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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  I bought the STS lemon - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By Linda L. Felton - May 21 - 2:29 pm

  I purchased my STS in January, 2005 and was stranded on the highway by October, 2005 needing a new gear shift. Since December 21, 2006 I have been stranded with a dead battery six times and rough riding with the check engine light twice on Sunday trips of 200+ miles. By the time I get to the dealership after being delivered 5 new batteries in 3 years, the problem cannot be duplicated. Neither of the two dealerships have been able to duplicate the problems so they say there is no problem. There were 6 month intervals from 2006-2007 but 2008 has already recorded January 24, February 18, and May 18.

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  A Fun Car to Drive - 1992 Cadillac Allante
  By Ken Masry - May 19 - 6:53 am

  I have owned my 1992 Cadillac Allante for 13 years and have enjoyed driving it since the first day I got it. It is one of the more classic body styles ever made by Cadillac and still is a beauty. Recently I discovered an alarming fact about my beautiful car, you do not want the brakes to go out in a 1992 Allante, the Bosch ABS brakes are the most expensive braking system to replace ever made, approx. $8,000. I love my Allante but that really hurt ! ! The only year this system was ever used was in the 1992 Allante, my bad luck. Other than that it has been a wonderful car and a lot of fun to drive.

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  Catera - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By dinoscaddy - May 16 - 3:23 pm

  This thing is the worst car I could have bought. Air doesnt work, leaks oil, radiator fan doesnt work, climate control not working and it only has 87,000 miles. JUNK!

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  SRX - 2004 Cadillac SRX
  By Diane Kirk - May 13 - 11:42 pm

  I truly enjoy the luxury and the smooth ride that this car provides. It is very comfortable and easy to handle. The only problem would be the gas mileage but in this day and time Im sure none of us are excited about gas prices.

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  Great Car - 2001 Cadillac Deville
  By Jim - May 13 - 4:05 pm

  I bought this car used last year with 52K miles. I was able to transfer the extended warranty to my name and got 6 months worth of coverage. The car has been worry free. The only things Ive done are oil changes, replacement of the original tires at 55K miles, wheel alignment and 60K maintenance service. I would have never imagined myself driving a Cadillac, but this car is fantastic, esp. 28 MPG on the highways. It does like oil, but the car display tells you when to add it and the dealer told me this is typical of Cadillacs and GMs in general.

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  Gaz guzzler - 2008 Cadillac SRX
  By tnt71 - May 13 - 1:22 pm

  The worst first: this car is the worst car on gas I have ever owned. A friend of mine that has the V6 told me it is just as bad as the V8. 11 MPG! The V8 is very powerful and quiet. Comfortable inside except the third row. Car has a heavy feel but seems to handle well.

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  Great Car, Even With The Broken Parts - 2000 Cadillac Seville
  By Allen - May 8 - 5:47 pm

  There are a lot of problems with this car, but I attribute this to the high mileage. It has over 180,000 miles. Although the ABS is broken, Traction Control is broken, AC/Heat in drivers vents is broken, trunk leaks, rear cig lighter is gone, burns oil, the covers for the rear turn signals fell off (in the car wash), trunk popper is broken, I still LOVE this car. I love the sound system. I love the ability to overtake most anything on the road. It is very comfortable. I love how it can take unleaded fuel (thank God for that). When people say how "so much stuff is broken", I say it just has a personality.

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  Obsessed! - 2013 Cadillac SRX
  By phytkv - May 4 - 10:26 am

  Craved a caddy ever since debut of Art n Science design theme. the SRX offered best of what I wanted/needed; ultra snazzy style, usable cargo space, lots o tek and dependable safety features. Had to give a little, on gas mileage, but all good! Downside is relatively slow, buzzy acceleration. When i want to pass, i want to pass... then, not later! Disappointing low-end torque, but once it gets there, it moves! Also, seems like not enough engine compartment sound insulation? Or, maybe higher quality materials couldve/shouldve been used?? Getting used to fat c pillar blind spots is thrilling, but potentially dangerous?! All things considered; electric vs. gas, coupe-sedan-truck, vanilla vs. rocky road, I love my SRX waaaayy more than not!! Unfortunately, may have to consider a Jaguar F-Pace, Lincoln MKC, Audi or Range Rover if the XT5 2019 freshening doesnt make it more appealing (to me). Not quite on-board with the industrys design direction yet. Still rockin my SRX Performance!!

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  Know where to buy parts in case - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By Davison, Mi - May 2 - 7:39 pm

  Personally I loved my catera, but found that 20 mpg average for a 3.0 sucks, Cadillac parts are very expensive, and things like to break easily and often. Starting with parts, DO NOT buy from dealership, a front lower control arm will run $472, a radiator $500, etc. Always go on ebay and search for the parts you need or look online. I found a front lower control arm for $100 on ebay with 22k miles and a radiator on radiatorexpress.com for $125. P.s I love this car but am into massive subs MTX 9500s and had them in my car but the BOSE system cannot be replaced with aftermarket unless you have the entire audio system rewired, or use a rca interface like me with bad bass levels.

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  2005 CADILLAC REVIEW - 2005 Cadillac Deville
  By K.Hess - May 1 - 2:43 pm

  This is my 5th Cadillac. I love the cars. They are great, reliable and attractive. I will never forget sitting in my first cadillac for the first time. I was in heaven. The seats were so comfortable. My currect caddy is a 2005 cadillac sedan deville. The seats are so uncomfortable I can hardly drive it for long periods of time. My lease is up in December and I want another cadillac but not if the seats are as hard as my 2005. They should make them like they did in 1992.