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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  LOVE IT!!! - 2003 Cadillac Escalade
  By Krissa Takatsuka - October 21 - 2:00 am

  My husband and I have now had our Escalade for about 6 months and its been great. Its definately a keeper. We pay alot per month but its worth every penny! The pearl white paint is beautiful, and it hides dirt pretty well. We have dubs on it, and man is it an eye catcher! People just stare when I drive by. The only complaint I have is at first the speedometer was sort of hard to read. But I love it and we plan on keeping it for a very long time. THANK YOU CADILLAC!!!

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  Corvette with 4 doors - 2000 Cadillac Seville
  By wcpurcell - October 20 - 2:00 am

  This is one great sedan for those who want luxury, style, prestige, and performance all rolled up into one vehicle. I bought the extended warranty, but have not had to use it. This has been a reliable automobile.

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  Vehicle Rating - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By cadillac - October 20 - 2:00 am

  Not the ride that I had hoped for

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  SRX AWD fits my style - 2004 Cadillac SRX
  By thelenster - October 19 - 2:00 am

  10 weeks and I still love my SRX AWD. I was originally interested in the SRX because of its automobile size - not the monster Escalade. I really appreciate Cadillac packaging options together, I purchased the Luxury performance package with the Ultraview sunroof and third row power seat. The 6cyl has incredible power and I like the fuel economy over the 8cyl which felt like a rocket ship on wheels. Design, handling, comfort are all premium first-class. This was my clear and exceptional choice over Volvo, BMW, Lexus, Lincoln, and Volkswagon.

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  Still Loving It! - 2004 Cadillac Escalade EXT
  By Boss Man - October 19 - 2:00 am

  I targeted, and planned to buy an Avalanche. I still like the Avalanche, but once I saw/test drove the EXT, I decided: "Why not move up? Im 50 years old. What am I waiting for?" Its nice to be in "the Cadillac family." Its a rush to drive, and I expect that good feeling to last for many years.

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  Overall a great car- want a newer model - 1995 Cadillac Seville
  By Krista - October 18 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car two years ago and love it - the only things I have replaced are the brakes and a couple of hundred dollar items, but I have had to have the car towed twice for those silly inexpensive items. The engine is super poweful and fast, but has started to idle a little off. overall a great performance vehicle

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  An overlooked gem of a car - 2016 Cadillac ATS
  By Clark - October 17 - 4:41 pm

  2016 Cadillac ATS 2.0 turbo luxury AWD trim is a great handling car. As many others have mentioned already, the vehicle is slick, drives extremely well, handles confidently, and overall a great driving car. When the sport mode is selected, the wheel and suspension gets noticeably tightened and gear changes at higher RPMs to allow for a quicker acceleration, which all makes it a very nice sporty experience. One feature I do not like is that the luxury trim does not have the HID lights (higher trims do have it). Halogen lights does the job, but it is nowhere near the brightness of HID. Backseat is cramped, but for small to normal sized people, it isnt uncomfortable. If ATS makes HID standard and add a couple more inches to the backseat legroom, in my mind, it would clearly beat BMW 3 series. Until then, it is so close, yet so far from the 3 series benchmark. At the same time, when Im in the car by myself driving in sport mode on the highway, these couple of minor inconveniences are an afterthought. At 272 hp and 295 lb-sqft, the 2.0 turbo is the real steal among the trim offerings in my opinion. If you are looking for an entry level luxury sport sedan, I highly recommend you test drive the ATS 2.0 turbo and test out the acceleration and handling. You wont be disappointed.

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  The Best Car - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By The Caddy Kidd - October 17 - 10:00 am

  I got this car for my 17th birthday. My parents both have their own Escalades but i have to admit that having a car is so much more fun and enjoyable. It has a better ride. The CTS has more than enough room and has a very good ride. It gets lots of looks and stares and many people are jelous of it. I am glad I got this Cadillac and i dont think I would trade it for anything.

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  nice car - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By mjmike - October 17 - 10:00 am

  This car is a super car..I love it..it ride wonderful..it can do touch corners at 75 MPH!!!!! So far this car has been worth every dime! Everywhere i go people stare and atare at this car. I only have seen maybe 7 on the road. Great unique car!

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  My Dream Car - 1990 Cadillac Allante
  By Blue Skies - October 17 - 2:00 am

  I remember seeing an Allante several years ago, "What was that?" it made my head turn. 7 years later I could afford to buy my dream car at a Kia dealer with brand new cars selling for $8K. Who would buy a 10 year old car for $16K? Ha! No one knew a diamond in the rough! All the bells and whistles in a convertible disquised under the hard top! With a 3 year warranty its been worth every penny on a sunny Seattle day (yes, rain too!) Ive now extended the warranty for another two more years! How many cars out there can have such luxury/affordability as a teenager of 13? Im contemplating selling it, but every time I look around nothing can compare!