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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  Great Truck - 2004 Cadillac Escalade EXT
  By Jimmym - July 31 - 10:00 am

  Fantastic vehicle. Very utilitarian, yet provides full luxury features. The truck would rate a 10 if it were not for the poor fuel economy. 13.8 mpg average. Will do 17mpg on highway. They should put a diesel in this truck. Diesels have become much cleaner and quieter.

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  Sweet Ride - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By Satisfied Customer - July 28 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle has incredible value for the price paid. I would most definitely recommend a CTS to anyone who loves to drive and get noticed for what they are driving. Cadillac has gone all out to provide a perfect blend of styling and performance using quality craftmanship and technology. I was more than a bit apprehensive about buying a new vehicle designed from the ground up in its first year but just had to have one based on its looks alone.

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  Oh You Cad. - 2017 Cadillac XT5
  By Fredrick Dobbs - July 26 - 2:04 pm

  This is a second shot at a review after 2000 miles and a fairly long trip of all day driving. First of all. The acceleration is wonderful. The handing is not Lazy boy Cadillac, its sporty handling corners like a sporty SUV which I guess it is from the performance. Love the handling. Love the silence on the road. I have residual hearing problems from big guns in the military and even with my dodgy hearing I can easily hear my music and audio books on trips, not to mention the helpful musings of my spouse. Braking is excellent if not a tad touchy. You do not have to stomp on these brakes. I love the safety features like lane change warnings, rear crossing warnings and the back up camera although I have never got the need for the digital track in the rear camera to bend its my turning. I know Im turning. I am very gratified that an American company is making a car of this apparent quality. It gives nothing to the off shore imports. This car is a stand out in a city where you cant swing a dead possum without hitting a BMW and Mercedes. It seems to be some kind of cultural imperative but Ive had my share of complements even though I doubt many people look carefully enough to distinguish it from a SRX. The overall appearance of the exterior and mechanicals is stunning and the color I selected, Silver Coast is a stealth car wash avoidance feature. It hides the dirt wonderfully when I am negligent on washing the car. one last small gripe. I dont like the design of the 18 inch wheels. Kind of seventies looking. Cadillac could do better. Look on the web to get some ideas. My single annoyance with this part of the car and it is a BIG one, is the inability to turn off the stop/start mechanism. You can off foot it and you get lurches. It is not as clever as the propeller hat engineers who designed it think it is. I hate it and would not buy the car again. I can find just about any other car that allows you to disable this dubious feature including other Cadillac models. It works off the brake and you can fool it. If you are at a signal and the engine turns off, just lift your foot off the brake and it will start again. Depressing the brake again while you are waiting will not shut it off a second time. I am not thrilled with the XT two step. I want to get this all praise out because I think this is a Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hide car. Mr Hide designed the interior. The dash lights adjust automatically and are too dim in day light for me. I can not manually adjust them higher. They brighten in a parking structure and at night and you can dim them down with the dimmer switch but that switch does nothing to brighten the dash lights in the day. This forces me to use the window with a large numeral for speed determination. This is a problem because of the propensity for the dash to reflect overhead sun at certain times of the day. In fact, same said genius engineer also probably designed the center information center with insufficient shading and helpfully tilted the screen toward to windshield at the top just to make sure that you dont miss getting the screen compromised by the sun reflection. You can play CSI and count your finger prints on it for lack of seeing other information. The seat is my biggest interior problem. My wifes RX350 has wonderful seats. She is looking for a new car and ruled out the XT5 because of the hard seats and the uncomfortable lumbar support. I have the same complaint. Hard seating not good for long drives. bothers my leg. I had to get a piece of memory foam which my spouse sewed up in a cover to put on the seat. This is a sport seat and not suitable for a SUV in my opinion. All the SUVs I have ridden in and owned have had more comfortable seats. Again. Live with this car before you buy. Rent one and see if the seat suits your back side. I hate them which makes it awkward for a car I now own. As I said, I am tall and large. When I sit with the seat back, it is obvious they thought to put in a long seat track for tall people but then failed to accommodate any other interior feature to this seating position. The center console is difficult if not nearly impossible to get into. The dash information center is way too far away. The door panels bow out near the front of the car then conveniently bow back in to crowd your arm. Another thing that escapes me is the logic of the seat memory. In any other car you press the memory button and number one for example to set your seat and in the future you just tap the button to make the seat move. In the XT, you have to lean on the button for the entire trip and if you stop pressing, the seat stops moving. To have the seat work automatically you have to turn on a feature in settings. After you do that the car resists any further changes. You have to turn it off to reset memory. In my case that is far too frequently because the seat does not seem to hold the back rest angle and must be readjusted periodically. Brilliant outside, not inside.

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  Worth the wait - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By Illini76 - July 24 - 8:16 pm

  This is my third Cadillac and second STS. I could not wait to get this car and its worth the wait. Great design, exterior and interior. A real head turner, I have gotten more compliments on this car in the first 30 days. It is sleek, nimble and fast just like you want. The only disappointment so far is the voice control seems to be a little wacky. There are so many new neat features it takes a while to learn them all. I love the air- conditioned front seats. But most of all it is the Power and Ride.

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  The SRX Experience - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By shock em - July 19 - 10:00 am

  I was one of the first to own an SRX in my area. There were many people asking me what type of car I had. It was a pleasure telling them it was an SRX. I fell extremly safe within this vehicle.

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  Wow! Exceeds my expectations! Intuitive - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By ddailyhou - July 19 - 10:00 am

  2005 STS V6 Pkg. 1SC This is absolutely the finest vehicle Ive ever owned. From the DVD audio with Bose 5.1 surround sound to the keyless EVERYTHING! (Im still trying to figure out what to do with my keys!) Bluetooth phone, DVD, all features exceptional. They obviously took cues from import luxury cars but "tweeked" the options to be more user friendly. Handling, ride, suspension - all incredible. I feel as though this car was designed specifically for me! Gas mileage is not-so-great as a barrel of oil hits 55.00 but its not like a surprise with a 255 HP V-6. Get down to your Cadillac dealer! You gotta drive this car!

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  Cadillas STS 2005 - 2005 Cadillac STS
  By Elaine Gold - July 19 - 10:00 am

  the seats are very uncomfortable,,,the cd that explains how this car works is 2 hours long and ridiculous to sit and listen to since you cannot have the motor on and then you have to start on and off...i did not listen to the whole thing...we still dont understand how you handle valet parking...what do you give the driver??the keyless portion is great...i think that gm should offer a house visit after you have the car for a few weeks...we will probably visit the dealer and go over some of the items again....gm should definitly have made the seats with more comfort in mind-the book is not clear either

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  my 1st. cadallic - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By Nantucket - July 19 - 10:00 am

  Iv been an Alfa lover-driver.. Loved its performance, handling,looks.Due to an deer accident my 94 was totaled by the insurance co. Alfa is no longer available in the States.Was not sure about Cadillac, but after driving all that was out there under $40,000 I bought a 1994 cts. To date I find the car is not an Alfa performance wise,however more than holds its own.It moves when ever I ask it to perform. It satisfies me and Im pretty spoiled when it comes to performance.Like the size,handling,comfort..Dont understand consumers constantly berating interior finish.. I disagree.

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  CTS-- A big disappointment - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By MMRPharmD - July 11 - 10:00 am

  This car is a BMW/foreign car wanna be that will never happen. I bought it on first impressions and regretted every day thereafter (all 5 of them). I traded this in after 5 days of owning it (for a BMW 330i) and one trip lasting 200 miles. This is portrayed as a younger persons vehicle; however,I felt like I was driving my moms car the whole time! At 27, this is not the car for me yet, but maybe at age 57 it will be.

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  LOVE THAT CTS! - 2003 Cadillac CTS
  By Cadillacgirl - July 5 - 10:00 am

  I had to order my CTS from the dealership,It took 3 months for my car to arrive and I tell you once I recieved my phone call from Capitol Cadillac I rushed over and my CTS was ready for me to take her home. It was well worth the wait, I had so many people come to me asking can they look inside,that they couldnt beleive it was made by Cadillac.This car is very powerful it looks intimidating yet classy I am sold with Cadillacs forever just to think that I wanted a Mercedes C-class when I testdrove one I was not sold,then I saw a picture of the CTS I told my dad this is the car I want I didnt have to test drive it!!! lol.