Cadillac Research & Reviews

Overview & Reviews

Average Score

4.42/5 Average
4,788 Total Reviews
Make Overview:

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:

Showing 4771 through 4780 of 4,788.00
  • STS - MORE CAR THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE - 2005 Cadillac STS
    By -

    Forget the negative comments. This car has all the great features you will ever want in an automobile. Its fast enough, rides comfortably, and comes with all the bells and whistles. The 1SF I drive makes the 03 Infinity Q45 I traded seem like just another car. With only 300 miles its hard to find any faults. All the technology becomes overwhelming when you are trying to learn it all at one time, but the fun is discovering new things this car will do everyday. Going back to a car without keyless entry, 5.1 surround sound, advanced navigation, intelligent headlights, rainsence wipers, heads up display, in a perfectly designed cockpit will be impossible.

  • truck heaven - 2003 Cadillac Escalade EXT
    By -

    i think that this vehicle so far has inpressed me more the i could have expected even though the gas mileage is not great the performance of this truck is worth it and if your buying this truck your not buying to get good gas mileage anyway. cant say enough good things about and i love my color [out of the blue]

  • Rag Top Man - 2003 Cadillac CTS
    By -

    Great looking car.More bang for the buck.Looked at BMWs,Lexus,Mercedes,none of which impressed me as to pay the difference in price for them.Got all the goodies minus the split rear seat, Bose and xenon lights.The wife loves her new car.Handles great so far.

  • Cadillacs RX330 - 2004 Cadillac SRX
    By -

    This vehicle really handles like a sports car, just like Cadillac advertised. The engine is quiet and refined. The leather trim inside the vehicle is really comfortable and the interior materials such as the wood trim is excellent and the carbon-fiber has improved. The dashboard design is excellent and the touchscreen is initutitive, you dont have to read the manual in order to know how to operate it. This crossover delivers like no other. And it is worth the price

  • CTS - 2004 Cadillac CTS
    By -

    Fun car to drive, real eye catching style, so far no mechnical problems, milage is better than I expected for a sporty car

  • Good News for GM - 2004 Cadillac CTS
    By -

    Great Vehicle, Precise in function and design, will do it again with a GM Product.

  • Not your fathers Cadillac (SRX) - 2004 Cadillac SRX
    By -

    I have owned 7 Cadillacs in the past 12 years. I purchased the SRX for more storage room on long trips. It is not a comfortable vehicle, difficult to get in and out of, and the 3rd seat is a childs jump seat(10years old max). 16.5 MPG avg. with the V6. The power steering at parking speed is truck-like. On the other hand the 5 speed transmission performs great on the highway. If you are a Cadillac owner over 40, avoid this vehicle! I have been in Fort Myers,Fl now for 3 months and have not seen another SRX anywhere on the Southwest Florida coast?

  • Nice car - 2016 Cadillac CTS
    By -

    Complex cue system, maybe need. Cd tutorial for visual learners, engine designed to stop when brakes applied to stop. Explanation of no spare tire!

  • Cadillacs Cue System is HORRIBLE - 2017 Cadillac XTS
    By -

    We were actually considering purchasing a new XT-5, so we decided to rent the XTS for an extended vacation that included virtually every type of driving, including city driving in Phoenix & Las Vegas, heavy mountain driving in Northern Arizona & Utah, and flat, high-speed desert driving in Nevada and Arizona. First, the pluses: overall pleasing style that offers decent interior room in a relatively compact body configuration. Fairly well-finished interior that isnt too busy in appearance. Reasonably sized trunk that will accommodate two large suitcases plus two good sized carry-on bags. Sorry, but that is where the pluses stop. Now the negatives, and there are a lot of them: Cadillacs Cue Entertainment/Info system. This is hands down the worst system I have ever used (weve had Mercedes, Volvos, Jeeps, Ford products with My-Touch Sync, as well previous model Cadillacs, all with factory navigation systems to compare). Get your hands anywhere near the touch screen and half the screen displays control icons for the various functions the system offers...this is INCREDIBLY annoying, especially when you are using the sometimes accurate navigation screen. Our car was 3 weeks young and had just 1,000+ miles on it when we got in it, so one would assume that everything should be in proper working order. The navigation system occasionally worked well, but on at least three occasions over the 1,600 mile, nearly two-week "test drive" we gave this car, it changed turn-by-turn directions while we were driving it. Voice control worked well about half of the time, with the other half being so bad that it was actually comical. If I didnt know that it was giving us bogus instructions, we would have ended up in Canada instead of Las Vegas. Once, the voice told us to proceed 2.6 miles and then take a right, but the route shown on the screen indicated a left turn only 100 feet ahead...TOTAL junk! Cooled seats: first car I have ever driven where the cooled seats turned on by themselves when the car was not started remotely on a hot day; very bizarre. Climate Control: Set at 72 degrees on auto-temp with an outside temperature of only 78, the thing blasted cold air for hours at a clip; heat sensor must be mounted in the top of the dash where the sun is always on it. Cruise Control: Lots of luck figuring this one out. Hit the resume switch and it might go back to the previous speed, or it might choose a higher speed in 5-mph increments. One time, it was set at 82 mph, and when I hit the resume, it took-off and showed it was set for 90! During mountain freeway driving, the cruise is incapable of maintaining a steady speed. Shifting: car automatically downshifts on steep mountain grades, even at freeway speeds. Suddenly the tachometer will go from 1,200 RPM to over 4,000 RPM in an effort to slow the car down even when the driver isnt using cruise control or the brakes. This is extremely annoying and completely unnecessary. Interior storage: no place for sun-glasses, cup holders are not cooled like some competitors, making water bottles rather warm while driving in the desert. Absolutely stupid compartment hidden behind climate & radio controls that is activated by touching the bottom edge, engaging an electrical motor that swings the entire panel upward, providing nothing is obstructing it...a good conversation piece that serves no purpose. Perimeter sonar sensors: Audible about two milliseconds before impact requiring driver to rely only on the visual indicators...great when in reverse! Rear camera: Rendered totally useless at night because of the glare from the center mounted back-up lamp. Sun Glare: dash appearance strips cast a glare on the side glass that inhibits the vision of the drivers side rear-view mirror. Power Adjustable Steering Wheel: Not enough vertical movement; stays too high in the lowest position adding to arm fatigue on long drives with hands at the proper 10 oclock/2 oclock position. Head Restraint Adjustment: Only up & down...really?? On a $60K automobile?? Okay, mercifully, Im going to stop here. If you are still considering this over-priced, under-engineered, horrible excuse for a luxury car, then have at it. Weve owned new Cadillacs in the past, and they have been less than stellar. Hoping that General Motors had finally shed some of the deadwood executives that drove it into bankruptcy, we decided to give Cadillac a chance at winning us over again...Not going to happen! I would guess that the biggest market for this car is the rental car fleet at heavily discounted prices, because this car just doesnt cut it.

  • SUV or Sports Car?! - 2005 Cadillac SRX
    By -

    Weve only had our 2004 AWD V8 SRX for about a month. Not one problem so far. If you want the fastest most fun to drive SUV made than look no farther than the SRX! Average gas mileage so far is 16.7mpg in mixed driving, but we didnt buy the V8 to get good gas mileage. Its simply a sports car disguised as a SUV. ;-) Were planning a 2000 mile shopping trip soon. I think it "should" have plenty of room. The ride is stiffer than the our 2002 Seville was, but its very well controlled and doesnt wander at all.

Great Deals Near You
  • Loading cars...

Selected Edmunds.com visitor vehicle reviews

Edmunds.com Visitor Vehicle Ratings and Reviews are the property of Edmunds.com, and may not be reproduced or distributed without the consent of Edmunds.com. Edmunds© is a trademark of Edmunds.com, Inc. Edmunds.com, Inc. is not affiliated with this website or app.

Powered By Edmunds

× Estimated monthly payments based on 3.9% APR, 60 month financing, and 20% down payment. Tax, tags, title, administration fees, and license fees are not included in price or payment. Subject to approved buyer credit. Actual purchase terms may vary.

Payment calculations are sourced by EveryAuto.com and may not reflect actual dealer financing terms.

Send Us Feedback ×


Locating Vehicles In Your Area