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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  2012 SRX- Style and Luxury! - 2012 Cadillac SRX
  By matheson1977 - December 14 - 9:29 pm

  Recently traded our 2008 RX350 in for this car, im extremely happy with the SRX. The Caddy has such style inside and out, its a treat to look at! The performance is also very pleasing, it gives up nothing to the competition in this area, we crossed shoped this vehicle with several others (except the Lexus Rx as we were not all that happy with ours) and the Caddy came up on top.

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  I will re-think my next Certified Pre-Owned Cadillac - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By chemerson - December 6 - 11:06 am

  Purchased a 2008 beauty, black on black, wood grain, low mileage (14,208), Certified Pre-Owned Cadillac CTS this spring. Two weeks of driving and it stops moving in the middle of traffic. Some strangers kindly pushed me to the side of the road. Called road-side assistance (joke) re-activated my AAA on the spot. Towed car to the dealer, they said, "we replaced a modular". No other explanation given even when I asked. On the way home I put on the brakes and that was the start of the squeaking sound. Six months later and to no avail the brakes are still squeaking. Also, I keep getting a lot of water inside, dealer response: Moon-roof drains are clogged. Not covered under extended warranty.

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  Loving it ! - 2012 Cadillac SRX
  By f430monza - December 3 - 10:16 pm

  After test driving over 10 cars, I kept on coming back to this one. I drove the 2011 and agree with the comments about it being under powered. Mind you the 3.6 is no Ferrari, but at least the engine doesnt seem stressed under hard acceleration. Even with the 20 inch rims, the car sacrifices little interior noise. Reasons for buying this car vs competitors: Q5- RELIABILITY ( weve had 6 Audis/VW- ALL HAVE BEEN A HEADACHE) GLK- Too small inside. Lexus RX- Too Boring to look at and drive. Evoque- nice, but see Q5 comments and multiply that by 20= Land rover.

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  Lots of Perfomance for the Dollar - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By 04cts - November 4 - 6:38 pm

  Im very happy with this car! The V6 the 5-speed is a blast. Everyone who rides in it is surprised with the style, ride and sportiness. Driving is fun again

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  Best cars ive owned - 2001 Cadillac Deville
  By cadiman95 - October 29 - 3:25 pm

  My dad just bought me this car it is very pretty i love it best car ive driven. The performance of this car is amazing for a car that weighs almost 5000 pounds it can beat any car off the line and in a race. All of my cadillacs have made it to 200000 miles without any problems. When you buy cadillacs look for the R sticker under the hood if it has that then it weill last you as long as you want. The girls also love it. I raced my friend who had a 2008 infiniti m35x and he was amazed at how fast this car is. It is so comfortable but at the same time fun to drive. no japanese car can match this car. I love cadillacs and will own one for as long as i live you really need to buy and own one.

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  Poor craftsmanship - 2007 Cadillac DTS
  By airforcdinstar - October 28 - 7:42 pm

  I purchased the car Certified Pre-Owned with 68000 miles. It has been in the shop 4 times for Wheel bearing, hubs, fuel sending unit, transmission leak,engine valve cover gasket and some other things. I purchased this car thinking Cadillac was a step up from some of the poor quality Chevrolets I drove. WOW I was wrong. I traded in a brand new 2011 Ford Taurus that I couldnt affford so I traded down and Paid 15,500 for this car. Thankfully its under warranty, however Cadillac service center managers are very aggressive and challenge me on all the repairs, thankfully I am a mechanic for the Air Force and I know a little bit about cars. This car is a nightmare and Cadillac service is horrible!

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  Perfect Bling to Wear - 2012 Cadillac SRX
  By lovecaddy - October 27 - 6:16 pm

  Everyone stops and take a look at my new 2012 SRX. Design is like none other. Nothing on the road looks like this. The Lex twin looks small to this. Mine is Black Raven with Stone interior. In the past I was a huge Ford Explorer fan buying 2 in the last 6 years. Trust me, they never offered the luxury of this. Buttons galore including rain sense and power turn in side mirrors for the car wash and bank drive in windows. All the interior of my new SRX have leather with French Stitching on the dash, all side door parts. So much attention to detail. Rides like being on a feather.

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  Reliable, but can have costly repairs - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By map64 - October 21 - 5:54 pm

  Bought in 02 with 36K miles for $7K ($32K new in 97. 136K miles/9+ years later, cant complain. Spent $800 on leaking oil cooler, timing belt/tensioner warranty replacement, $300 on timing belt replacement at 106K miles, $70 twice to replace heater control valve and $100 on oxygen sensor. Got climate control module for $25 to replace defect. Serviced spark plugs, trans fluid and brake pads. The timing belt is due to be changed in the next 10K or so. The only annoying thing to me is the electrical gremlins like the TC/ABS lights and the radio shutting off if the volume is too loud. If you do the work yourself, this can be a fun car to own because it has never left me on the side of the road

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  Adjustable pedals - 2004 Cadillac SRX
  By candace3 - October 19 - 5:01 pm

  I love the car, its perfect for my needs. I have had some issues with the wheel pulling to the left, which i asume is the alignment or suspension also at 64,000 and i had to have an engine sensor replaced. Which I have heard to be common with this model. I think the sensor has something to do with the Pedal placement. I was using the pedals extended a bit, because im on the short side. I was having some delay with the gas pedal. very strange. It was fine when i put the pedals back to the farthest position. but that is a feature that I do not get to use now. Over all I have not had too many issues. Purchased about a month ago so if anything comes up I will change my review.

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  Awesome Caddy - 2011 Cadillac SRX
  By sonnysideup - October 16 - 9:40 am

  Ive had this Caddy for about 3 weeks. I absolutely love it. Its fun to drive, & makes its presence on the road felt. This is a heavy SUV, & makes one feel secure especially in Washington D.C. traffic which is the worst in the Country. The only drawback is that it is a bit under powered, something that has been addressed in the new 2012. Its also the best looking SUV. GM is back.