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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  1st. Caddy for me...maybe more? - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By tdh5130 - July 26 - 10:00 am

  I ordered my CTS in Dec. 2002 and took delivery in Jan. 2003. This is my first Cadillac and probably wont be my last. The CTS is a fun car to drive and will definetly turn heads on the street. I ordered my CTS with just about every option. The upgraded Bose stereo / DVD Navigation is awesome. I would strongly suggest the Sport Package for those who enjoying driving their vechicle.

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  Discusted customer - 2004 Cadillac Seville
  By James McCabe - July 26 - 2:00 am

  Car is very confortable on long trips.It handles good,until I try to go with trafic and get up to 82 to 85,than the car vibrates,not real bad , but it is still there. the dealer has worked on it, but with no succes. The car is beatiful at lower speeds.

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  excellent - 2004 Cadillac Seville
  By lleonel - July 26 - 2:00 am

  excellent drive and performance,drive an american dream

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  The Best Car Ever - 1997 Cadillac Seville
  By ProudCaddyOwner - July 26 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car in May of 98, pratically new It had 34k miles on it. The moment i drove it i fell in love...it handles great....this car has taken to and from Arkansas many times...and never once has it acted in any way like it was going to overheat...even with 105,672 thousand miles....the car has been great...mechanically i have only had to replace the O2 sensor and the fuel sensor both at 75k miles....other wise.....i cant think of anything i replaced....but here recently we almost lost her...we were in a bad wreck...we didnt think they would fix her up....but luckly the retail on a cadillac is really good...

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  Pretty good - 1999 Cadillac Seville
  By Smartnick - July 26 - 2:00 am

  This is my 4th Cadillac now and so far ive put 3,000 mi on it and its doin really good. Hope that it will go for quite a while with no or little problems I really think it will. Northstars are great motors last forever and 27mpg on the highway.

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  cadillac - 2004 Cadillac Escalade
  By mr h - July 26 - 2:00 am

  Good SUV. I was surprised at the comfort and the ride it had to be a big vehicle. Gas mileage could be better

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  I love my caddy - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By Sooooooooh - July 25 - 2:00 am

  The caddilac is a sports car that performs great and i love it. It is also a luxury car .

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  not a good buy! - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By blokespeed - July 25 - 2:00 am

  The worst vehicle I have ever purchased,went back to the dealership too many times.Heated seat on drivers side burnt through leather and through my jacket!Both were replaced by GM but dealership did not seem to care too much.Steering rod ends last 45K miles this is why tires do not last also alot of tire shops cant do alignment because of no lip on wheel.Check engine light came on every 2 weeks.Trans module failed $650.00 fix.Hated this car with a passion just traded it in for a toyota,value of cadillac depreciated $15000 in 3 years!No more GM for us.

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  Flight of the Bumbleent - 2004 Cadillac XLR
  By bumbleent - July 23 - 2:00 am

  The only thing lacking is a manual six- speed transmission. Passing acceleration is breathtaking. The convertible hardtop is absolutely watertight.It was worth the wait.

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  Exceeds My Expectations - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By JazzyDame - July 23 - 2:00 am

  Finally, I made the right choice with leasing the CTS. This is the happiest I have ever been with any car. Previously, I only considered foreign cars, but the style changed my mind. The performance is excellent, and the interior is pure luxury. I have to mention that the dealership, Cadillac Village of Norwood, and my salesperson, Jay Caan, were fanastic.