. The one area that seperated the cars by a wide margin was CTSs high value/lower price for the better overall offering.

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  Impressive Car - 2003 Cadillac Seville
  By Wonderful Car - February 18 - 11:39 am

  The 2003 Cadillac Seville SLS is a solid, well performing and handling luxury car in every respect. Its smooth, powerful V8 engine is a delight as is the smooth but controlled ride. It is a thrill every time you drive it. This car makes you feel special. I love the exterior styling, especially when compared to the new STS, which is bland and not distinctive. Its iInterior ergonomics are excellent and its design is great. The Seville SLS is a very comfortable car and a plesaure on a long trips. Also, its size is perfect, not too big and not too small. This is Cadillacs best car ever. It rides better than a Lexus LS400.

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  Best Car Ever - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By Scott - February 18 - 3:57 am

  I love my 2003 Cadillac CTS. I have had no problems with it. It is fun to drive and handles great. It is a little light on horse power, but it looks like they have corrected that in the newer models.

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  CTS 2004 - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By Wideglide - February 18 - 2:00 am

  We test drove the competition, Audi, BMW and the Lexus. The CTS has them all beat for value and quality. The craftsmanship is excellent. I have examined the car inside and out and the fit and finish is as good or better than the much higher priced German and Japanese cars. We thought the Japanese interiors and to a less of a degree the Europeans, were a bit on the "tacky" side. Their interiors reminded us of a Las Vegas Casino, just "too" much. The CTS interior is very tasteful, clean and very pleasing to the eyes. It is not so cluttered with the tacky plastic-looking-wood trim that youll find in the Lexus.

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  Awsome - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By koclanis - February 18 - 2:00 am

  My C.T.S. gets even more impressive every day I drive it. I love the handling speed and smooth ride it give me,

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  car with style - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By louis ferrara - February 18 - 2:00 am

  picked up car thought for the price it would not be that luxurious dont have all the gadgets that we never use anyway .car rides very well, solid like a big sedan very happy with the car

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  1998 STS - 1998 Cadillac Seville
  By James Anderson - February 17 - 11:45 pm

  I love the ride, power, confort, style of the car. Things I dont like: It burns a quart of oil every 1,500 miles, have had problems with the heating and air controls from time to time.

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  A real head-turner! - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By BWV565 - February 17 - 6:31 pm

  I bought my 2004 Cadillac CTS 3.6L black beauty in March 2004. It is loaded with the sports luxury package, DVD navigation, etc. My only complaints are the lack of a locking gas cap and the DVD Navigation system is not 100% reliable in midtown Toronto. Otherwise the car is spectacular. I wouldnt give it up for the world.