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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  Awesome Car - 2014 Cadillac ATS
  By willj685 - August 28 - 6:39 pm

  Love this car. Bought it in March. Looks sharp and people notice it. It has serious pick up and speed and excellent handling. The CUE is a little cumbersome but overall not that difficult to use. Definitely a smaller car, youre not going to be able to fit a lot of people in it, but overall it gets the job done.

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  Goodbye BMW - 2014 Cadillac ATS
  By joeeeguy - August 13 - 12:22 pm

  After owning a 2010 BMW 3 lease was up and went with 2014 ATS AWD. If your looking for back seat room this is not your car . Just me and my lady and occasional family member for any short rides. I have already done some foolish things with this car that I would not even tried with the BMW. 3 modes of travel sport, touring , snow ,all three have there moments and all work great . Love this car in aspects of travel , Cue radio very touchy would rather have knobs. No problems over 9 months 10 k miles Turns heads

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  Best Car We Ever Drove - 2006 Cadillac STS
  By stser - August 11 - 3:13 pm

  Bought new in June 2006 for my wife and two middle school boys. Boys are grown and gone, but car is still excellent. 108,000 miles and counting. Lots of short cold winter starts which can really wear on an engine, but no problems. Used synthetic oil and changed only every 10,000 miles. Ash tray covers (f&b) both broke off, and the bushings in the front suspension have moved out of place so we do get some clunking noises over bumps. Both headlamps burned out within months of each other and were costly to replace because the whole front end had to come off. On third set of tires, otherwise no issues. If looking at used...I would buy my car again. Hope to keep it another 100,000 miles. Good GM!

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  First Birthday - 2013 Cadillac ATS
  By topdeadcenter - July 22 - 3:16 pm

  Have had this car for a year now. This car is just plain fun to drive. My wife and I are very happy with or ATS

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  Fantastic Sport Sedan - 2013 Cadillac ATS
  By jhatfie - July 12 - 2:10 am

  What a fantastic car Cadillac has made. I traded in my 2012 Audi A4 Prestige S-Line for my ATS and could not be happier. The A4 was a great car (with a few problems), but the ATS is just so much more willing to get thrown around and feels so much livelier and nimble. The 3.6L has plenty of grunt and thus far with about 3k miles, I am averaging almost 24mpg in mixed 50/50 driving, which is just under the what my Audi got but the ATS does not need premium fuel. The interior is top notch and CUE has been easy to figure out. So far I have had 0 issues. I was a little concerned giving Cadillac a try, but I am so glad I did!

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  Excellent car! - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By car5car - June 18 - 3:53 am

  It is a good car. People never change timing belts, check oil and antifreeze and then complain about engine failure. Some other problems, which were solved are very common for other cars: ignition coils die all the time on Fords and Nissans, valve cover gaskets need to be replaced on Toyotas. All reliability problems were solved by GM by 2000. 2000 and 2001 are reliable cars.

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  Best car on the planet, IMO - 2011 Cadillac CTS
  By fitchburgjohn - June 15 - 8:40 pm

  When I was 10, my dad bought a used 73 black Deville. We were poor and had no business having a yacht like this but it was my dads dream and what a car. Like father, like son in 2009, I bought my first cadillac...a 2006 DTS and loved it every day until 2 weeks ago when I traded it in for a used 2011 CTS Premium, black raven with 26k miles, a real cream puff (I never buy new). It was way above my expectations and I fell in love all over again. This machine seriously performs and while its much tighter than the DTS, it still feels and drives like a Cadillac, only better! Im so impressed every time I get in and out of it. Couldnt be happier!

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  ELR beats Tesla S hands down!! - 2014 Cadillac ELR
  By rowley123 - June 13 - 8:08 am

  I wanted a luxury electric car and thought Tesla was the way to go UNTIL I saw the CADILLAC ELR. This car is the way to go if you are looking for a high end electric car that is fun to drive and practical. The all electric cars concerned me since you HAD to plan a long distance trip around charging. The ELS, however has a 9 gallon gas tank there to power the generator to make more electricity- how awesome is that!!! (It is NOT a hybrid with a gasoline engine). My only fault is with the rear seat size - but lets face it, the population that drives an ELR is not running kids to dance lessons - you are way past that! (or have a mini van for the "family car".)

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  As good as anything from Europe - 2009 Cadillac DTS
  By martyt2 - May 8 - 10:32 am

  I am a Cadillac fan. The DTS that we have now rides as well as anything from Europe, is very smooth and powerful. It has more features and options than a sensible person needs. The Bose system is top of the line. Styling is a matter of opinion. I think it is a pretty car. The interior is very luxurious.

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  Love my new-to-me boat... - 1992 Cadillac Fleetwood
  By delerium75 - April 8 - 3:04 pm

  This has been a good car so far...bought it with 108K in 08-2013, now at 117K and climbing. Minimal fixes so far for a 22 year old car...transmission cooler lines, tie rod end, ball joint and an EGR valve on top of full tune up and fluid changes when I got it. The car had been maintained well prior to me buying it and it shows. She floats down the worst of Michigan roads and has enough space for everyone. Trunk is large and wide (fit a lawn mower AND weed trimmer with it closed). Seats are very comfortable for long drives and the 4.9L has plenty of power for passing on two-lane roads. I average about 17-19mpg in mixed driving, 20-23 on the highway (70mph+) and premium is required.