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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  Cadillas Deville - 1992 Cadillac Deville
  By Ed Stumpf - December 20 - 2:00 am

  This was a good car. Rides great. Feels wonderful on the road. Lots of pep.

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  Simply Awesome!!!! - 2003 Cadillac Escalade
  By dilham3 - December 20 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my Escalade for three weeks and must say i have never been happier with a vehicle. The look is sharp and the engine is so dang powerful its scary. The room inside is very plentiful and the controls are all right there for the grabing. I must say I now look for places to drive (far away) just so i can be in my Escalade.

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  A SWEET RIDE!!! - 1996 Cadillac Seville
  By GRIZZ2 - December 17 - 2:00 am

  MY BLACKCHERRY STS, WAS PURCHASED WITH 37500 MILES AND CAME WITH THE GOLD PACKAGE, VOGUE GOLD STRIPE TIRES RATED @ 140 MPH. THE NORTHSRAR PULLS HARD ALL THE WAY TO 145 MPH [I RAN OUT OF SPACE IN N.D.] AND THE FRONT END OF THE CAR STILL ROSE WHEN I FLOORED IT AT 145 MPH! THE STS RUNS FLAT @ HIGH SPEEDS AND FEELS VERY STABLE. HOWEVER, DO "NOT" RUN ANYTHING LESS THAN Z RATED TIRES AS THE STEERING IS SO TIGHT THAT MY S RATED TIRES WILL SLIDE 2-5 FEET IN A HIGH SPEED CURVE AND ITLL GIVE YOU A REAL RUSH!! UPDATE YOUR AIR FILTER TO A K&N FILTER AS YOU WILL GAIN 250 RPMS @ SHIFT POINTS AND INCREASE FUEL MILEAGE 2-4 MPG.[I GET 23 MPG @ 75 MPH ON CC. --TRY ONE--

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  Caddies Rule! - 1992 Cadillac Deville
  By CaddyLuvr - December 16 - 2:00 am

  This is my second Cadillac DeVille. My first one had 25x,000 miles on it, and things just started going out with it, so I sold it to the JUNK YARD. As it turns out, a young kid bought it and fixed the few things and is still driving it. WOW--what a car. BUT ON TO THIS CAR: it drives excellent so far, just like new. It has awesome acceleration. It realllly gets up and goes. I have yet to see a faster car!! I owned a newer Lincoln, but things go bad with those darn Ford products, so I went back to Caddy. Get many, many compliments on it. Very well-taken care of. Caddy owners are great!

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  bset of the big SUV - 2003 Cadillac Escalade
  By grl - December 16 - 2:00 am

  I have driven every big SUV out there, and this caddy is the best ride of all. It has plenty of power, and has a very "car like" ride If you are spending north of 50K , you can afford the gas it guzzles

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  Zig Review - 1999 Cadillac Catera
  By tom repp - December 15 - 2:00 am

  Other than a few maintenance problems which the dealer pleasantly took care of it has been a great car. Most Cadillacs look like tanks and this one has some style to it.

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  Worst car ever owned - 2000 Cadillac Catera
  By Jcc5522 - December 14 - 2:00 am

  What on earth went wrong with this model? Everything went wrong, it was in the shop ALL THE TIME. We had friends with one that was as bad as ours. The driver had to climb into the passenger seat to exit the car because he couldnt get the drivers door open! This is the worst car we have ever owned. It was a lovely car, but the quality was te

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  Mikes Catera - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By M CAngialosi - December 12 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned this car since new. Aside from a recall or two it has been great. The Caddy dealer has been 1st class in servicing the car and has even added baby seat tethers to the 1997 model car during the last few months.

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  the gas eater - 2002 Cadillac Escalade
  By spano - December 12 - 2:00 am

  over all i think this car is very godd. It has very good mileage for my uses its comfortable and roomy, the sound system in the car is good considering its the manufactured one, and the steering is excellent

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  escalade - 2002 Cadillac Escalade
  By john b - December 11 - 2:00 am

  The escalade is a dream to drive a real head spinner theres no suv on the planet that can run with the big caddy fully loaded or other wise. The only problem that I found was cabin noise fixe that and Ill buy another and another......