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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  Huge improvement over SRX but... - 2017 Cadillac XT5
  By Tomonthebeach - July 3 - 4:45 am

  We waited to get the XT5 because of review promises that the CUE system would be greatly improved. After 12,000 miles, I would say CUE is still crap. A huge problem is that the touch screen requires far too many submenus to achieve even simple commands. The navigation system relies on out-dated maps which reflected incorrect speeds easily half the time on our 40 state trip. It got lost about once every thousand miles on interstate segments that had been changed at least 2 years earlier. It had no detour option and will not reroute even after driving 50 miles on a different highway! Traffic warnings were unreliable. Fortunately if you have a mobile phone supporting Android Auto (AA), that functions like you would expect a luxury car nav system to function. AA understands my Bulgarian spouses accent every time. When driving, handling is fantastic. This car and turn inside many sedans with a far shorter radius than our SRX. Pickup is quite peppy. Mileage is very good for a car of this class. The gearshift is counter intuitive, and the transmission sometime hunts for the right gear in stop-n-go traffic. The fit and finish is good, cargo space excellent, and it has lots of nice feature like ample door storage.

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  XTS WOW - 2016 Cadillac XTS
  By Thomas Dover - June 23 - 2:04 am

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  Best Car Ive Ever Owned - 2004 Cadillac SRX
  By ghfromct - June 23 - 2:00 am

  Just an awesome vehicle. Everywhere I go, people stop me to talk about this vehicle. Ive had nice cars in the past, but this is the first time perfect strangers will stop by just to check out the car and talk about it. Rides like a luxury sedan, and its hard to believe that youre driving a vehicle as large as it is. The V-6 has plenty of power, so I wouldnt worry about upgrading to the Northstar unless money is no object. Fuel economy is solid with the V-6. I get 22-24 mpg in highway driving. The styling of this vehicle is just awesome. Everyone notices the SRX wherever it goes!

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  Yeah, folk - 2004 Cadillac SRX
  By Shamelis - June 23 - 2:00 am

  its real tight, the inside, the outside, the handling, everything is good about that suv.

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  Great Car - 2004 Cadillac CTS
  By Thomas Gazzola - June 23 - 2:00 am

  Great car to own and drive Better performance, handling and ride then the C class Mercedes and 5 series BMW. Caddy is back on top

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  We Love Our Cadillac - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By phil donohue - June 15 - 3:00 am

  This is our first new Cadillac, and it is a superb vehicle. From every aspect, we love this vehicle. It has a superb ride, great acceleration, very comfortable on long trips, nimble and very fuel efficient. A truly perfect vehicle for our family.

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  SUV - 2005 Cadillac SRX
  By BUTLER - June 4 - 7:13 am

  Having a DeVille as previous car, the ride is not as smooth but for a SUV it handles and rides great. Having the glass top for viewing is really great and to ride with it open does give the feel of conv. But only drawback is I cant have satellite radio on the model with the glass top. Gas mileage on the highway is disappointing for a six cyl. car it comes at barely 22mpg. My biggest problem is that my wife loves it and I rather have a DeVille.

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  LOVE EVERYTHING EXCEPT DEALER - 2003 Cadillac Escalade EXT
  By richclick1 - June 3 - 2:00 am

  I feel like a teenager (now 50) with my first love(auto).The neighbors chat, and Men and WOMEN everywhere have to comment on the truck.The seats, sound system, and utility are all A+++. Long drives are tireless. We did Christmas shopping for eight in one day in the rain. We had a 12 ft tree tied to the bed and must have looked liked Santas modern Sleigh (w/345 reindeers under the hood)! It will tow 6,000 pounds on a 6% grade uphill at well over the speed limit, while having sufficient chassis, suspension, and brakes to make it safe, easy, and fun. It drives in the rain like its on rails. Id buy another.

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  Lovely Ride - 2006 Cadillac Escalade EXT
  By VHP - May 14 - 4:33 am

  I really like my 2006 Cadillac Escalade EXT a lot more than I did my 2003 Cadillac Excalade EXT. I drove the 2003 for two and a half years, before trading it for my 2006. The 2006s ride is a lot smoother, and is more comfortable. I drive from Georgia to Florida a least once a month, so the comfort and room that the EXT provides definately suits my needs. When I am at home, I use the EXT around our farm to carry feed and hay, it is a workhorse also.

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  all most perfect 04 srx - 2004 Cadillac SRX
  By CM II - May 11 - 2:00 am

  Drives as if on tracks handles well,and just fun to drive