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:

• 

  Bad luck..Poor quality..or Lemon????? - 1999 Cadillac Seville
  By tv12345 - August 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought the vehicle with 49k. Within the first 2-wks I replaced the gear shifter, thermostat, power steering pump, passenger door speaker, struts, condensation build up in front and back lights, and one of the ac vents (all covered under wrnty). At 55k, the radio started to turn off on occasion and passenger heated seat doesnt work..never fixed..at 60k (all within one week) my service air bag light came on, water pump and battery went bad, cylinder needs replaced. I just replaced the brakes/rotors...Im finished with Cadillac and trading the vehicle in.

• 

  CTS A FUN RIDE - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By LE - August 3 - 2:00 am

  Interestingly, people have rolled down windows at stop lights to comment or question inspected by walking around my car in parking lots stangers asking at gas pump "would you buy it again? does it measure with your deville? Whats it really like? Never before have I had a car to get so much attention. Additionally it handles well, drives almost as smooth as a heavier car. We tried the volvo, lexus and many other cars in its category and found cts to offer more.

• 

  Thats a beautiful car! - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By Hug - August 1 - 1:53 pm

  My first stop from the dealer was Costco. As I drove in, a guy motioned for me to roll down my window and said, "Thats a really beautiful car." He was right. Weve liked it ever since.

• 

  1998 Cadillac Deville - 1998 Cadillac Deville
  By Caddyshea - August 1 - 2:00 am

  This is a wonderful car and very solid. It is unlike many of the newer cars and the light bodies. This is a car you sit in and feel like you are sitting at home in your living room. Lots of get up and go and a general nice feeling, easy to handle car. This is a great automobile. The more miles you put on it, the better it seems to drive and ride.

• 

  As good as a beemer - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By Ex Lincoln Driver - August 1 - 2:00 am

  I went from a Lincoln Town Car to a CTS and there isnt any comparison. The CTS is a fun and exciting car to drive. I purchased the Sport version with the tighter suspension and I feel it performs as well as the BMW or Mercedes.

• 

  what a shame - 2002 Cadillac Eldorado
  By mwm - July 31 - 2:00 am

  nothing but problems since new.the quality of this car is terrible.it is such a great looking car.

• 

  Wonderful - 2005 Cadillac Escalade
  By Skip1000 - July 30 - 2:00 am

  I put 7500 miles on it this summer when we took a drive from California to Pennsylvania. It is a wonderful vehicle to travel in. I also tow a jeep wrangler with the Escalade, its easy to forget you are towing anything. If you are looking for an SUV and want the very best, by an Escalade.

• 

  2013 SRX4 - 2013 Cadillac SRX
  By Brian Sprowl - July 27 - 4:52 pm

  Beautiful vehicle. Style is unmatched. Ride is totally Cadillac. Performance is very good. Gas mileage is okay. Electronics are only questionable area. Need to have the whole entertainment center replaced due to touch screen malfunction. Very expensive.

• 

  XLR - The Complete Personal Car - 2004 Cadillac XLR
  By Ex Allante Owner - July 27 - 2:00 am

  Traded my 93 Allante on a Black XLR and wonder now why I didnt do it sooner. The integration of Navigation, XM Radio, HUD, Adaptive Cruise Control and all the other features makes a terrific total package. Ride & handling and performance are outstanding. Using the Vette chassis was a great engineering decision. The stiffness really helps the handling. This is a complete vehicle. Has everything I want in a personal vehicle. Just retirned from a trip to the mountains of NC. The manual trans. feature was a great step forward from the old method of downshifting an auto trans.

• 

  not a bad car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By blckriv - July 27 - 2:00 am

  I LOVE the looks of the car, gas economy is mediocre at best, but have have had a lot of compliments on the appearance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!