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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  Must have got the one diamond amongst the broken glass. - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By jlblack - June 18 - 3:14 am

  While everybody else hates this car, I love it! I bought last year for $2000. I immediately had to buy a new radiator for it for $200 that I installed. I was quoted up to $750 for one, so call around when buying parts. I abuse this car! The sport button is on half the time, I take corners at above twice the recommended speed. This car is glued to the road. It sails at 90 mph with no problem. If you can work on cars yourself and want cheap luxury then this is the car for you. For what I paid for it if a major repair comes up then its off to the junk yard, but until then, get out of my way! You can buy a Haynes repair manual for an Opel Omega from the UK. Same car. I did.

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  IF YOURE LOOKING FOR A MONEY PIT, THIS IS YOUR CAR - 2001 Cadillac Deville
  By colorado0956 - June 4 - 7:32 pm

  Ive owned many cars during my life, but this car is by far the worst car Ive ever owned. It is nothing more than a money pit. It had less than 20K mi when I bought it in 05. Ive put less than 30K mi on the car since owning it. In that time, Ive spent $5700 in repairs. That is awful for a car that has fewer than 60K miles on it. In the 5 yrs Ive owned the car, it has cost me $1100/annually in repairs. Thats pathetic. Those repairs consist of complete axle work, brakes, rotors & shocks, new transmission w/ all 4 motor mounts, new starter, window problems & many more problems, not to mention that it drinks oil. I got rid of that pc of junk & bought a Honda! No more GM for me. No Thanks!

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  Bose Stereo Issue Debugged - 2008 Cadillac STS
  By cfazzari - June 4 - 2:02 am

  In an earlier review I wrote the Bose system was basically terrible. The lows had no THUMP the Mids were Watery and the highs were muted. Apparently There are five different listener settings: Centerpoint, Driver, Talk, Normal and Rear. Centerpoint is the setting to use. The other four settings make the system sound awful at high volumes. Centerpoint wakes up the entire system and is easily comparable to the Boston Acoustic sytem I just came out of from my SRT8 Charger.

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  AMAZING - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By emcee2 - June 3 - 1:01 am

  I got this car for my 17th birthday and couldnt be more pleased! The BOSE sound system is tremendous and the sportiness keeps it young. :D It rides super smooth and Ive never had a complaint about comfort. The price is outstanding for what all it has to offer and Im honestly in shock at how convenient this car is. Its roomy, sporty, beautiful, and smooth... What more could you ask for?

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  Disappointed - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By natural_99_99 - June 1 - 11:19 pm

  I have been a proud owner of my CTS until recently. I have made sure the oil was changed every 3,000 to 6,000 miles as needed. Just with in the last month my CTS started cutting back when my wife was driving it. I checked oil in car & it was fine. dealership did a diagnostic test on the car and contacted me that same day and advise that the CTS had no issues & everything checked out fine. Within two weeks she was experience same problem I checked oil level & it was no oil at all. Went to pick up some oil put in car. Then I test drove the CTS next day & had no problem until I picked up some speed then it cutback some and engine light came on. When I went out to leave on tuesday it would not start out all & had to have it towed to dealership. Thats when I was told that i need a new engine. The repairs would cost $6200. I have recommended Cadillac CTS to numerous people never again. I am disappointed I had a chrysler sebring before this car that I traded in with 230000 miles on it. Cadillac is suppose to be a step above that. Its wrong how this economy is set up to bail out GM but I cant even get a $6200 repair covered by the company that should have failed.

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  2000 Seville STS, Great car but expensive to keep. - 2000 Cadillac Seville
  By fcareaga - May 27 - 10:15 pm

  I bought this car used with 140k miles, Ive put about 12k miles in the the last couple of years. I LOVE this car, but its really expensive to keep up and Im getting ready to sell it and get a Lexus LS400. The car is sexy, fast and comfortable, but everything goes wrong on it. It leaks coolant, probably has a bad head gasket, it starting idling rough, has the known vibration issue above 60 mph...and other minor issues. You would think that a car that was MSRP $54k would be built a bit better.

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  After 4 yrs of ownership, I still love my Escalade - 2008 Cadillac Escalade
  By rydan93 - May 26 - 10:01 am

  I bought my 2008 Escalade brand new. After 4 yrs I still love this vehicle. It is super comfy and I have had no issues with it other than a few nit picky cosmetic replacements. The engine and computer system have never given me any trouble. I would have expected a vehicle of this price range to come with blue tooth, but they did finally add it on the 2009. My favorite thing about this truck is the engine! I love that loud roar of my 6.2 liter when I crank it up. The 22" wheels arent to bad either! I have always felt safe driving it and long trips are easy.

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  Batmobile... All Grown-up - 2008 Cadillac DTS
  By miguelski - May 23 - 11:29 pm

  In considering a replacement for my 2004 black Supercharged SS Monte Carlo (Batmobile) I looked for an American made "grown-up" 4 door car. My internet research led me to the Certified 2008 black-on-black Cadillac DTS which I purchased. I am very pleased with my purchase.

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  Excellent Ride - 2011 Cadillac SRX
  By pro13 - May 18 - 7:11 pm

  I returned my BMW to lease this SRX. I dont regret it one bit. I love the higher view and the ride is so smooth I have had the car for two weeks and I already have 700 miles on it.

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  Where did all the oil go? - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By joez34 - May 16 - 9:13 am

  I love or should I say "loved" this car for the many years I have owned it. The car performed perfectly until 55,000 miles when it began drinking up a qt of oil every 1,000 miles. No leaks, and No Smoke, just a quart of oil gone. The worst part about it was I didnt figure this out until the car was down 4 qts and started to make lots of noise. No LOW oil level or pressure indicator. Sorry GM, I traded in the CTS for a NEW Lexus ES350. Maybe Ill be back in a few years, but for now Im gone.