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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  Dont be lured by luxury! - 2006 Cadillac SRX
  By donnak48 - September 18 - 8:58 am

  I have read many reviews regarding the SRX, nearly all of them positive. However.... I have owned my 2006 for just over 2 years now and cant even count the number of times Ive had to take it to the shop for major repairs. These include the panorama sun roof not closing, the wheel bearings needing to be replaced not once but twice, check engine light coming on for reasons the shop was unable to duplicate (of course!), electrical issues causing the engine to quit and the final straw-no compression to the engine, which required a tow to the dealership, a call to GM, and more than a weeks worth of repairs. I have absolutely had it with this car! $6000+ in repairs in 2 years? Not acceptable.

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  piece of junk - 2008 Cadillac CTS
  By knotarnicola - August 4 - 2:27 pm

  I have had nothing but problems with my cadillac cts. It started making noised at around 15,000 miles. I ended up needing to have the entire driveshaft replaced. The brakes have always made noises that they shouldnt and I just had one of the fuel injectors replaced. It got stuck open according to the tecnician and the car started smoking and smelled like fuel. The car is totally not worth the money I paid for it.

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  factory reject? - 2001 Cadillac Deville
  By tatezuki - July 31 - 3:00 pm

  The Caddy looked good. Its supposed to, its a Caddy. It sat way too low to the ground. I would have to drive very very slowly over speed humps so I wouldnt rip anything off. My mechanic said it would cost over $800 to replace. It somehow loses a quart of oil a month. Catalytic converter.....almost $500 to replace. A "fresh air" unit? ........... needed to pass emissions, over $400. I bought it with $56k miles. It now has 103k. Now the front end shakes when I drive over 40 mph. The fuel gauge NEVER worked. I bought it three years ago with 56k miles on it. It has 103k now.

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  Save your $, this cars a lemon - 2004 Cadillac SRX
  By annalisef - July 12 - 12:17 pm

  My 2004 SRX has 56,000 miles on it- in the past nine months I had the power steering rack replaced 3 times. There are numerous electrical problems on the car- doors wont stay shut while driving, third row of seats wont go down, battery keeps dying unexpected and Ive replaced it. There was battery drainage in two spots- interior lights blew out, constant engine leaks from trans fluid and power steering. In the past two months, it has been in the shop more than I have driven it. The most unreliable car. I will never purchase another Cadillac product. From what I have read, many other people have experienced the same type of problems with this year/make car. Dealing with Cadillac is awful too.

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  DO NOT BUY - 2008 Cadillac Escalade
  By ihateescalades - March 17 - 9:19 pm

  I love the look and feel of my cadillac escalade esv..however it is an $80,000 car that is 3 years ols and ha been in the shop monthly since 3 months after purchase.....i have replaced an alternator 9 door locks 6 door handles and an o2 sensor, $986.00 in battery cables (that did not fix the problem) cruise control hasnt worked in 5 months, heated steering wheel went out a year ago ($900.00) to fix it..rear defrost has been serviced 4 times... i was told i should have bought an extended warranty...y would an $80,000 car need an extended warranty....i wouldnt sell this car to my enemy! and wait til u have to do general maintenance on it...$1500.00 easy! im told this is all normal!

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  My Last Cadillac - 2003 Cadillac Seville
  By nomorecads - January 28 - 11:09 am

  09:03 AM (PST) I too love the the Cadillac but unfortunately I will not own another one. The 1996 STS I had was a money pit. Constantly at the dealer for repairs. Had the engine resealed twice. It had 56k miles when I traded it. I traded it for a 2003 with 4k miles. It now has 30k miles and we have had the engine completely resealed, constantly fighting leaks, parts being replaced are lasting less than a year, the air/heater broke down, the seat heaters had to be repaired and the radio and cd changer doesnt work right. I am now looking to trade it in for something else.

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  2005 Oil consumption issues - 2005 Cadillac CTS
  By gades - January 19 - 12:13 pm

  I have 2005 CTS with 68000 miles that has been drinking oil like a drunk sailor for the past 1 1/2 years at the rate of 2 qts every 1000 miles! The dealership tried to charge me in excess of $5500 to fix the problem which included new piston rings and an assortment of other "fixes". Since my warrenty of 6yr/100000 was no longer valid the dealership will now "only" charge me about $1400. I stated my disappointment to them about how can a "high" quality GM car have such problems at such a low milage to which their reply was: "not all the vehicles that cadillac produces will be flawless...every now and then you might get a flawed one"... Never again will I be a cadillac buyer.

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  Utter Disappointment - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By soren919 - January 15 - 11:59 pm

  My very first car turned out to be a lemon and a stressor on my mother. Seemed like a nice, clean car that wouldnt cost me a lot because it was a Cadillac and Cadillacs usually are pretty dependable. But this car, just was an EPIC FAIL. Now Im trading it in and getting this burden off of me and my mother! Engine repair costed $2000, then the brakes, then tires, then transmission (which has to be injected into engine which is even more money) sunroof works when it wants to, back wheel drive stinks (especially in snow and ice), power locks on driver side went out, and on top of all of that, CRAPPY gas mileage...please dont ever buy this car...all of these cars should be set on fire!!

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  Im Disappointed in Cadillac and Sewell - 2011 Cadillac SRX
  By dallasfarmboy - December 14 - 9:45 pm

  We purchased a new 2010 SRX almost 9 months ago and it has 6,000 miles on it. First, the gas cap is directly over the right rear tire which forces the gas tube to run parallel to the ground. This causes almost any gas pump nozzle to constantly stop or fall out, so you have to hold the dirty nozzle the entire time. Despite many complaints from many buyers, GM and Sewell resolve this issue with a letter to complainants telling them they dont know how to fill their car. The other issue is a slushing sound in the gas tank. This is very annoying and sounds like a lead ball rolling around in the back. The visibility, long hood, and sluggish and jumpy acceleration are also poor.

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  No quality in some systems - 2003 Cadillac Deville
  By Anonymous - December 6 - 6:12 am

  Bought this practically new 25,000miles car from my neighbor and thought that being a $50,000 Cadillac, it would be a wothwhile opportunity. Wrong! In less than 5,000 miles and 8 months since bought, I have had to replace each front window mechanisms twice. The SS cable just lets go of the support bracket although its new. Too wide turning radius, no U turns allowed without backing up. The A/C works well but it showers the occupants with a black greasy foam which has damaged the carpet, seats and occupant clothing. Impossible to remove cleanly and very costly to repair. Too plastic int. As stated to the dealer, this is supposed to be a $50K car and the features do not justify cost.