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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  Unbelievable Quality/ Style for a 24 Yr Old car - 1990 Cadillac Eldorado
  By Robert Garner - March 30 - 8:06 pm

  Bought mine used as a weekend car as I live in a large metropolitan city and can walk to work and various shopping around my condo, it had 132,000 miles on it and 1.5 years later only up to 133,074, runs like new, everything inside and out looks as if its 1990, all the digital instrumentation works perfectly, as well as the onboard 1990s computer console (state of the art for the 90s) all I had to replace was the trunk closure motor, (as the trunk closes automatically), my oil change place cannot believe a 24 year old car still looks this good. Have to say well worth the $2800 I paid for it

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  MY ELDORADO - 2001 Cadillac Eldorado
  By Joe Criscione - February 24 - 2:49 pm

  I bought my 2001 EldoradoETC with 85K miles on the clock. ck engine lite, wheel bearing, motor mounts, starter motor, about 1500.00 dollars worth, also replaced all the sensors. But smetimes when you buy a used car you have to invest a few bucks to straighten stuff out. All that being said, My Eldorado runs PERFECT, Gets 29MPG on the road, and looks acts and feels like the thorobred she is. Love the car and it was well worth the money I payed for it including the repairs. I think GM is on the right road offering 2 dr Cadillacs.

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  Cadillac IS back like never before - 2014 Cadillac CTS
  By Richard Domingues Boscovich - February 23 - 6:12 pm

  OK. I grew up lusting after BMWs 3 & 5 series, and love what Audi has done with itself over the past several years. I am not your typical Cadillac buyer by any stretch of the imagination. I love Formula 1, soccer ( football everywhere else) and any auto sport with the exclusion of NASCAR. Having said that, I have always kept an open mind all things automotive. I regularly test drive cars from numerous manufactures, and judge cars by their merits, not brand reputation. So when I wanted a performance sedan, I tested all of them. The CTS v Sport is, hands down, the best handling sport sedan period. Not BMW, Jag, Lexus.. nothing. The quality, feel and finish is excellent. Drive it!

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  Great Car! - 2013 Cadillac XTS
  By terryauto - February 13 - 12:32 pm

  Gosh I love this car! This is one of the best cars I have owned and I have owned everything from a Chevrolet, Honda, Nissan, Lexus, Mercedes, Volvo, BMW and so on. The overall style and ergonomics really fit what I was looking for and I looked at many cars to compare for this purchase from Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Lincoln. I read all the reviews and while some I agree with and some i disagree with, that is why they make so many brands and models. As far as the CUE system, it took a little time to get the hang of it, but when you do it works great! Some critics say the car is under powered and they need to get a life, you want that much power, buy a sports car, this is luxury!

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  CTS 6cyl Premium AWD - 2014 Cadillac CTS
  By jkorn - January 10 - 8:27 am

  I love this car! every angle unique and turns heads everywhere I go. The handling was the biggest surprise when first driving, its feels light and responsive around corners. Ive had many cars over the years and driven the BMWs, MB and Audi and I think the CTS takes the cake in looks for sure, a close second would be MB in my opinion.

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  I dont know what you guys are talking about. - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By bigsim - January 7 - 6:52 pm

  Bought my CTS 4.ago and I love it, had a oil leak which was repaired under warranty. It does use a little oil so I keep an eye on it, this is a sports car I dont think a lot of people understand that so you have to be vigilant on upkeep I love this car and would recommend it to anyone ...Again this car is not for the person that doesnt take care of their car all the blown engine problems I bet can be traced back to some kind of abuse.

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  Outstanding SUV - 2004 Cadillac Escalade
  By 6paul11 - December 1 - 9:38 am

  This Escalade is nothing short of an outstanding vehicle. If you are looking for command presence, curb appeal, and attitude that works in all weather conditions, look no further. Pros: -Excellent V8 engine that snarls when you put your foot down and has no trouble smoking most vehicles on the road. -Handles well -Good sound system Cons: -The interior build quality is a real black eye. They dropped the ball on this one. -Some replacement parts are pricey -Electronics build quality is also a little spotty

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  The Ultimate Commuter Car - 2014 Cadillac ELR
  By profrob - October 30 - 12:33 am

  The ELR makes my commute so much nicer. It is quiet, it is smooth, it has an amazing sound system, and its economical. Without too much effort, I can make my 40 mile round trip on electric only. This isnt a fun car you want to rip up mountain roads in thats not what its designed to do. Its designed to cart you around town in a quiet, luxurious cocoon that is still responsive and fun to drive. Having the engine backup is vital. Theres no way I could do an EV with less than 100 miles of range without being constantly paranoid that Id run out of juice. The ELR solves that problem. You can milk the batteries for all theyve got, then the motor kicks in to keep you going.

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  46K miles and still not a problem - 2012 Cadillac SRX
  By moscoman - September 10 - 11:07 am

  With the exception of tires recently changed, this car has been absolutely a pleasure to own and drive. I waited specifically for the 2012 model to get the larger V6 with increased HP, and it has not disappointed. Extremely comfortable car to drive.

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  Land Yacht! - 1993 Cadillac Fleetwood
  By scottywood - September 1 - 4:31 pm

  I purchased a one owner 93 Fleetwood Brougham with 33,030 miles on it. Ive been looking at these cars for 20 years and now its "home". I drove over 600 miles in one day and arrived as refreshed as when I left. Imagine floating across the highway at 75 mph seated on a full sized leather sofa. When our kids are in the car they whisper and say that it reminds them of a library. Im only sorry that these beautiful American Dream Machines are disappearing.