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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  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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  Caterror! - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By dasmaedchen - March 18 - 11:02 pm

  This has been the worst car Ive ever owned. I bought it two years ago when I needed a car badly. Id read a couple poor reviews but was persuaded to at least come look at the car. It looked brand new, had low mileage, and a nice price. I now know that the reason it looked brand new and had low mileage is probably because it was parked, broken, more than actually driven. It is pure garbage. It has had a coolant leak since shortly after I bought it. I have taken it to several different places including a dealership and nobody has been able to stop the leak. This among the many other things wrong with it. It would also randomly refuse to start and then 30 minutes later would start.

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  Stay away! - 2010 Cadillac Escalade
  By txtx - November 17 - 2:00 am

  Owned a 2007 Yukon loaded. Loaded with problems too. Serious electrical issues which scared us to drive it with children inside. We took it in about 4 times and finally traded in for the escalade awd. You would think that being the King literally! Of the Cadillac and the road, it should be built far better than the Tahoe/Yukon? Not ! The biggest pc of crap! I have ever owned! Within 8 months it was in the shop about 12 times for all sorts of problems. Worst was the engine cut off while driving on interstate. Super dangerous vehicle! Took it in and there must have been 5 escalades in shop for shadow problems of mine. Purchased a Volvo xc70 loaded and freaking love it!

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  What A Lemon - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By Eileen - October 25 - 2:00 am

  This is by far the worst vehicle I have ever owned and Ive owned many. The engine blew at 77,000 miles and needed a total rebuild. Then the rear went, as did the radiator, and the battery. The radio goes on and off at will, the oil light does the same. The rear windows, if you make the mistake of lowering them, will come back up when they feel like it - sometimes it takes days. As of today, I have been riding around with a garbage bag covering my window and its been down for 3 days! The rear lights, including the blinkers, also work when they want to. The electronics in this vehicle are a joke. What a piece of junk.

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  Car in Shop 1 week - 2011 Cadillac SRX
  By patty gill - October 21 - 2:00 am

  Shortly after purchasing this auto I noticed that any cup you put in the cup holder would tip and spill. Packages roll all over the back. The cargo net lays flat and you tuck your purchases under the net. What an inconvenience.The auto has been in the shop for 1 week today. The top rails were damaged upon arrival. So were the next 3 sets. Still waiting. Not user friendly interior. This has been such a big disappointment. I had Lexus autos for the last ten years and thought Buy American. What a mistake. Dealer was hard to get hold of for any info.

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  My last GM - 2008 Cadillac SRX
  By Joe - October 12 - 2:00 am

  Took over the lease at 20K and had way too many trips to the dealer. 2 sets of rear breaks, 1 set of front, sunroof too many time to mention. engine light for no reason, and timing chain twice, also road noise on the highway was ridiculous. For a car of this level this is totally unacceptable. I have always owned GMs but I think this might be my last, I think I will check out the Lincolns or Acura.

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  Lemon - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By Cher - August 19 - 8:11 pm

  I am so sorry that I bought this car. I traded in a Ford Taurus for this thing . I have been sorry from the start. The airbags went first, then the entire sound system, then the door locks. The car just died again, while idling, for about the 20th time. Had to have it towed home for the 4th time in 6 months. It has 68k on it. What a giant disappointment. I have spent so much in repairs. I am done.

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  If I knew then what I know now - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By Julie - August 9 - 6:59 pm

  Repairs that I had within an 18 month period: 1. Piston.$700 (67,000 miles) 2. Throttle motor.$1200 (84,000 miles) 3. Steering column replacement.$800 (86,000 miles) 4. Air bag $350. (80,000 miles) bad sensor.$250. (72,000 miles) 5. Another $400 repair I cannot remember what type because there have been too many. This occurred at 80,000 miles I dont even want to total up the money I have spent on car repairs. Im upset enough already. I will never purchase a cts again.

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  Never buy again - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By Shay - July 21 - 9:53 am

  I liked the looks of this car when it first came out so I bought one. I should have waited until they figured out the problems. I had instant problems with the check engine light. It took 5 trips back to the dealer before they figured out that it was the thermostat and had to reset the sensors every time. Now it dies when you come to a stop. The final kicker was the headlamp. It went out so I looked in the manual on how to replace it. Of course it said see dealer. They quoted me $1100 to replace it. How stupid is the design team at GM? I will never buy another GM car.

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  cool air gone for good - 2010 Cadillac SRX
  By mrs. jones - July 13 - 4:56 pm

  i purchased my srx in may within two months we noticed the air stopped working we took back they found nothing wrong with it so july12,2010 the stop working again so i took it back this time they say the modular have to be replaced along with something else.this is brand new i thought that was the reason to purchase something new so you want have these kind of problems. I dont recommend any one purchase this crossover we paid over 40,000 for this car and this is what we got put a little more money and go get a BMW or a Mercedes because its not worth the headache.