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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  Not Worth It - 2004 Cadillac XLR
  By Vaffanculo - November 5 - 2:00 am

  Hello my name is Frank, I just wanted to tell everyone that if you are looking for style, comfort, and the finer things in life, and have $75,000 to buy it, then this is your car. On the other hand, it basicly has the same engine and my 1996 Mustang Cobra 4.6L 8cyl 5 speed and I payed a lot less for that car then I did this one. So in my opinion its not worth the price, I only payed for the Cadillac symbol on the front grill.

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  Finely got Mine - 2004 Cadillac XLR
  By arcuby - November 5 - 2:00 am

  Car arrived last week. It is Black on Black. It has the same ride feel as my Audi A4. Love all the Gismos, Especialy the (HUD) or Head up Display, Power Retractble hard top, verry good Sound system, Adaptive cruise control, etc etc. They should have more interior color options. Overall I am pleased. Jacques

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  LIKE NO OTHER CADDY YOU HAVE SEEN BEFORE - 2004 Cadillac XLR
  By KROM75@AOL.COM - November 5 - 2:00 am

  IT IS A MUST HAVE, OR MUST DRIVE AT LEAST ONCE CAR

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  XLR AWESOME - 2004 Cadillac XLR
  By E Flynn - November 5 - 2:00 am

  A Cadillac that is a Corvette, Everyone wants to know what it is, everywhere we go. Who would have believed kids would be admiring a Cadillac this way, Performance and handling are exceptional...world class...AND yes, weve owned BMWs too. This is superior. This is the ultimate American Sports car and the ultimate American luxury car ever built. It surpasses everything Japan and Europe have on the market. We can buy anything we choose and weve owned many of the envied cars on the market. This is the first car weve genuinely been excited about for many years.

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  Only the Best car ever - 2004 Cadillac XLR
  By snodrft - November 5 - 2:00 am

  Love the car, always gets the attention of the blond in the mustang next to me!

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  JIMS XLR - 2004 Cadillac XLR
  By GUCCI - November 5 - 2:00 am

  A pure attention getter. Only one on the road really turns heads. Drives like a "Luxury" sports car. Handles like a Corvette (I have one of those also). Top goes up and down like a real movie production. A real "Class Act".

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  Nice SUV - 2000 Cadillac Escalade
  By Seanster - November 5 - 2:00 am

  I got a great deal on this SUV with only 10,000 miles. The warranty is good until 12/04 or 50,000 miles. What a find!.

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  This car rips - 2003 Cadillac Seville
  By Slota - November 4 - 2:00 am

  This is my second STS. The original 2000 had some hard shifting points and was somewhat soft in the corners.The 2003 model was smoother to shift and is much firmer in cornering. They both were and are incredibly dependable, inexpensive to run and extremely reliable. My young 30 something wife loved the look and asked me to by the first one over BMW and Mercedes.

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  lade back - 2002 Cadillac Escalade
  By VICTORIA & WAYNE - November 4 - 2:00 am

  OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE, GREAT STABILITY, AND COMFORTABLE.

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  This is my second Cadillac - 2002 Cadillac Seville
  By Joe Stevens - November 3 - 2:00 am

  I traded in a 1997 SLS that I loved because it started to burn a quart of oil every 1,000 miles. I love the 2002 STS in every way except a couple. I have had extreme problems balancing the tires, and still have a slight vibration at certain speeds. I also wish, (minor issue) that the sun roof was a one touch close as well as the one touch open, and lastly, the satellite radio antenna on the roof should be painted, not a flat finish plastic. It detracts from the car. Other makes paint their antenna cover to match the car finish.