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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  2002 escalade 1 year report - 2002 Cadillac Escalade
  By Raymond Malen - January 2 - 2:00 am

  Very good reliability with this vehicle,first year it was back to the dealer only once.Truck is fun to drive and has a tendancy to spoil you, you think all trucks are this good.

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  Goo quality nice to drive - 2003 Cadillac Deville
  By DASSASON - January 2 - 2:00 am

  Nice car to drive, very stable on the road specially in bumpy road as in NY The DTS is exceptionally has good ride on wet road and even on heavy rain, you can also feel the different between this car and any Mercedes when raining or snow my friend has Mercedes E55 more the $75000 car he even could not move in the snow when my Cadilac moved like princes, I am driver with more the one million mile I had Mercedes BMW and all luxury cars I never drove a car with excellent performance in the rain as the DTS, it is very important to fill safe on wheat road, it is not so quite when pushing hard the gas but this car behave on the road as European car and

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  What happened to Cadillac? - 2017 Cadillac XTS
  By Chris - January 1 - 4:18 am

  I rented this vehicle for 12 days in San Diego over the holidays. In spite of reading the manual twice and calling Onstar (they were no help), I could not figure out even the most basic commands like getting the seat memories to stick or getting the trip meter to appear on the display. Even more infuriating: most of the time when exiting the car, the drivers seat would move back and the outside mirrors would point towards the ground. While I appreciate the cars attempt to ease egress and spot puddles, the problem is the seat and mirrors would not return to their previous position when getting back in the car! Its really aggravating having to reset these items every time you go somewhere. My opinion is CUE is a disaster. It was easy pairing my phone, however. Additionally, the XTS now has rubberband 19 tires that ride like crap! I could feel every little imperfection on San Diegos crappy side streets. On the plus side, the cars handling was quite good. The XTS is a blast to throw around corners, although I miss the sound of a V8 and the car could definitely use 50 more lbs. feet of torque. Overall, I dropped this car off thinking Cadillac doesnt know what the cars mission is and who their customers are. I do know I could never spend $55K on a car whos controls cant be figured out, with a ride that my Ram 1500 puts to shame!

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  4 Door Muscle that need lots of repairs - 1992 Cadillac Seville
  By MikeAbey - December 31 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car from the original owner who was an older lady who really took car. The car only had 32K miles when I bought it 9 months ago, now the car has 42K miles. Since then I have spent well over $4000 on it. The car needed a new battery, radiator, AC compressor, Alternater, Busings,Starter, Electrical work,antenna motor,and a transmission majulater which cost over $2000 at the delar. I will never buy a another used GM car. Since then I bought a 98 Lexus GS400. There is no comparison. The Lexus is such a superior car to the Seville. Too bad Americans cant still compete and make a better product than the Japanese.

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  The best car Ive ever owned - 1994 Cadillac Deville
  By Moms car - December 31 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. It always started and was a great road car for commuting. We used it as a family car and it literally saved my life one snowy night on the Central Artery in Boston. A smaller car in a similar accident resulted in a fatality the trooper told me. The Cadillac Deville never budged when muscled by a 10 wheeler truck. 160,000 miles and headed for 200,000.

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  Princess Caddy - 1999 Cadillac Seville
  By JohnRL - December 31 - 2:00 am

  2 years and 20K miles later. I find the styling to be exceptional inside and out. The cars power and handling are also very impressive. My SLS is missing a couple of options I would have ordered if buying new such as memory seats and heated seats. Interior leather quality is superiror. Ride is exceptional but could be a bit softer on the freeway. Problems with part of the steering mechanism which was repaired,the Goodyear tires were trash, and the brake rotors are not wearing evenly which makes for sluggish stops. A few minor rattles have popped up and the leather covering over the seatbelt housings is coming apart. Service department has been OUTSTANDING!

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  Outstanding American Luxury - 2003 Cadillac Deville
  By Richid - December 31 - 2:00 am

  This is an absolutely fantastic vehicle. I traded in my Corvette for this car and the DeVille performs almost as well. Its also one of the most comfortable vehicles Ive ever driven. I recently drove from Rhode Island to Florida non-stop(averaging 27.1 mpg) when arrived in Orlando, I felt like I had been sitting on my couch at home for twenty hours. I have had a few problems however. The heating system needed to be fixed, but this was under warranty. There is also significant nose-dive during heavy braking. All in all, I love my DeVille and would recommend it to anyone seeking a safe, reliable, and well-performing luxury sedan.

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  Willing To Buy A Car - 2003 Cadillac Escalade EXT
  By Darius Walker - December 30 - 10:00 am

  From my experience i had alot of fun driving it around everyday the interiors in great shape the car runs fine Brand new so come on by.

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  Big Bertha - 1993 Cadillac Fleetwood
  By soop - December 27 - 2:00 am

  I love my big caddy. I wish I could have kept the dashboard from splitting. I wonder can tis be a recall item because I have seen the others do the same thing. My car has always been in the garage. It rides with ease and now has 91,000 miles on it. I had it tuned for the first time last month. It didnt drive like it needed it, but I want to keep it in tip top shape.

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  Most overlooked sport "import" - 2000 Cadillac Catera
  By DTF - December 27 - 2:00 am

  The best used car value available today. Period. Fit, finish, and road feel are on par with very good European sedans. To date, service and reliability have been outstanding (has needed virtually nothing). Relative to other cars that Ive owned (Saab, BMW, and Audi), Id have to say that its not as good as any of them - but very close. On a cost adjusted basis, its the best car Ive ever come across by far. My dealer has commented that the cars are generally excellent, but when they get a lemon its an aweful car. A used car with history is an absolute joy to own and a real bargain.