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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  Worst car ever - 2015 Cadillac XTS
  By H. Mitchell Rivenbark - October 21 - 2:44 pm

  You do not want this car I have had it for less than 3 months < I have to put air in every tire, and there is no spare tire, the paint on the back bumper is discolored, the car inside the the from seat makes me feel like am tied up, with no room to move. The liner in the trunk keeps falling down, this is the most wasted amost $ 60,000 I have ever spent, and their online site sucks got locked out after one visit. I will never buy another GM product.

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  Sexual white chocolate - 2012 Cadillac SRX
  By Amanda - October 18 - 9:26 pm

  Let me start off by saying this vehicle is gorgeous! A real looker, and there arent too many of them out there alongside all of those Ford Edges and Nissan Muranos. The interior is impressive, even though we dont have the large nav screen, it still looks great. Expensive looking. The leather is high quality and the reason we bought the 2012 is because it really doesnt look worn at all.. Weve only recently figured out why it doesnt look worn - its very uncomfortable!! Im 60 and had to sit in the backseat for 4 hours, and honestly it was less comfortable than an airplane for me. My head kept hitting the roof, i couldnt put my knees straight out, and for some reason this models back seats dont recline (thought that was standard but it may only be for Performance models) so youre literally sitting stick-straight the whole time and the seats dont give in any way. The front seats are much more comfortable than the back, but still less comfortable than our 2013 Jetta SE. If its beauty youre after, and something with a sturdy interior that will last, then this car is for you. If comfort is priority, look elsewhere (we test drove an MKX and it was very very comfy all around).

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  Like driving my couch! - 2015 Cadillac XTS
  By Don D - October 15 - 11:07 am

  Let me start by saying I have been wary about American cars until now! I had a Chrysler 300-S witch was good but missing a few things until I drove the XTS. The seats are great, the ride, climate controlled seats, and Bose system my drive a joy! I would suggest the front wheel drive over the all wheel drive, really not needed and I can feel the difference with acceleration. The MPG is less then my prior 8 speed and XTS can use a slightly bigger gas tank but Im sticking with this one for a while, coming from a guy who changes cars every 18-24 months!

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  AMERICAN LUXURY - 2013 Cadillac XTS
  By Michael deLeon - October 14 - 8:54 am

  After purchasing Toyotas for years we decided to buy American. We are very pleased with the luxury of the XTS. It is by far the most comfortable vehicle we have ever owned. This is a great car for "empty nesters" and receives plenty of compliments wherever we take it. We did not by the XTS for performance and although it does not have the horsepower to launch at intersections, I am pleasantly surprised at how well the XTS corners and steers. This introductory model had a couple recalls when we first bought it as I would expect any new model would have. Since then, the XTS has been wonderful. The four year bumper to bumper warranty is awesome. If you are in your middle age years and want to buy American then this vehicle is the one to buy. The CUE system took some time to get use to since I was used to knobs and buttons on all my previous cars. The voice recognition software works well for a truly hands free entertainment control. Load up your SD disk and insert it into the slot and you have all the music you ever need for a road trip. The best feature of all the electronic marvels this car has is the back up camera with motion prediction. This is awesome in parallel parking. Just put it in reverse, turn the steering wheel to line up your path and back into your spot. If you want American luxury at its best, convenience, and reliability (especially with the warranty) this is the car to purchase.

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  40000 miles not good - 2006 Cadillac DTS
  By chris tillett - October 12 - 9:52 pm

  1st off, what a beautiful car, comfy, decent mpg! But, this car was always serviced at a Cadillac dealership, at 38000 miles breaking system complete rebuild, not as good as new ! Then both valve cover gaskets, front seat electronics. At 39000, all seals in lower engine replaced at 40000 mile service! Big expense ! Very nice car, but, are you telling me a Lexus , Mercedes or competitive luxury car would need this?? I no longer trust this car as reliable, but, is pretty. My 4th Cadillac , shame that Cadillac doesnt have reliability for price. Prestige not worth it

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  BEWARE - 2006 Cadillac CTS
  By Antonio - October 11 - 11:03 am

  This is one of the worst cars Ive ever bought a lot of problems with the computer I changed it twice, also bad motoralso, fuel injectors suck. Cadillac makes cheap luxury cars

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  Big and Beautiful ! - 1994 Cadillac Fleetwood
  By Christopher - October 11 - 11:01 am

  I purchased a 1994 Brougham with 107,000 miles on it. This nearly nineteen feet long land yacht is a pure Joy to drive. Its like sitting on a lazy boy on a cloud. The interior is huge and comfey, very quiet and bumps and pot holes are barely felt. The leather is super soft and looks great. The LT1 Corvette engine gives you a great deal of power this beast can really move when you need it. My favorite part is the super smooth steering so effortless and smooth. Im getting tremendous gas mileage very easy on the wallet. This Cadillac has the comfort and feel of the great Cadillacs of the 1970s with modern amenities and fuel economy of today. I simply Love this car. Best vehicle Ive ever owned.

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  Could have really been great - 1999 Cadillac Deville
  By SnoopDeville - October 6 - 2:40 pm

  Good: 1. It was pretty fast for such a big car (Used to laugh at civic SIs) 2. Got pretty good MPG at 23MPG all around and over 30MPG on the highway if you kept your foot out of it 3. The bench seats are awesome 4. Enough room to fit all your friends in the back seat.. (And it they pissed you off, they could all fit in the trunk on the way back) 5. It gives you a very protected safe feeling 6. Hitting huge pot-holes feels like running over gravel Now.. Why it got such a bad number of stars.. 1. I bought the car used it had 68K miles on it. 2. The car started to have over heating issues.. I replaced the radiator with a triple core aluminum dragster radiator off of a chevy dragster. The Thermostat didnt circulate the coolant until it was too late, which at 236 degrees for the system to start to circulate is what caused the issues with the head gaskets on these cars. Pulling the Thermostat and buying one made for a different engine (shortstar) and using that one with a bypass on the two 26K CFM fans cured the overheating issues. (NOTE: you cant do the head-gaskets on the 98-02 Northstar, since the head is structural and the engine will warp when you pull the heads.. Entire engine must be replaced) 3. When it rained the tail lights didnt work 4. The alarm would randomly go off. 5. Replaced the power window motors with other Cadillac ones, Twice, before using Toyota Camry ones modified to work in the caddy frames. 6. Dealership wanted to charge me 150.00 for Windshield washer blades.. (Are they high?) 7. Exhaust rotted off the bottom of the car (Stainless isnt a choice on a 40+K dollar car?) (No matter though some Super40 flowmasters and two 3-1/2in chrome tips sounded great) 8. quality of the interior materials are made from cheaper plastics than rubber maid garbage cans. 9. car had electrical issues, and eventually randomly caught fire. (Ironically after the fire department put it out, all it took was some new ignition wires and it started right back up. ) Verdict: These cars can be fantastic cars for people who have some automotive repair skills, they are also fantastic cars for people who live in areas where there isnt heavy traffic. If you live in the middle of mid-town Manhattan, look for a Fleetwood, which while these look alike the fleetwood LT1 is a much better engine. If you however are stuck on one of these for whatever reason.. Keep an open eye for coolant leaks, oil leaks, transmission slips, and mostly overheating. Have the person start and run the car, wait for the coolant fans to kick in before you buy one. Most of these cars are marketed at needing a "head gasket" however, you cant replace the head gasket on the 98-00 Northstar, the head is a structural part, and pulling it will warp the block, which will result in leaking head gaskets as well as other issues. If you find one without the over heating issue, replace the thermostat with a lower temp thermostat immediately, and replace the coolant fan switch with a manual, or adjustable one, choosing to kick on the fans at a much cooler temp (201 vs 236). Doing this will enable you to have a car that will get you around at a very low price.

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  Read this review - 2014 Cadillac ATS
  By Tom Murphy - October 5 - 10:14 am

  I have had this car for 15 months. 3 recalls new brakes new tires rear end alignment You should really think about going somewhere other than Cadillac because this is a troubled model. The room inside is terrible. The dealership surely will let you know that you bought the wrong car. They really should not call this a Cadillac.

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  Best car on the road!! - 2004 Cadillac Escalade
  By Trevor - October 4 - 11:20 pm

  This is a great vehicle I wouldnt trade it for ANYTHING else but the same thing new!!