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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  Cadillac Lover - 2001 Cadillac Deville
  By Timothy Wheeler - September 9 - 9:13 am

  My dad bought me this Cadillac DeVille last year as my first car. I had wanted one since I was 6 years old. we bought the car and the very next day a radiator fan motor bearing went out, it cost almost $700 dollars to fix. since then I have heard popping sounds in the steering and it has stalled twice. the car has 44000 miles on it. I would still recommend buying a car like this, because the comfort and looks outweigh the problems. Its a great car

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  Nice Ride, needs work - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By LDT - September 9 - 2:00 am

  I have never bought a Caddy, but knowing this car was designed to compete with European cars made me take a closer look. Even though I do not have the sport suspension, it still handles quite well. I also do not have the Bose stereo, but it still cranks out the sound. What I do not like is the cheap boom box center stack. GM just cant seem to figure it out. The climate control is also poorly designed. They used the same controls that was in a Buick I rented last summer. Guess it was a cost saving thing.. but if you want to compete with the real sport sedans.... The info center is also hard to read and the controls are poorly laid out.

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  A good deal for the $$$ - 1997 Cadillac Deville
  By gm owner 4 ever - September 8 - 12:30 pm

  I bought this car last year and have only put about 5K miles on it since. It is used mainly for long trips. The car only has 74k miles on it. I have had no problems other than the power ant stopped working and now I have to hand wash the car. Very smooth ride and strong V-8. I paid $4100 for the car and never looked back.

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  Like it but a little let down - 1998 Cadillac Seville
  By Hamsterfan - September 6 - 7:04 pm

  First the good things: nice engine, looks, wheels, interior. Great highway cruiser. Also, the oil-losing problem you read about online is overblown. Yes, it uses oil. I add a quart about 2000 miles after the oil change, and that seems to keep the light from coming on. Its not a big deal. Just buy a case of oil. Now the bad: All the little pieces are falling apart. The right headlight assembly fell out: $800, but instead we fixed it with clear duck tape, which looks crappy. The plastic at the bottom of the seats is breaking. The engine backfired a few times and needed a fuel pump. Too many things are made out of flimsy plastic or metal that corrodes, and with time they break.

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  Low cost to maintain - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By Rich - September 6 - 12:02 pm

  This car cost me less to maintain over these past 10 years than any other car I ever owned.

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  Not Pleased - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By Maregaret - September 6 - 7:00 am

  I have enjoyed my SRX and like any other car it needed to be serviced, but this one has been in more than I had hoped. I believe Cadillac makes sound vehicles, but need to improve the quality of their dealership mechanical services. I was in 5 times just for a seat belt issue. The car also blew a cylinder at about 20,000 miles and the dealership failed to replace the oil in the vehicle when they repaired it. Had to bring it in again. They blamed it on me. Used 3 different dealerships over the so far and was not happy with any. Never had this type of problem with other makes of vehicle that I owned. Wont purchase another one because of the dealership service.

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  wind noise - 2007 Cadillac Escalade
  By cfmulvaney - August 27 - 12:05 pm

  When we saw the new 07 escalade we just had to have it. The vehicle turns many heads, it looks good but the workmanship can be better. The horrible wind noise, and when we take it in for service they dont hear it. The third row seats are very hard to fold up and take out, dont know if we would purchase a escalade again, maybe we just got a rotten Apple from the orchard.

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  The Cost of a Catera. - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By doujd - August 24 - 3:49 pm

  I love this car, however keeping it on the road has not been the cheapest of ventures. The head controllers, which control the A/C temp cost about $1000 a piece and the car has two of them, my radiator light is always on after much tampering, and the Air Bag light is always on, which could be the result of a $701 part. Last fall, 2007, the car was being driven from Memphis to Atlanta and the transmission gave out. A $3,000 fix, there was a leak in the A/C Tubing and that was around $80- $90, the way things are connected seemed random. I had a fuse blow out and it knocked out my radio, my interior lights, my automatic door locks, and my fog lights. Love to car, just high maintenance.

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  Expensive Blessing - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By Travis Lww - August 22 - 4:43 pm

  I bought this Cadillac very inexpensive with 112,000 miles and it was nearly perfect for a year. It is a NICE car! It is definitely the nicest car Ive ever owned but it has taught me how to be a mechanic. I had some problems with Actuator motor on the AC, automatic levelers, ticking noise caused by me pinching a wire going to the hazard lights. It took me forever to figure that one out. Recently Motor went bad at 137,000 miles after a timing belt broke. Interference motor, terrible idea. I bought the updated replacement motor. Hoping it will be around a long time now. Still love the car and its been worth the money. My biggest advice is by the DEALER manuals and work on it.

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  Why German - 2008 Cadillac STS
  By OKCowboy - August 17 - 6:33 pm

  My first Caddy. I have owned many Lincolns, several Mercedes, a terrific Jag and some unmentionables over my almost 40 years of "business" driving. This car has great styling, exceptional sound system and many, many options. It is very responsive, quite and comfortable to drive. I drove all the "others" before I chose the caddy and price was not a concern. Im glad to be driving an American sport sedan. It looks good and drive great. Time will tell but so far its a winner.