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:

• 

  Good Looking junk - 2006 Cadillac XLR
  By bignickja - June 30 - 1:54 am

  Bought mine off showroom floor for 83,000 dollars to go with my vette and escalade yes I owed gm a lot, best and worst car Ive ever owned, great headturner, fun to drive, ALWAYS IN SHOP, I mean ALWAYS in my 40 months of owning it was in shop 33 times from headlights to horns to rubber fading, trans, water pump, oil pump, compressor, tire gauge, throttlebody, trunk, foglights, visors, radio replaced, navigation, radiator, blown speaker, push button door entry, lights on dash blown, periscope wheel, heads up display, wiper pump, rusted tailpipes, I am not making this up be warned, stupid thing is I still liked the car?

• 

  Water Pump broken and replaced at 46K - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By K Squared - June 29 - 11:42 pm

  At 46K miles on my 2005 3.6L CTS the water pump slowly leaked water and i caught it before it could overheat the motor. I also changed the cap for the radiator overflow water bottle. Stayin on top of it with oil changes and intricate transmission oil change.

• 

  Great car - 2000 Cadillac Seville
  By Mike M - June 28 - 1:34 pm

  I bought this car used with 45000 miles on it. Purchased a 100,000 mile extended warranty. This was a great car to own until the mileage hit 100,000. Then it started to cost me a lot of money. The car had constant oil leak problems which apparently are common with the Northstar engine. Some of the interior components are low in quality for what you expect from a Cadillac e.g. cup holders, garage opener knobs, seat adjustment controls. All broke. Other than the reliability issues, this was a great car to own. Powerful and smooth drive. Nav system, rear parking sensors, wiper sensors, leather seating are all great. Some parts are no longer available after 10 years.

• 

  Better have deep pockets or skills - 1996 Cadillac Deville
  By StillRidinClean - June 23 - 5:59 pm

  Bought my first and highly sought after Caddy. Almost half below market value but with an AC problem. $120 got me a small part and fill, AC works fine. Love to drive this beauty around and have fallen in love with the Northstar. Ive also won me a fair share of races, lol. But problems started occuring. Engine overheating (Was lucky enough to have friend fix), Serpentine belt (lost control of steering) $80, and just the other day the car wouldnt start despite a full charged battery. Did I mention the car is now accelerating funny, transmission? So, If you are skilled enough to do your own work you are going to love this car. If youre going to considering buying, be sure to check history.

• 

  Plush ride, needs service every 4 month - 2002 Cadillac Deville
  By Uwe & Wendy - June 22 - 6:11 pm

  We got the car in April 2008 with 60k miles. My wife has a 70 miles commute every day, so we are putting a lot of milage on the vehicel. Plush ride, very comfortable. However, every 4 months or so there had been issues - mostly with the electronic. Every visit in the shop is at least $700. No wonder that you can by those used ones so dirt cheap - you need to invest $3,000 or more every year just to keep them running! Gas milage is about 19 MPG on premium gas (the poster who reported 30+ miles is clearly smoking something!) with a mix of city & highway.

• 

  Oil burner - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By dawna - June 19 - 6:53 pm

  after having the car for 2 years, it started burning oil. I have taken it to 3 different dealers and because the warranty was almost up. Nobody cared to help get the warrenty company to pay for any repairs as they all told me there was nothing wrong even though I was going thru almost 5 quarts of oil every 3000 miles. other than that I love the car although the airbag sensor and the passenger seat went out right after the warranty was up.

• 

  Best Luxury car for the money - 2004 Cadillac Deville
  By Jason A - June 15 - 3:52 pm

  I bought this Car about 6 to 7 months ago when the gas prices were around $ 3.50 to 4 bucks a gallon. So not alot of people wanted this car because it doesnt get the best gas mileage. All I have owned is cadillacs, I love them. They dont hold there value well but you can pick them up at a good price if you really look around. I paid $7,000 total for mine with taxes. at the time its high book value was $11,500. The car does have a little over 100,000 miles but you cant tell by looking at it. For a big car that weighs alot this car will get up and fly, the ride is of course very comfortable. For the money you cant go wrong if you want a big, fast, and luxurious car, That is fun to drive.

• 

  I got a lemon - 1999 Cadillac Eldorado
  By Norvs26 - June 14 - 8:08 am

  Though most reviews for the Eldo are excellent, mines been a nightmare from day one. a month after I bought it the head gasket blew and it was cheaper to replace the engine than the gaskets. Every month its a new problem. window motor, climate control motor, door panel fell off, trunk latch broke, ect.ect. I cant wait to get rid of. Im done with American cars now.

• 

  oil and water - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By dave - June 6 - 12:27 pm

  i really like the car, but like someone else commented on the oil, my oil disappeared. about 2500 miles into a mobil 1 oil change. no leaks, not burning. (was told that the sync. oil might be geting through seals) that bothers me. also the tailgate leaks, dlr. couldnt fix it. i will someday. other than that. love it.

• 

  awesome ultra fine classy car - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By ultrastark - May 30 - 2:32 am

  owning and especially driving this beauty are an absolute pleasure, yea there is the odd glitch here and there such as the interior shud be a bit more prestigous. the 320 hp is awesome they shud have made it a 360hp or so but the 320hp is superfine. sound system is beyond prestige. it handles like a sports car born on the track. what a sweet ride u built it right this time caddy, the headlight and light system mated to the front fascia is a designers showpiece.